* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br>A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.<br>(<a href="http://www.terrie.com">http://www.terrie.com</a>)<br><br>General Edition Sunday, July 4, 2010 Issue No. 572<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New<br>- News<br>- Candidate Roundup/Vacancies<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback<br>- News Credits<br><br>SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br>
<br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a>, or,<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br>
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or call: 03-4550-2557.<br><br>------------- PBXL is Business Communications -------------<br><br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>The other day we were in discussing with a major Japanese <br>paper publisher the changing dynamics of the market. As <br>
publishers ourselves, we are more than interested in what <br>is going on, and how to mix and match paper with the web <br>and mobile. The major Japanese firm's representative was <br>concerned that online competitors were taking over a big <br>
piece of their audience, and since the competitors provide <br>most of the content for free, there was little or no way <br>for this paper publisher to compete.<br><br>In fact, this is the same problem confronting almost all <br>
paper publishers today. Just last week, the Times <br>newspaper of the UK made a decision that may seal its <br>fate, by deciding to put up a pay wall for all content. <br>This would be fine if the Times were the only place to get <br>
that content, but the same news is available all over the <br>web thanks to the ubiquitous reach of news feeds such as <br>Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, and others, and of course the <br>republishing of that news over Google. In any event, the<br>
Times first step towards a pay wall has been to require<br>visitors to register -- and as a result traffic to the site<br>has fallen by 60%. Once the charging starts, traffic could <br>become quite microscopic...<br><br>Perhaps they should be looking at what is being done in<br>
Japan, where user-pays content is big on the cell phone<br>and increasingly so on PCs as well.<br><br>One segment that is good to look at is Internet providers<br>of information on eating out. This sector is highly <br>competitive because for many Japanese, going out to eat <br>
and drink with friends is their primary form of adult <br>recreation and they continue to do it even though there is <br>a (consumer) recession going on. They're just being more <br>frugal about it these days and the information providers<br>
are taking advantage of this fact.<br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>---------- Denphone - Voice, Video and Networks ----------<br><br>Denphone provides a wide range of telephony, video<br>conferencing and IT infrastructure solutions.<br>
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Denphone 03-4550-1405 (Tokyo) or 06-4560-3200 (Osaka)<br>or check out our website: <a href="http://www.denphone.com">http://www.denphone.com</a>.<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br>
<br>In the "old days", say about 10 years ago ;-), the best way<br>to find out about good places to eat out was from free <br>papers or women's magazines. Then in 2002 seemingly out of <br>nowhere came a new search site called "Guru Navi", formally <br>
Gourmet Navigator in English. The site had picked up a <br>large number of restaurants, was always up-to-date, and <br>most importantly was available over cell phones. That meant<br> that without even having to plan ahead, users could check <br>
the neighborhood they were in and see if the target <br>restaurant was open.<br><br>All went well from that year, and Guru Navi became a <br>sensation, being ranked the Number One lifestyle <br>information web site for the Yahoo! Internet Guide in 2002.<br>
The company started doing deals with everyone from Nikkei <br>Woman magazine to the Japan Tourism Agency, and became <br>widely followed and used, to the extent that by April this <br>year (2010) there were 6.96m registered users creating 20m <br>
unique user sessions and generating 840 million page views <br>per month. That's a lot of page views.<br><br>Further, during FY2009 ending March 2010, the company was <br>able to announce that net sales had increased 20.8% to <br>
JPY24bn, the third consecutive year of increase, and that <br>operating income was up 16.1% to JPY4.5bn with <br>corresponding net income up 2.9% to JPY2.3bn. The pre-tax <br>number would have been higher, but the firm will shortly <br>
