Spatial Restructuring of Distribution Systems Incidental to Informatization in Japan(<Special Issue>Spatial Reorganization of the Japanese Economy In the 1990s)

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  • 情報化に伴う日本の流通システムの空間的再編(<英文特集>1990年代における日本の経済的地域構造の変貌)
  • Spatial Restructuring of Distribution Systems Incidental to Informatization in Japan

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Abstract

The Japanese distribution industry is characterized by the following two factors. First, the Japanese distribution industry has historically been operated by small-scale retailers. Secondly, distribution channels are very long and have marked peculiarities because manufacturers take the initiative in distribution channels and there are many wholesalers under each manufacturer. However, in the late 1980s POS systems spread rapidly in the Japanese distribution industry. In the 1990s, transactions were networked between large chain stores and major wholesalers based on the POS information. The power shift in favor of chain stores and the decline of small-scale retailers, are propelling changes in the production and shipping systems of the manufacturers. Meanwhile, production facilities of manufacturers are becoming more centralized of as a means of sustaining multi-product production. Moreover, the responsibility for business negotiations with highly strategic chain stores has moved from regional branch and sales offices to the control of the upper levels of the organization. Such kind of changes illustrate the transformation of corporate organization due to informatization and is likely to have a major impact on the growth strategies of cities.

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