There has long been a demand for the bridging of practice and theory, and for learning to be translated into achievements and results. As a starting point, this project is conscious of deepening communication between researchers and practitioners, with a view to collaborating with the undergraduate and graduate school courses in small and medium-sized business management. In particular, the faculty members of the graduate school are small and medium-sized business management consultants who have received awards from academic societies and have a track record of solving problems for local companies, and are training professionals who can support small and medium-sized businesses as required by the times. The main purpose of this project is to expand the "management interviews" in the university's journal, "Small and Medium-sized Business Support Research," by searching for interviewed companies from a variety of small and medium-sized businesses together with faculty members to accumulate knowledge and materials. The results of the interim report are two documents, "CUC View & Vision" No. 58 (September 2024 issue). The members are eight people (in order of pseudonyms): Maimi Akita, Takamasa Ishii, Kazuo Imai, Fumito Ono, Mitsunori Tsunoda, Naoshi Suzuki, Susumu Maeda, and Yukio Matsushita (research representative).

Ⅰ. Pricing of Gyoja-na and Dispersal of Business Partners: Introduction of Gyoja-na Production Groups and Gyoja-na

An interview was conducted with Sawanohana Club LLC. The interview covered five topics: "How the Gyojana production group was established," "Price setting" for Gyojana, which was not available on the market before, "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current situation (including sales destinations)," "Dispersion of business partners," and "Motivations for developing processed products and distribution."

II. Specialized business practices that continue to create value together through strong relationships

An interview was conducted with Akki International Co., Ltd. The interview covers seven points: "The company's history," "Business model and target customers," "Turning point and countermeasures," "Business mindset that emphasizes relationships with business partners, customers, and employees," "Ingenious cost management and sales policies," "Unique strategies for surviving even in the face of unforeseen circumstances," and "Future business development." The final section is "What the company suggests."

 

Photos taken from pages 56 and 59 of "CUC View & Vision" No. 58.

Project reference site CUC View & Vision No.58