be relocating to spiffier offices and incurred a large cost<br>in the process. Pretty decent numbers you might think. <br>However, and perhaps surprisingly the company's share price<br>has tanked by about 40% this year. Why?<br>
<br>The answer is a newer competing website, Tabelog -- a <br>foodies' blogging site on steroids, which is produced by <br>another web company called Kakaku.com.<br><br>The problem for Guru Navi is that they primarily make money<br>
out of banner and feature ads and off-line services to <br>member companies. This means that the relationship between <br>Guru Navi and its restaurant clients drive the site -- rather than<br>the readers, causing information to be sometimes of <br>
questionable quality and preventing aggressive marketing by <br>one restaurant against another (i.e., no comparison shopping).<br><br>Tabelog on the other hand is customer driven, starting as a<br>blog where users could rate particular restaurants, so the <br>
content is much "socialized" and may be more accurate as<br>well... Restaurants wanting to advertise on Tabelog have to <br>accept that it's user driven and therefore, are more interested<br>in being proactive on the site, especially when the users<br>
have given them a reputation to protect. For example, they <br>can put paid ads on pages belonging to their competitors.<br>At the same time, the quality of information means that <br>Tabelog can repurpose this content as popularity lists -- <br>
something that it appears it can get consumers to pay for. <br><br>Kakaku.com reckons that it is making JPY5,000-JPY10,000 per<br>restaurant for 6,700 paying restaurants -- or about JPY40m a <br>month in fees. The company has a target to hit 20,000 <br>
restaurants by the end of FY2010, and if it keeps up this <br>pace, possibly hit Guru Navi's 50K number of restaurants in <br>the next couple of years -- although probably not that many.<br>Because just as the higher quality establishments are<br>
jumping in to sign up, the lower quality ones won't be able <br>to make any ranking headway and therefore won't be<br>motivated to join. No matter, they can stay with Guru Navi.<br><br>Given that Tabelog is 50% to 70% cheaper than Guru Navi for<br>
a restaurant, and that only the best restaurants really <br>want to be on the site, it seems pretty certain that Guru <br>Navi is going to have to change its system. Problem is, <br>as mentioned, not every restaurant is of 3-star <br>
or 4-star quality and Guru Navi would have to disappoint <br>or even alienate such clients if it moved to a Tabelog <br>type format.<br><br>This Catch-22 is interesting, because in a way, it's the <br>same situation facing paper publishers who are debating <br>
about whether to make a go of it on the Internet. If they <br>put their information up for free, they will cannibalize <br>their customer base on paper. And if most of their audience<br>does go online because of the free content, the ability to <br>
charge advertisers will drop dramatically, because ads on <br>the Internet pay less than paper ads do.<br><br>Anyway, in Guru Navi's case, they don't have the paper <br>problem, but they are going to have to figure out how to <br>
break the commercial ties they have with many of their <br>clients so that they can democratize their content and make<br>it competitive with Tabelog's. That should be interesting <br>to watch over the next few months.<br>
<br><br>...The information janitors/<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>--------- BIOS - Bilingual IT Systems and Support ---------<br><br>Formed in 1998, BiOS is a full-service IT solutions <br>
provider, delivering SI and business support services to <br>foreign multinationals, including some of the world's<br>largest banks, logistics, and retailing companies.<br><br>Service Offerings:<br>* IT Infrastructure Projects, Office Setups/Relocations<br>
* MS Office Training, Hardware/Software Procurement<br>* IT Personnel Outsourcing and Recruiting<br>* BiOS NetCare: Bilingual IT Service Desk and Support<br>* BiOS Advanceserve: Secure Online Data Backup (free trial)<br><br>
BiOS is committed to providing quality services at <br>competitive prices. We're here to help!<br><br>Phone: 03-5773-3090, Email: <a href="mailto:solutions@biosjp.com">solutions@biosjp.com</a><br>Web: <a href="http://www.biosjp.com">www.biosjp.com</a><br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br><br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- New Chinese tourists may spend less<br>- Unemployment up, consumer spending down<br>- SMFG, Barclays team up for private banking<br>
- How many high-paid corporate directors?<br>- Olympus buys X-ray image analysis company in US<br><br><br><br>-> New Chinese tourists may spend less<br><br>A researcher at the Mitsubishi Research Institute is <br>pouring cold water on the idea that the loosened visa <br>
