I promise that this program could change your mind and future.

-Daisuke Maeda

Daisuke Maeda, 2008-2009 Corporate Affiliates fellow, embraced the opportunity of being at Stanford University in order to actively engage with students, scholars, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Connecting in person in an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship informed Maeda's thinking about his work with the Sumitomo Corporation, both retrospectively and for the future.

Established in 1919 but with business roots extending back into the 17th century, Sumitomo Corporation is a Tokyo-based general trading company with approximately 200 offices and 800 subsidiaries worldwide, including such major global cities as Beijing, London, Madrid, Istanbul, Casablanca, Sao Paulo, and New York City. Sumitomo is divided into seven business units based on its wide diversification: metal products; transportation and construction systems; infrastructure; media, network, and lifestyle; mineral resources, energy, chemical, and electronics; general product and real estate; and financial and logistics. Some of its subsidiary companies include Discovery Japan, Inc.; Barneys Japan; and Pacific Summit Energy, LLC. The corporation's mission statement expresses a strong focus on social responsibility.

Before coming to Stanford, Maeda had the responsibility for overseeing the marketing strategy of one of Sumitomo's e-commerce companies and while at Stanford he then conducted research about the "long tail" statistical theory which emphasizes the strength of a vendor, such as Amazon, selling a wide array of specialty goods. Maeda looked at arguments for and against this theory and spoke with Stanford students and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs on this subject.  In addition to his research, Maeda met with local startup companies and offered advice on marketing their products in Japan.

Maeda is now a director in the mobile and internet department of Sumitomo's media, network, and lifestyle business unit, which is home to Japan's largest cable television provider, the biggest home shopping television channel, and a major households goods e-commerce website. His current work involves developing a Japan-focused online marketing strategy for Sumitomo's healthcare business offerings.

Maeda urges current fellows to seize the opportunity of being at Stanford, saying, "Don't hesitate. Time is limited." He explains that he actively sought out opportunities to enrich his own knowledge and potential, including meeting and talking with people. "I promise that this program could change your mind and future," he concludes.

 

Fractured Rebellion: The Beijing Red Guard Movement, the acclaimed book by Andrew Walder, was featured in the November 11, 2010 issue of the New York Review of Books. Awarded the 2009 Barrington Moore Award by the American Sociological Association, Fractured Rebellion provides a new perspective of the Red Guard movement, focusing on its evolution between 1966-1968 in Beijing. China studies pioneer Jonathan Spence has praised the book, saying: "Better than anything else I have read, Andrew Walder's Fractured Rebellion explains how and why the Beijing students in the first two years of the Cultural Revolution became so sharply, bitterly, and fatally divided. An absorbing work of research and synthesis."

The world first became concerned about North Korea's nuclear development program in 1989 through satellite photos of a facility under construction near the town of Yongbyon. Since then, there have been on-again, off-again negotiations with North Korea by the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and other countries in the region to halt and dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

A consistent strategy focused on dialogue and diplomacy is essential to get out of the current quagmire, urged Song Min-soon, a member of the Korean National Assembly and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, at a Korean Studies Program public seminar on October 18. Although the United States and the ROK must lead efforts, China's active involvement is also crucial. Resolving the nuclear issue is necessary to help ensure the long-term peace and prosperity of not only the Korean Peninsula but also the entire East Asia region.

Song explored reasons why previous negotiation attempts failed, especially the lack of a shared vision among the concerned countries for the future of the peninsula and region. He suggested that this rendered China less willing to play a stronger role in the negotiations. The imbalance of power among the negotiating countries is another significant factor. North Korea's only effective bargaining card is its nuclear weapons program, argued Song, while countries like the United States have the capability to offer or withhold important aid, such as energy and development assistance.

Song advocated a firm, direct approach, stating that the United States has not adopted a real strategy for effecting nuclear disarmament. Instead, it has opted for the "slogan" of "strategic patience." He cautioned against taking a hard line, such as the current ROK administration is pursuing. Song expressed the hope that the United States would focus more on developing a well-planned diplomatic strategy for resolving the nuclear issue and that the ROK would adopt a more conciliatory approach toward North Korea.

To move forward in the Six-Party Talks-negotiations among the United States, the ROK, North Korea, China, the Russian Federation, and Japan-and effectively resolve the North Korea nuclear issue, Song made several recommendations. He pointed to the long-term benefit of building trust incrementally by fulfilling small, strategic commitments to North Korea. To balance the asymmetry of negotiating cards, Song suggested that the other countries proceed with fulfilling their commitments and allow North Korea more time to fulfill its own obligations. Bringing China fully on board by building a logical basis for its involvement is also a crucial element of the negotiations, he offered. Finally, Song asserted that the United States, the ROK, and China must develop a shared, solid vision for peaceful coexistence on the peninsula, taking into account different scenarios and the roles each country should play.

Song expressed confidence that the approach he outlined would not only eventually resolve the nuclear issue but would also open the way for stability and prosperity for everyone in East Asia, including North Korea.

During his keynote address for SPRIE's "China 2.0" conference, Victor Koo, CEO of Youku, China's largest video hosting site, announced a new partnership with Disney to stream the entertainment giant's televions shows. Koo touted Youku's unique partnerships as one way the Chinese company is more innovative than its Western counterparts.

Presenting a keynote address at SPRIE's "China 2.0" conference in Beijing, China Mobile Research Institute's General Manager Bill Huang touted the carrier's coverage and performance as superior to that of the largest carrier in the U.S., AT&T. Huang also discussed the challenges that will be facing the mobile industry in China and elsewhere, such as the trend toward data usage exceeding voice usage.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal's Loretta Chao, one of the speakers on the e-commerce panel at "China 2.0: The Rise of a Digital Superpower," Deutsche Bank analyst Alan Hellawell gave his firm's predictions on how e-commerice in China is going to shape up. By 2013, according to Hellawell, the percentage of online transactions in the retail space will go up to 7.2%, higher than the percentage of U.S. online retail commerce. Furthermore, Hellawell noted that companies wanting a piece of this business will have to meet high service standards that Chinese consumers have grown accustomed to in a short time.

The Wall Street Journal's Loretta Chao, one of the participants at SPRIE's "China 2.0" conference in Beijing, covered the event's panel on social media for the Journal's "China Realtime Report." Panelists at the conference covered the problem of censorship and its effect on social networking, the opportunities or lack of for foreign companies wishing to compete in this space, and the possibility of Chinese homegrown innovation in social media.

Youku CEO Victor Koo, in a "China 2.0" keynote, spoke on his company's place among Internet video services competing in China, China's increasing competitive prowess and how the rapid sharing of information is changing the development of business models in China.