World War II yielded many photographs of bombed-out cities. In this talk I telescope between two sets and scales of images that represent the principal frames through which the American and Japanese publics have memorialized the incendiary bombings that laid waste to Tokyo: aerial photographs taken by the US Army Air Force during its wartime planning, prosecution, and assessment of the raids; and the ground-level images captured by Ishikawa Kōyō, a photographer working on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. By means of a detailed examination of the production, circulation, and consumption of these photographs -- what some scholars have called an “archaeological approach” to images of ruination -- this talk explores not only the visual rhetoric and reality of the destruction of Japan's cities, but also how that destruction is situated in history, memory, and visual culture.

David Fedman is the co-author of “A Cartographic Fade to Black: Mapping the Destruction of Urban Japan during World War II” (Journal of Historical Geography, Vol. 38, No.3) and an affiliate of japanairraids.org, a bilingual digital archive dedicated to the international dissemination of information about the air raids.

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

Niranjan Acharya, "Follow-on Biologics - Oppoertunities and Challenges in the U.S. Market

The pharmaceutical market in the United States is the largest in the world.  Currently, the percentage of GDP spending towards healthcare is the highest and is expected to be on the rise in coming years.  As a result, it is imperative to look for avenues to reduce the burden on the system. 

When compared to the overall pharmaceuticals market, biologics though, garner a minuscule share in prescriptions.  However, this equates into 15% of the market value, which is high compared to the number of prescriptions.  In his presentation, Acharya suggests biologics as one of the options to reduce the cost of healthcare spending and attempts to understand the overall opportunities and challenges for follow-on biologics in  the United States.

Xiaoyuan Shi, "Emerging Trends of Internal Audit in Risk Management"

The business world is becoming increasingly complex due to new, evolving and emerging risks.  Organizations are giving risk management more consideration, internal auditors are finding they can play important roles in risk management and may become a powerful promoter of enterprise risk management practices.  How can internal auditors shape their future?  In her presentation, Shi will introduce current internal audit activities and provide some insight into the direction of how internal auditors expect to perform in the coming years.  Shi will also provide her analysis of what is and what should be the role of internal audit in risk management. 

Guoqiang Zhao, "What Can China Learn from the U.S. Financial Crisis?"

The 2007-09 financial crisis triggered by the burst of the housing bubble proved to be the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  As boom and bust repeated periodically, Zhao has tried to find out the vulnerabilities in both the private and public sector that caused this recent crisis to be so devastating.  Zhao shares recommendations for the reform of the Chinese financial system. 

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

Sanat Deshpande, "Best Practices in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management"

The pharmaceutical supply chain is very complex and highly responsible to ensure that the right drug reaches the right person at the right time in the right condition to meet the medical needs to fight against disease.  Anything less than 100% service level is unacceptable.  The pharmaceutical industry is facing a series of challenges such as counterfeiting and cold chain management.  In addition to these challenges, developed countries like the United States are also dealing with the patent cliff and healthcare reforms.  There is a growing oversight by the regulatory authorities across the world to ensure patient safety when it comes to pharmaceuticals.  In his presentation, Deshpande will discuss the growth of the pharmaceutical industry focusing on the challenges faced by the supply chain and key areas where companies can improve for the future.

Ryo Masuda, "What Can the Cable TV Industry Learn from the Strengths of Over-The-Top Providers"

One of the biggest concerns for the cable TV (CATV) industry in the United States has been the competition with Over-the-Top providers (OTT).  OTT providers like Netflix and Hulu have been successful in penetrating its service in recent years by providing customers with TV content over the internet for a cheaper monthly flat rate.  Masuda has analyzed the current fundamental differences in service strategies of CATV and OTT providers and their customer behavior. In his research presentation, Masuda tries to answer the question – “Can the CATV industry really compete with OTT providers and what can we learn from those strengths to develop services in the future?” 

Wei Shi, "A Comparison Between the U.S. and China's Credit Card Markets - The Englightenment to the Development of ICBC's Credit Card Business"

Based on a statement of the basic information of China’s credit card market development and a comparison to that of the United States, Shi has researched the main problems that China’s credit card industry currently faces.  He has focused especially on the case for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) by studying market conditions, credit environment, management risks, and regulatory policy, as well as the reasons and causes of these conditions.  Based on his findings, Shi proposes suggested solutions that will help to further develop the credit card business at ICBC. 

** We are currently experiencing some problems with our online RSVP system.  If you have any difficulty registering for this event, please send an email directly to the organizer, Denise Masumoto, via email masumoto@stanford.edu.  Thank you for your cooperation.  **

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

Mitsunori Fukuda, "Learning From Regulations About Electricity Supply in California"

In March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan causing a severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.  As a result of this accident and an electricity crisis in Japan, it has become increasingly more important to create a more stable and robust electricity supply system.  On the other hand, there is a unique electricity supply situation in California.  Although the situation is much different from the one in Japan, the California government has also tried to improve its situation by reforming regulations for electricity supply companies.  In his research, Fukuda reviews the Japanese electricity supply situation and related regulations.  Additionally, he identifies significant learning points for Japanese improvement from the California situation. 

Chengbao He, "The Characteristics of Research and Development Management of Large Oil Companies"

Large oil companies play a dominant role in the oil industry, a vast majority of which is integrated with upstream and downstream business.  These large oil companies consist of international oil companies (IOCs) and national oil companies (NOCs).  Along with the accelerated economic globalization process, competition and cooperation between NOCs and IOCs will be more extensive and diverse.  The competition between these enterprises is not only a competition for resources, but more importantly, it is about the technical strength of competition and the ability to develop and deploy new technology.  Strengthening the management of research and development (R&D) and improving the efficiency of R&D is the constant goal of each oil company. 

