Consumer perceptions of large retail stores in Japan

This thesis considers consumer perceptions of large stores in Japan. A lack of published English language research concerned with consumer behaviour in Japan was noted, despite strong and growing interest in the Japanese consumer market. Japanese distribution is reviewed as the background to an empirical study of store perceptions in Japan. This review considered Japanese wholesale and retail structures in detail in order to provide information necessary to understand the situation of large retail stores in Japan. The possibility of substantial store 'loyalty' in Japan was considered on the basis of an observed hierarchical structure to store preferences. A review of the literature pertaining to consumer 'loyalty' revealed that genuinely 'loyal' behaviour is likely to be rare. Consumepr reference was considered, and the development of hierarchical preference was identified. - An empirical study was carried out over a one year period in Japan. The study involved a two part survey employing repertory grid interviews and a questionnaire survey. Four regional cities and five consumer types were employed for the survey. This approach proved successful in collecting a large volume of detailed data. The use of repertory grid as a technique for data collection was considered in the light of its use with Japanese consumers in the Japanese language. It was concluded that Japanese consumers have clear and detailed perceptions of the large stores available for their use. Some differences were identified between consumer types and different geographical locations in Japan

A theoretical model for testing new product sales velocity at small format retail stores

The present study proposes a theoretical model to test sales velocity for new products introduced in small format retail stores. The model is designed to distinguish fast moving products within a relatively short period. Under the proposed model, the sales of a newly introduced product are monitored for a prespecified period T, e.g., one week, and if the number of items sold over T is equal to a prespecified integer k or more, the product is considered a fast moving product and is carried over to the following sales periods. A slow moving product could be quickly replaced with alternative merchandise in order to make best use of shelf space. The paper first presents definitions of fast and slow moving products, and then a proposed sales test policy based on the model is formulated, where the expected loss is to be minimized with respect to the integer k. Numerical examples based on actual data collected from a convenience store in Japan are also presented to illustrate the theoretical underpinnings of the proposed sales test model

Induction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1-specific T cells by a bluetongue virus tubule-vectored vaccine prime-recombinant modified virus Ankara boost regimen.

In the absence of strategies for reliable induction of antibodies broadly neutralizing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), vaccine efforts have shifted toward the induction of cell-mediated immunity. Here we describe the construction and immunogenicity of novel T-cell vaccine NS1.HIVA, which delivers the HIV-1 clade A consensus-derived immunogen HIVA on the surface of tubular structures spontaneously formed by protein NS1 of bluetongue virus. We demonstrated that NS1 tubules can accommodate a protein as large as 527 amino acids without losing their self-assembly capability. When injected into BALB/c mice by several routes, chimeric NS1.HIVA tubules induced HIV-1-specific major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted T cells. These could be boosted by modified virus Ankara expressing the same immunogen and generate a memory capable of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production, proliferation, and lysis of sensitized target cells. Induced memory T cells readily produced IFN-gamma 230 days postimmunization, and upon a surrogate virus challenge, NS1.HIVA vaccine alone decreased the vaccinia virus vv.HIVA load in ovaries by 2 orders of magnitude 280 days after immunization. Thus, because of its T-cell immunogenicity and antigenic simplicity, the NS1 delivery system could serve as a priming agent for heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimens. Its usefulness in primates, including humans, remains to be determined

Recent Changes in the Japanese Wholesale System and the Importance of the Sogo Shosha

Interest in Japanese distribution as a field of academic study has waned in recent years, but there is a continuing concern with the activities of Japan’s general trading companies or Sogo Shosha. This research has concentrated largely on their function as international trade intermediaries but it has overlooked their role in the domestic economy. In recent years, the same Sogo Shosha have expanded their involvement in domestic distribution, in particular into food wholesaling, but more recently into retailing. The aim of this paper is to explore the extent of this involvement and to present an analysis of the reasons behind such a shift from both a managerial and a theoretical perspective. Further, we go on to look at the current and future consequences of such large, internationally powerful companies taking a significant share in domestic distribution in Japan

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The role of medium-sized firms in retail change in Japan

The processes and structures in the retail sector in Japan frequently are characterised as very traditional. Since the decade of slow growth in the 1990s a small group of medium-sized retail firms have adopted strategies that have allowed growth in sales and profit. These medium-sized firms, that are present in several sub-sectors of retailing, are becoming, through strategies focused on localisation and 'newness', the role models and catalysts for a more general change that is spreading through Japanese retailing