* * * * * * * * * 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, December 12, 2010, Issue No. 594<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New<br>- Short Takes<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>
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<a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/">http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/</a><br><br><br>----------------- PBXL WILL BUY YOUR PBX ------------------<br><br>Is your PBX vendor requiring you to purchase a new PBX <br>
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<br>Offer expires 15 Dec 2010.<br><br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>We've been following with some interest the current boom in<br>"crowd sourcing" (also known as group buying) companies, <br>
such as Groupon, who are either starting up domestically or<br>are coming in and buying up local firms. Crowd sourcing is <br>a whole new Internet business model, whereby the operator <br>negotiates highly attractive offers with consumer services <br>
companies such as restaurants, bars, sports centers, and <br>massage and relaxation studios, under the condition that <br>the crowd sourcing operator sends a minimum number of <br>people -- a "crowd," to the facility. <br>
<br>The theory being that if a company is guaranteed, say, 50 <br>or 100 customers, with no upfront advertising costs and <br>only a modest fee for successfully sourcing that many <br>customers, then their costs are much lower per person than <br>
they might normally be, thus allowing them to rationalize <br>the need to provide the crowd sourcing operator and their <br>members (the crowd) with a big discount.<br><br>Now, whether this really works in Japan is yet to be <br>
confirmed, because this is the land of little operators, <br>where the emphasis is generally on quality of <br>experience and not on quantity. Indeed, as a publisher we <br>know that many smaller operators detest the idea of <br>
discounts under any circumstances. However, for chain <br>store operators and larger tourist attractions, as well as <br>high-end product sales organizations that are hurting <br>because of reduced consumer spending, crowd sourcing could <br>
be a god-send.<br><br>On the consumer side, there appears to be interest in <br>discounted services based on volume purchase/attendance. <br>Research company NetMile did a report in August that <br>establishes both the fact that the crowd sourcing business <br>
is a recent and as-yet untested phenomenon in Japan, but at<br>the same time is of high interest to the 20,000 people who <br>were interviewed. NetMile found that just 3.6% of the <br>respondents were registered on one of the crowd sourcing <br>
sites (Piku.jp, Qpod.com, Kaupon.com, etc.), 30% were <br>actively watching sites, and 50% are interested in joining <br>a site in the future.<br><br>[Continued below...]<br><br>--------------- HSBC Premier Mortgage Loans ---------------<br>
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-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>The 800 lb gorilla in the crowd sourcing business globally <br>is Groupon. This company started just 2 1/2 years ago and <br>
has raised a massive US$170m in funding, most recently <br>US$135m in April this year, in three separate rounds. It <br>has grown tremendously over this period by going out and <br>buying competitors firstly in the USA and then more <br>
recently around the world. <br><br>As a result, globally Groupon now operates in 200 cities in<br>29 countries, has a workforce of around 2,000, and has <br>annual sales of US$300m. Apparently they plan to expand to <br>two new countries every month -- nothing like being <br>
ambitious...!<br><br>Here in Japan Groupon bought Qpod in August for a reported <br>US$10m, which wasn't bad going for Qpod's own investors <br>given that Qpod had only started posting its first deals <br>just 3 months before... This type of action is heady stuff,<br>
and is no doubt propelling the scores (up to a reported 150<br>players here in Japan) of competitors in the market.<br><br>Interestingly, though, Qpon wasn't the first of the current<br>batch of crowd sourcing companies in the Japan market nor <br>
(from the look of the various competing website stats) is <br>it the market leader. First off the block was another <br>recent start-up, called Piku.jp. This company is run by <br>expat Dave Mori, and is an investment of J-Seed's Jeff <br>
Char. The best funded and most publicised appears to be <br>Ponpare (Recruit).<br><br>We contacted Dave Moir and asked him how Piku.jp is going, <br>especially given the fact that not only Groupon but also <br>Recruit are major competitors with substantially larger <br>
resources than Piku.jp:<br><br>TT-1: What is the estimated overall size of the group <br>buying/flash marketing market in Japan for next year and <br>2012, 2013?<br><br>DM: It is growing so rapidly I would also like to know...! <br>
We are working towards a billion dollar plus market for <br>Piku.<br><br>TT-2: Will Group-buying/flash marketing be really popular <br>in Japan? <br><br>DM: I believe Group-buying/flash marketing already is quite<br>popular judging by the number of people who visit our site,<br>
purchase the products, and engage with us through social <br>media. However, there is still room for growth. After <br>selling to restaurants, beauty salons, etc. for years, I <br>believe that what restaurants and service businesses in <br>
general dislike is paying a fixed fee for a promotion AND <br>providing a discount while never knowing how customers will<br>visit. [Ed: Think Gurunavi.] However, with Piku, service <br>business owners can now calculate very clearly the cost of <br>
