In this session of the Shorenstein APARC Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellows Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

Wataru Ishii, "Economic Development of Zhejiang Province"

Zhejiang Province is located in the southern part of the Yangtze River Delta on the southeast coast of China. Before the economic reform started in 1978 all over the country, Zhejiang Province's GDP and GDP per capita were about 15th among other provinces. Since then it has achieved enormous economic development and now ranks 4th in provincial GDP and GDP per capita, just after politically more autonomous metropolitans of Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.

While succeeding in maintaining economic development for three decades since the economic reform began, Zhejiang Province is now facing many difficulties, such as unfavorable influence of the international financial crisis in 2008. From the start of economic reform local governments have played an important role in developing local economy. Can local governments help economy in the region keep thriving in future? If so, what kind of roles should they play?

Mitsue Kurihara, "Issues of Japanese VC Industry from the Perspective of Exit Activities"

Exit strategies of venture capitals (VCs) are one of the key factors in developing the VC industry in each country. Exit strategies in VCs are ways to transfer their owned stocks and to obtain high rate of returns. Exit strategies are one of the reasons for the Japanese VC industry being so small and low performing. However, Japanese VC exit conditions have not been completely clarified.

Kurihara will focus on the VC's exit strategies and markets to explain the characteristics and problems of the Japanese VC industry.

Boyoung Shin, "Rising Issues on Multi-Cultural Families in Korea"

Today, a portion of the Korean population consists of foreign residents - currently at 2.2% and growing at a very rapid rate. Korea is no longer a single-ethnic nation, one in which they claim as the purest country in the world. This long time existing sense of nationalism for Koreans has to now confront new challenges. The growing number of foreign residents proves that Korea is now in a remarkable turning point for vast transition in the form of a multi-cultural nation. Shin's research studies the issues of a multi-cultural family and it's significance in adequately coping with the consequences that will soon follow in Korean society.

Suguru Taguchi, "Human Computer Interaction - Focusing on the Input Interface"

Machines and computers have become increasingly convenient and sophisticated, yet, at the same time, more complicated. The interaction between human and computer has an important role in operating these complicated machines. Regarding input interface, there has been a boom in the natural user interface (NUI) that detects movement of the body, including the input interface of the touch screen system.

Taguchi analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of input interface, and argues whether NUI, which uses an intuitive operation, can be used as an input interface in a wide range of fields in the future.

In this session of the Shorenstein APARC Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellows Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

Hironori Iwane, "Smart Grid Strategies Concerning Renewable Energies in the United States and Japan"

The topic of Smart Grid has become more and more popular because technologies concerning it are effective for efficiency improvement and renewable energy increase in electric power systems. However, Smart Grid is an ambiguous term and its meanings vary with different audiences. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult to identify what Smart Grid is or understand the potential benefits or concern for future electric power systems. As the result, grasping strategies for future electric power systems is complicated. This research focuses on clarifying the future strategies for electric power systems in ambiguous renewable and Smart Grid circumstances.

Daiju Nakahashi, "Current and Future Trends of the Smart Grid in the U.S. and Japan - A Study of New Business Opportunities"

The Smart Grid is a next generation power grid that controls the supply and demand of electricity by using advanced information and communications technology. The Smart Grid is considered revolutionary in the power industry - just as the Internet was to the IT industry. In recent years, worldwide interest in the Smart Grid has increased due to its close relationship to renewable energy. In particular, the interest in the United States has grown significantly since the Obama administration unveiled its plan to invest heavily in the Smart Grid. Nakahashi's research in the Smart Grid examines current trends in the United States and Japan and analyzes opportunities for new businesses.

Tomohiro Yamaguchi, "Mobile Industry in the U.S. and Japan:  The Differences and Direction in Each Country"

With the rise of smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android phone, the mobile internet market is dramatically growing in the United States. In Japan, on the other hand, the closed nature of the market is seen as a problem, which is sometimes called "Galapagos", with the negative connotation of the nature. Yamaguchi considers the difference between both markets, and attempts to answer the questions -"Which market is leading?" and "How much is it leading?" Finally, Yamaguchi will conjecture the direction of the future.

In this session of the Shorenstein APARC Corporate Affiliate Visiting Fellows Research Presentations, the following will be presented:

Hirofumi Takinami, "Political Economy of the Financial Crises in Japan & United States - A Comparative Study on the Bailout of Financial Institutions"

Currently, the United States is suffering from a financial crisis.  Japan has struggled with a financial crisis from the late 1990's to the early 2000's.  What implications can be drawn from these crisis experiences of the two largest economies in the world?  As one part of a collaborative research with Professor Phillip Lipscy on "Policy Innovation in Japan and the United States:  A Comparative Study of Response to Finiancial Crises", Takinami analyzes which elements are crucial in the use of bailout of financial institutions as a means to address financial crises.  Stressing that taxpayers' understanding and market sentiment are key, he makes arguments especially on the "learning effect" of Japanese financial crisis and the importance of action by the national leader and his/her secretarial organizations.

Takashi Uchida, "Comparative Research Study of Manufacturing Between the United States and Japan"

Manufacturing consists of upstream (raw material suppliers), middle stream (casting, dyes, metal press, etc.) and downstream (automobile companies, machinery companies, and electric companies).  To accurately view the structure of manufacturing as "supply chain", Uchida analyzes where manufacturing value comes from.  In particular, Uchida takes a look at the automobile market, comparing the difference between manufacturing in Japan and the United States.

Zheng Wang, "Valuation and Integration of Intangible Assets in Mergers and Acquisitions"

In modern economies, a large proportion of a company's assets tend to be intangible, such as brand names.  Intangible assets have become one of the key factors behind a company's competitive strength.  In particular, obtaining a target's intangible assets has been the major driving force in M&A activities during the past years.

M&A for intangible assets tends to be more complicated than for tangible assets, mainly due to the challenges in terms of valuation and post-deal integration.  In this research presentation, Wang analyzes some special issues in valuation and integration of intangible assets in M&As, and tries to draw useful lessons on M&A for intangible assets through case study.

A workshop on desgining and delivering effective oral presentations.

A workshop on designing and delivering effective oral presentations.

Associate Professor Jae-Seung Lee from Korea University, Division of International Studies will be leading the seminar on energy security and cooperation in Northeast Asia (including East Asia).

Professor Lee holds a B.A. in political science from Seoul National University (1991) and an M.A (1993) and PhD (1998) in political science from Yale University. He also earned a certificate from the Institut D'Etudes Politiques de Paris in France in 1995.

Before joining the faculty of Korea University, he had served as a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As a scholar in international political economy, he authored a number of books and articles on Korea, East Asia, and Europe. His current research includes energy security and energy diplomacy of Korea, among others. Prof. Lee has directed the Korea Energy Forum (KEF), an interdisciplinary energy research initiative, and conducted a number of energy projects with UNESCAP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has taught at Yale University, Seoul National University, and Korea University.

While most Asian economies rode out the recession fairly well, disturbing human development statistics across the region persist. Rapidly increasing wealth is not being shared, and women and minority populations are often the most at risk of falling behind, especially in South Asia.

Barbara Crossette, a former foreign correspondent for The New York Times, is the author of several books on Asia, including So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1995 and in paperback by Random House/

The Shorenstein Journalism Award, which carries a cash prize of $10,000, honors a journalist not only for a distinguished body of work, but also for the particular way that work has helped American readers to understand the complexities of Asia. It is awarded jointly by the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Center in the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University, and the Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. This year’s recipient is Barbara Crossette.