regulations for Chinese tourists will increase spending <br>here in Japan. According to the MRI spokesperson, Chinese <br>tourists have so far been spending an average JPY130,000 <br>per person here and are at the top of the earnings pyramid<br>
in that country. In contrast, the new influx of tourists <br>will have a lower annual income and are expected to be a <br>lot more frugal. There is a general consensus that total <br>numbers of tourists will increase significantly, though, <br>
potentially hitting 1.8m people in FY2010, up 80% from <br>FY2009. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://asahi.com">asahi.com</a>, Jul 3, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201007020487.html">http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201007020487.html</a><br>
<br>-> Unemployment up, consumer spending down<br><br>The most recent Tankan survey may have shown that Japan's <br>big companies are feeling more bullish about the future, <br>but its consumers definitely are not. Government figures <br>
show that the nation's unemployment rate rose in May to <br>5.2%, up more than 0.2% from what was expected. Also, the <br>average monthly spending by households fell 0.7% in May <br>compared to the same period last year. Economists were <br>
expecting a 0.5% rise. ***Ed: FYI, monthly household income<br>in May was JPY421,413, down 2.4% over last year, and <br>consumption was JPY280,714.** (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://marketwatch.com">marketwatch.com</a>, Jun 28, 2010)<br>
<br><a href="http://tinyurl.com/25f9x7m">http://tinyurl.com/25f9x7m</a><br><br>-> SMFG, Barclays team up for private banking<br><br>The Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) and the UK's <br>Barclays have announced that they will team up to start a <br>
private banking business in Japan. The companies will <br>create a joint venture to be named the SMBC Barclays Wealth<br>Division, and will target individuals with at least JPY500m<br>of assets. Also involved will be Nikko Cordial Securities, <br>
which is now owned by SMFG. ($1=88.54 Yen) (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://reuters.com">reuters.com</a>, Jul 1, 2010) <br><br><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE65T0JS20100701">http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE65T0JS20100701</a><br>
<br>-> How many high-paid corporate directors?<br><br>Following on from our story several weeks ago about a <br>change in the law for reporting the salaries of public <br>company executives receiving compensation of more than <br>
JPY100m/year, most companies have now made such reports. <br>Interestingly, of Japan's 3,813 listed firms, only 300 <br>people had incomes reported of more than JPY100m. This is <br>in stark contrast to the USA where the average CEO pay at <br>
the 3,000 largest companies last year was a whopping <br>US$3.5m. Accounting firm PWC reckons that the average <br>salary for CEOs in Japan was just JPY63.8m. ***Ed: So it <br>appears that Japan really is more egalitarian -- at least<br>
in pay rankings.** (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://businessweek.com">businessweek.com</a>, Jul 1, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_28/b4186014341924.htm">http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_28/b4186014341924.htm</a><br>
<br>-> Olympus buys X-ray image analysis company in US<br><br>Japanese M&A activity abroad rolls on. The latest <br>announcement is that medical and optics maker Olympus <br>Corp. has bought 100% of a US X-ray image analysis firm <br>
called Innov-X Systems. Olympus apparently paid US$77.5m <br>for the company, which had sales of US$40m in FY2009. <br>***Ed: Another high price paid for what seems to be a good <br>quality company. When you realize the cheap cost of money <br>
here in Japan, highly credit worthy firms here can easily <br>amortize their purchases over 5-7 years verus 3 years for <br>anywhere else in the world, and thus appear to pay a higher<br> than normal price -- winning over shareholders in the <br>
target company with minimum fuss and muss.** (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://nikkei.com">nikkei.com</a>, Jul 3, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100702D02JFA19.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100702D02JFA19.htm</a><br>
<br><br>NOTE: Broken links<br>Many online news sources remove their articles after just a<br>few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we<br>apologize for the inconvenience.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>---------- Microfinance in the South Pacific --------------<br><br>Help Combat Poverty in the Pacific through MicroDreams<br><br>The MicroDreams Foundation is a U.S. and N.Z. based <br>charitable organization that empowers the poorest of the <br>