acquiring a new customer. <br><br>TT-3: What does Piku.jp do that is different from Groupon?<br><br>DM: Firstly, at Piku.jp we focus on creating a brand as <br>opposed to just a discount website. Piku is derived from <br>
the Japanese anime description to someone's reaction to being<br>surprised, as in, "Here's an amazing deal for pizza, Piku!"<br>We strive to provide surprising deals on a daily basis that<br>will make our users lives better. <br>
<br>Secondly, we have a very large and dedicated Piku <br>community. Community is the key word here. We have put a <br>lot of energy and time into developing real two-way <br>communication relationships with many of our 55,000+ <br>
twitter followers. We have the most in the industry and I <br>believe it is because we don't just push deals, we try and <br>engage and get to know our users. <br><br>Thirdly, we don't focus on the discount, instead we focus <br>
on getting surprising deals of value from bungy jumping to <br>five-star hotel spa treatments. You truly never know what <br>you are going to see in your inbox in morning. Many people <br>say that they look forward to their daily morning Piku <br>
mail magazine like they do their first cup of coffee. <br><br>TT-4: How has growth in the market been?<br><br>DM: One word... insane. We launched as the first operator in <br>April, then there were two of us in May, six in June, 30+ <br>
in July and 150 competitors as of today. Our guess is that <br>there will soon be a rapid decline in the number of players<br>as the larger players like Piku grab the majority of the <br>market. <br><br>TT-5: Are you able to say who funded the company and for <br>
how much?<br><br>DM: Since establishing in April 2010 we have raised 900 <br>million yen from the following investors: <br>* Internationally, Rebate Networks <br>(<a href="http://www.rebatenetworks.com/">http://www.rebatenetworks.com/</a>). They have invested in <br>
nearly 30 group-buying businesses worldwide.<br>* Domestic VC's: Jafco, DIT, GVC<br><br>*************<br>(Back to our commentary...)<br><br>So what's our Take on the current crowd sourcing boom? We <br>think the shakeout will indeed happen as Dave Mori says, <br>
with many of the current players either getting bought out <br>by Groupon's international competitors, or simply running <br>out of cash. With the two biggest players (Groupon and <br>Recruit) now active in the market, you can also expect <br>
Yahoo and Gurunavi very quickly either unveil their own <br>offerings or buy someone out. This should all happen within<br>the next 6 months, and will make for interesting spectator <br>sport... <br><br>...The information janitors/<br>
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* <a href="http://iherb.com">iherb.com</a> referral code -- LOY499<br>* Pays us a small commission at no extra cost to you.<br><br>=> 2. Go to OKINAWA with this week's MMC prize!<br><br>Becoming a Metropolis Member is as simple as going to the<br>
website and signing up for the weekly newsletter. No other<br>obligations required. <a href="http://blogs.metropolis.co.jp/club/">http://blogs.metropolis.co.jp/club/</a><br><br>Next week's prize in the Metropolis Members Club is one <br>
nights accommodation Okinawa Marriott Resort & Spa, <br>courtesy of course of the Marriott hotel chain. Last week's<br>prize was a romantic dinner for two at 148 Hiroo <br>restaurant. Congratulations to Neil Wahlgren.<br>
* 30 prizes scheduled in the next 30 weeks. <br>* No charge to enter.<br>* Simply receive the MMC newsletter to stay in the draw.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>--------- BIOS - Bilingual IT Systems and Support ---------<br>
<br>BiOS full-service IT solutions has a new service.<br><br>Working with our fully licenced temporary dispatch group,<br>we are now able to provide Japan in-country workers<br>for companies not yet registered in Japan.<br>
<br>This innovative service is available for companies needing<br>to hire staff for Japanese customers, but who are unable<br>to commit to the expense and infrastructure of maintaining<br>an office in Japan. We take care of all aspects of the<br>
employment, contracting, and dispatch -- including <br>management of the employee.<br><br>For more information on this and other SI and IT services,<br>in English or Japanese:<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>- Field of Spears gets a movie adaptation<br>- Missile deployments expand<br>
- GE to start cloud computing business<br>- Power outage damages Toshiba chip business<br>- Card loans become cheaper and easier to get<br><br><br>-> Field of Spears gets a movie adaptation<br><br>The true story of a B-29 aircrew who crash landed in <br>
war-torn Japan in 1945 and which ended badly for the crew <br>(we won't say more -- at least read the book by Gregory <br>Hadley), is about to be adapted and produced as a movie by <br>Japan-based boutique entertainment consultancy, Winery <br>
Productions. No word yet as to when the movie will be <br>released. The same company has also announced plans to <br>produce a celebrity talk show that will target <br>international as well as Japanese talent. Hosting the show <br>
will be none other than "local" foreign talent Janica <br>Southwick Sims. (Source: TT commentary from press release <br>from <a href="http://wineryproductions.com">wineryproductions.com</a>, Dec 9, 2010)<br><br>
<a href="http://w-p.biz/eng/home.htm">http://w-p.biz/eng/home.htm</a><br><br>-> Missile deployments expand<br><br>In what has to be good business for Raytheon Corporation <br>of the USA, the Japanese military is stepping up its <br>
deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) <br>missiles, installing them at all six Air Self-Defense Force <br>(SDF) bases, up from three now. In case you and North <br>Korea were wondering, the currently deployed missiles<br>