In his research, He introduces the typical generation of R&D management mode at present, focuses on the analysis and comparison of R&D management and operation practice of the five well-known large oil companies, namely ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron and CNPC.  They have formed their unique management mode, technological advantage and competitive advantage in technology innovation. 

Tsutomu Morigaki, "How Do Japanese Electric Companies Expand Business both in Japan and Globally?"

Traditional Japanese electric companies have been struggling with expanding their own businesses as well as their declining international competitiveness in the field.  Why is it difficult for Japanese companies to recover and succeed in international markets?  Morigaki analyzes the current situation from various points of view such as cultural features, technological trends and the movement of leading companies in the United States.  In this presentation, Morigaki provides suggestions on how to make strategies and which fields Japanese electric companies should focus on in the near future. 

Toshihiko Takeda, "Enhancing Multiculturalism Through Implementing Immersion Programs in Japan – Learning from Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area"

The United States has accepted generations of immigrants for more than 240 years from all around the globe.  While on the opposite shore of the Pacific Ocean, Japan maintains a virtually homogeneous society.  However, some local governments in Japan are facing an influx of foreign migrants who need to communicate with new neighbors in many places including classrooms.  The United States has a long history of language education for immigrants and its children.  Takeda explores various language immersion programs and analyzes good practices in the San Francisco Bay Area and implementation options for Japan. 

** We are currently experiencing some problems with our online RSVP system.  If you have any difficulty registering for this event, please send an email directly to the organizer, Denise Masumoto, via email masumoto@stanford.edu.  Thank you for your cooperation.  **

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

Kazuaki Osumi, "A Comparative Study of VCs in the United States and Japan"

There is no doubt that start-ups are one of the most important players for innovation.  And venture capital firms (VCs) play a vital role in improving their business.  In his research, Osumi tries to find out what the role is for the Japanese government in this area by comparing the differences between VCs in the United States and Japan.

Kenta Sakurai, "Establishing the Optimal System of Patent Examination"

The patent war between Apple and Samsung Electronics, which was big news in the summer of 2012, has been spreading throughout the world, including Europe and Asia.  However, this is not the only problem these two companies have.  In order to prepare for the other forth-coming patent wars, technology companies are trying to win an “armament race”, acquiring as many patents (“weapons”) as possible.  While heating the races, the total number of patent applications filed at the national patent offices has been rapidly increasing over the last decade.  As a result, the most serious problem for each of these offices has become examining this flood of applications, creating a trade-off between swiftness and accuracy of examination.

In his presentation, Sakurai argues what is the optimal patent examination process, understanding the importance of both timely patent issuance and deterrence of superfluous provision of “weapons”.

Mao Xie, "Downstream Gas Business Management"

In recent years, the role of natural gas in facilitating low carbon economic growth, energy consumption mix optimization and environmental protection has become more prominent.  After the deregulation of the wellhead prices, interstate pipeline regulation and the emergence of the marketers, the United States’ natural gas industry has entered its mature stage and become one of the most developed gas markets in the world.

To develop a strong natural gas business constitutes a key part of constructing a green, internationalized and sustainable PetroChina.  Through market environment comparison and case studies involving the downstream area, Xie attempts to understand the best and most appropriate experiences that a state-owned company like PetroChina can learn and apply to its own practices.

** We are currently experiencing some problems with our online RSVP system.  If you have any difficulty registering for this event, please send an email directly to the organizer, Denise Masumoto, via email masumoto@stanford.edu.  Thank you for your cooperation.  **

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

Yasuaki Hanai, "Are Japanese Electric Companies Becoming Obsolete? –  Rethinking Strong Points for Japanese Electric Companies

In recent years, it has become very common to take pictures using a smart phone or tablet, such as an iPad, and to share this information via social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Japanese electric companies and products have been noticeably absent from this area, except for the single-lens reflex camera.  How has this happened?  Why have Japanese electric companies suffered a decline?  In his research, Hanai tries to answer these questions by analyzing the financial reports of various Japanese companies after the bubble economy collapse.  Hanai also considers strong points for Japanese electric companies and what the next actions should be to reverse the decline.

Saiko Nakagawa,  "Systemic Risks in the Japanese Banking Sector"

“Systemic risk” has become a buzzword after the global financial crisis in 2007-08.  Due to its elusive nature, there have been active discussions among scholars, international organizations and national regulators on how to measure and address the risk in order to prevent the next crisis.  In her presentation, Nakagawa will introduce these recent discussions and argue the implications to Japan’s financial sector.

Masashi Suzuki, "Dismal Software Industry in Japan – Will It Be Disrupted or Will It Discover Its Own Way like U.S. Players?"

In his research, Suzuki provides an historical analysis of the software market in Japan and the United States as well as a comprehensive analysis of the status quo of these two countries. Are there ways to improve the unfavorable situation in Japan?  Suzuki attempts to provide an answer to this question in his research presentation. 

Bin Wang, "Innovation and New Venture Strategies in China"

In recent years, entrepreneurship has played an increasing role in promoting economic growth in China.  The Chinese government began to pay more attention to encourage entrepreneurship in order to reform the economic structure.  Wang’s research examines the characteristics of the emerging industry and reveals a positive relationship between innovation capabilities and growth of new venture.  He developed a framework to classify new venture strategies based on market characteristics and innovation capabilities, identified ten strategic types, and reviewed their impact on performance in new ventures in China.  Wang’s research attempts to provide important guidelines for venture capital to identify potential investment opportunities.  These guidelines will also help entrepreneurs to identify an appropriate strategy to pursue business opportunities in given situations.