poor to grow micro-businesses and pursue their dreams.<br><br>MicroDreams partners with world class micro-enterprise<br>development organizations to provide poor families <br>especially in the opportunity-starved nations of the <br>
Pacific with:<br><br>- Micro-enterprise development training and financing<br>- Childhood education financing<br>- Housing improvement financing<br>- Savings<br>- Life Insurance<br>- Increased self-esteem<br><br>The easiest way to help MicroDreams is by donating online<br>
at <a href="http://www.microdreams.org">www.microdreams.org</a>.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES<br>
<br>=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively <br>marketing the following positions for customers setting up <br>or expanding in Japan, as well as other employers of <br>bilinguals.<br><br>** HIGHLIGHTED POSITION(S)<br>
<br>BiOS is currently looking for a Software and Peripherals <br>Vendor Business Manager, for an exciting opportunity to <br>expand your product, business management expertise and <br>take a leadership position. This is a highly dynamic role <br>
where you will have the opportunity to work with talented <br>people across the various departments at a highly visible <br>Global vendor, and be highly influential in delivering <br>the optimal business result for the client. This job would <br>
be well suited to either a System Consultant or a Solutions<br>Architect looking to expand their career in production and<br>business management.<br><br>Your key responsibilities will be driving and delivering on<br>the APC Business result, driving effective sales engagement<br>
while managing related product lines. This is a challenging<br>and rewarding role, requiring an in-depth ability to assess<br>and manage the project portfolio. As you will be required <br>to operate with a minimum of supervision and liaise on a <br>
regular basis with project stake holders and executive <br>managers, a high level of responsibility in your previous <br>roles is a must, as are excellent communication skills and <br>an eye for detail. This is a challenging step up for an <br>
experienced professional looking to ground their career in <br>a more international setting.<br><br>Remuneration is up to JPY12m depending on your experience <br>and seniority.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- President, Plastics Manufacturer, Ebina, JP12m – JPY18m<br>
- eSourcing Account Manager, JPY4.5m – JPY5.5m<br>- Snr Network Engineer, Telecon Vendor JPY8m – JPY12m<br>- Level 3 support Engineer, Global Vendor., JPY6m – JPY8m<br>- Fixed Income Developer, European iBank, JPY8m – JPY12m<br>
<br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:stuart.gibson@biosjp.com">stuart.gibson@biosjp.com</a><br><br>** BiOS Job Mail<br><br>Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its<br>job seeking candidates, called BiOS Job Mail. Every edition<br>
carries a list of BiOS's current and most up-to-date<br>vacancies, with each entry featuring a short job<br>description and a direct link to the main entry on the BiOS<br>home page. Regardless of whether you are unemployed and<br>
searching, thinking about a career change, or just curious<br>to know if there is something out there that might suit you<br>better, the BiOS Job Mail newsletter is an easy and<br>convenient way for you to stay informed. If you would like<br>
to register for the BiOS Job Mail, or to find out more,<br>please email <a href="mailto:stuart.gibson@biosjp.com">stuart.gibson@biosjp.com</a>.<br><br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:stuart.gibson@biosjp.com">stuart.gibson@biosjp.com</a><br>
<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>----------- Making Web Sites More Affordable --------------<br><br>LINC Media's Electronic Commerce team is proud to announce<br>its "WEB PARTNERS" program, whereby we create fully EC<br>
enabled websites with as much functionality as you need, <br>plus year-round support, for a flat monthly fee.<br><br>Avoid upfront costs and lack of support after the site is<br>up, with the LINC Media WEB PARTNERS service. Our customers<br>
to date include major international airlines, Social <br>Network Service sites, and online stores for consumer<br>products.<br><br>Program includes:<br>- Japanese/English website development<br>- Configuration of core software (Wordpress or Drupal, etc.)<br>
- Software development (PHP, mySQL, etc.)<br>- Daily changes to the site<br>- Hosting, security, and backup<br><br>WEB PARTNERS is backed by a solid fully-bilingual team<br>with strong credentials and a desire to please. <br>