are at Iruma base in Saitama, protecting Tokyo, Kasuga base <br>in Fukuoka to protect most of Kyushu, and Gifu base to <br>protect Nagoya and Osaka. The three new bases will be in <br>Hokkaido, Aomori, and Okinawa. (Source: TT commentary from <br>
<a href="http://japantimes.co.jp">japantimes.co.jp</a>, Dec 12, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20101212a1.html">http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20101212a1.html</a><br><br>-> GE to start cloud computing business<br>
<br>GE Healthcare has said that it will start a global medical <br>cloud computing business next year, investing around US$2bn<br>through to 2015. The new business will extend to Japan and <br>will include setting up a data center to manage patient <br>
medical records and CT and MRI data, and within 3 years <br>will have the ability for hospitals to share such data in real <br>time. GE Healthcare currently does about JPY120bn in <br>business annually in Japan. (Source: TT commentary from <br>
<a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Dec 12, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20101211D11JFF01.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20101211D11JFF01.htm</a><br><br>-> Power outage damages Toshiba chip business<br>
<br>A 70ms power outage by Chubu Electric Power may have <br>severely damaged machines and silicon blanks at a Toshiba <br>memory chip factory in Yokkaichi. The company is saying <br>that it expects memory shipments to fall by as much as 20% <br>
over the next two months. Toshiba manufactures in <br>partnership with SanDisk and together the pair account for <br>30% of the global market for NAND memory, typically used in<br>Apple devices and others. Samsung is the world's largest <br>
supplier of NAND memory, followed by Toshiba/SanDisk. <br>(Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://wsj.com">wsj.com</a>, Dec 11, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://on.wsj.com/f6rZBm">http://on.wsj.com/f6rZBm</a><br><br>-> Card loans become cheaper and easier to get<br>
<br>Consumer finance firms such as Takefuji may be in big <br>trouble, but consumers now have another source of loans -- <br>from the online banks. Apparently the moneylending law <br>changes in June about restricting personal loans to 30% of<br>
a person's annual salary, exempt loans by commercial banks <br>-- thus opening the way for more unsecured card loans. <br>Sumishin Net Bank is offering account holders JPY6m-JPY7m <br>at just 4% annual interest, while Jibun Bank is lending up <br>
to JPY5m per customer at just 5%. As a result, the online <br>banks now hold consumer loans of JPY158bn. (Source: TT <br>commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com">e.nikkei.com</a>, Dec 10, 2010)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20101210D10EE196.htm">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20101210D10EE196.htm</a><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>
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* As a limited time offer for readers of this newsletter,<br>orders received by November 30 will earn discounts:<br>1 title: 5% off, more than 2 titles: 10% off.<br><br>For more details: <a href="mailto:support@cch.co.jp">support@cch.co.jp</a>, call 03-6234-3980.<br>
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<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<br><br>BiOS is now urgently looking for experienced Network <br>Engineers with experience supporting investment bank <br>infrastructure to work with a client’s network operations <br>
out of a location in the Shin Kiba area. This role <br>predominantly involves maintenance and configuration of <br>Cisco network products, in particular Switches and Routers,<br>but can also involve a deeper level of work depending on <br>
your technical capabilities. As well as that, there is a <br>good opportunity here to earn extra money for project <br>implementations and emergency requests.<br><br>Due to the technical nature and high pressure environment, <br>
someone with solid experience from the finance industry, <br>and relevant qualifications (such as CCNA and CCNP) would <br>be best suited to this role. In addition, due to the work <br>involving some out of hours support and potential weekend <br>
project work, a flexible individual with a positive can-do <br>attitude, even under pressure, is essential. Finally, as <br>this role will also involve vendor interactions on <br>occasion, your Japanese ability will need to be at a solid <br>
business level to function effectively.<br><br>Remuneration is JPY8m – JPY10m depending on your experience<br>and level.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- Snr Engineer, BiOS, JPY5m – JPY7.5m<br>- Part-Time Data Center Support, JPY2m – JPY2.5m<br>
- Snr and Jnr PM, LCD Manuf, JPY3.5m – JPY4m<br>- Tech Support Analyst, global IT co., JPY5m – JPY6m<br>- Okinawa Wintel Engineer, ibank, JPY5m – JPY6m<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>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br><br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br><br>*** No announcements this week, but keep an eye open for <br>the year-end party for Metropolis, on <a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp">www.metropolis.co.jp</a>.<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>*** No comments or feedback this week.<br><br>***********************************************************<br>END<br><br>SUBSCRIBERS: 8,774 members as of December 12, 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>
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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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