Creating and sustaining competitiveness: Information management strategies of Nippon Steel Corporation

• Published in: International journal of information management Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 39 - 56
• Main Authors: Bowonder, B., Miyake, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.1992; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Alliances; Case studies; Competitive advantage; Exact sciences and technology; Information and communication sciences; Information economics. Information policy; Information management; Information science. Documentation; Library and information science. General aspects; Other economic or political aspects; Sciences and techniques of general use; Steel industry; Strategic planning; Success; Asia; Japan; Case study; Competitivity; Technological awareness; Information management; Information technology; Firm; Firm strategy
• ISSN: 0268-4012; 1873-4707
• DOI: 10.1016/0268-4012(92)90051-Q

This paper analyses the process of creating and sustaining competitiveness through information management by Nippon Steel Corporation of Japan. A framework linking information management and the process of sustaining competitiveness is presented. Nippon Steel Corporation has used a combination of information management strategies for sustaining and creating competitiveness. The success of information management strategy of Nippon Steel Corporation is due to (a) intensive scanning for new information; (b) identifying new business opportunities using IT; (c) rapid information assimilation through organizational learning; (d) information fusion for generating new innovations; (e) intensive use of information through learning by doing and learning by using; (f) building competence for achieving new business through tie-ups and rapid commercial utilization of already available technologies; and (h) highly forward-looking and intensive information management strategy at the firm level.