<br>Contact: nana.yamaguchi at <a href="http://lincmedia.co.jp">lincmedia.co.jp</a> for details.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br><br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br><br>---------- CCH Japan presents 'HR Seminar 2010' -----------<br><br>Managing and Motivating Your Japanese Team for Success<br><br>'Bridging Cultural Differences as a Leader'<br>
<br>- What expectations Japanese have of their managers<br>- What Japanese think of Western managers<br>- How to pose questions to get the most informative responses<br>- How to give directions so that they are clearly understood<br>
- Giving feedback to Japanese subordinates<br>- Key cultural differences<br>(directness of communication, hierarchy, and management style)<br>- The new workforce in Japan<br>(The different generations in the Japanese workplace and more..)<br>
<br>Date: Thursday, 29th July 1:30pm-5:00pm<br>Venue: Happo-en 5F Linden Room<br>Speaker: Rochelle Kopp, Principal, Japan Intercultural Consulting<br>Number of Seats: 50, Language: English<br>Fees: 20,000 yen + tax<br>Register at: <a href="https://www.cch-japan.jp/contents/register/form">https://www.cch-japan.jp/contents/register/form</a><br>
<br>For more details, Please Contact us at: <a href="mailto:support@cch.co.jp">support@cch.co.jp</a>,<br>or 03-3265-1161, <a href="http://www.cch-japan.jp">www.cch-japan.jp</a>.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>------------- ICA Summer Networking Party!!!!! ------------<br><br>The ICA invites you to join our Summer Networking Party at<br>La Boheme in Shirogane. This will be an excellent <br>opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet new people <br>
and network with peers in related industries, or simply to <br>put names to faces.<br><br>Open bar (beer, wine, soft drinks) and great food will<br>be included. Be sure to bring your colleagues and friends <br>to join the party. Open to all, RSVP required.<br>
<br>Date: Thursday, 29th July, 2010<br>Time: 19:00 to 21:30pm<br>Venue: La Boheme, Shirogane<br>Map: <a href="http://www.boheme.jp/jp/shirogane/home/location/printer">www.boheme.jp/jp/shirogane/home/location/printer</a><br>
Cost: 3,000yen ICA members, 5,000yen non-members. <br>*Includes open bar (beer, wine, soft drinks) & great <br>quality food.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK<br><br>In this section we run comments and corrections submitted<br>by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and<br>amplify our points, by email, to <a href="mailto:editors@terrie.com">editors@terrie.com</a>.<br>
<br>*** We stirred up a hornet's nest last week with our <br>commentary on how the Japanese manage their forest. One <br>reader told us we were anti-Japanese, while another with<br>government responsibilities admitted we were "right on the<br>
mark".<br><br>Whether or not you agree with our position on various issues<br>that we cover, we still appreciate hearing from you, our<br>readers, so please keep those comments coming.<br><br>/...The TT Janitor.<br><br>
***********************************************************<br>END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 9,040 members as of July 4th, 2010<br>(We purge our list regularly.)<br><br>+++ ABOUT US<br><br>STAFF<br>Written by: Terrie Lloyd (<a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>)<br>
<br>HELP: E-mail <a href="mailto:Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com">Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com</a><br>with the word 'help' in the subject or body (don't include<br>the quotes), and you will get back a message with<br>
instructions.<br><br>FEEDBACK<br>Send letters (Feedback, Inquiries & Information) to the<br>editor to <a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>.<br><br>ADVERTISING INFORMATION<br>For more information on advertising in this newsletter,<br>
Contact <a href="mailto:ads@japaninc.com">ads@japaninc.com</a>.<br><br>SUBSCRIBE<br>Get Terrie's Take by giving your name and email address at<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up">http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up</a>, or go<br>
straight to Mailman at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a><br>
or, <a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br>Copyright 2010 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.<br><br>----------------- Japan Inc opens up Japan ----------------<br>
<br>J@pan Inc is Japan's only independently published English-<br>language business website. Authoritatively chronicling <br>online the business trends in Japan, each posting brings <br>you in-depth analysis of business, people and technology in<br>
the world's second largest economy. <br><br>Visit <a href="http://www.japaninc.com">www.japaninc.com</a> for the best business insight on<br>Japan available.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
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