THE DYNAMICS OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY

Mitsutoshi Otake 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

The purpose of this study is to discuss the concept of brand authenticity by examining how Harley-Davidson motorcycles became popular in the Japanese market. My particular focus will be on interactions among consumers, corporations, and distributors regarding brand authenticity. Not all Harley-Davidson stores are authorized. There are unauthorized stores throughout Japan. The advertisements made by unauthorized distribution channels sometimes emphasize brand elements that are clearly not endorsed by Harley-Davidson. Some of these dealers are even critical of Harley-Davidson’s own marketing activities. All this raises the following questions: How did they manage to interact with consumers and increase sales in Japan, home of well-known motorcycle manufacturers? More specifically, what obstacles did they encounter and how did they overcome these obstacles as they sought to expand sales? To answer these questions, this study focuses on the concept of brand authenticity. In a field of research known as Consumer Research, or more specifically Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould & Thompson, 2005), there is a theoretical viewpoint that consumers have a hand in creating brands, which are understood to be social constructs. Among various concepts that exist, brand authenticity is particularly relevant to, and is thus the focus of, this study. Authenticity as used herein is related to the concept of something being genuine, real, and true (Belk & Costa, 1998). Authenticity is a socially constructed interpretation of the essence of what is observed and a set of expectations regarding how such a thing ought to look and feel (Beverland & Farrelly, 2010). These kinds of beliefs regarding brands are closely tied to the formation of identity (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006). For example, sometimes there is a conflict in the brand community between those who seek to pursue profits through an expansion of the brand’s market share and those who seek to protect the authenticity of the brand (Mu?iz & Schau, 2005). Companies that provide products and services must consider this tension when building brand authenticity. This is because the excessive use of brand traditions and stories around those traditions can lead to a loss of authenticity as consumers view such actions as exploitative (Brown, Kozinets, & Sherry, 2003) This study uses qualitative research methods, specifically participant observation, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and documents. I performed a comparative analysis on this data based on individuals and organizations that deal with Harley-Davidson. Data compiled through continuous observation was particularly valuable. The sites surveyed were authorized dealers, non-authorized dealers, various events, and motorcycle parts shops. The following two points were found in this case study. First, many owners classify the Harley-Davidson brand in two ways: authentic and unauthentic. Certain owners are actively expressing their opinions as to which brand is authentic. Harley-Davidson Japan, which was established in 1989, has expanded the number of authorized dealers that help operate the group. Harley-Davidson motorcycles that had been sold before the manufacturer strengthened its marketing activities are commonly called “vintage,” while those that were sold thereafter are known as “current.” Some owners seek authenticity in “vintage” Harleys. These owners believe that brand authenticity belongs to products that are sold in small shops. The existence of fan clubs at the grassroots level is also important to them. “Vintage” Harleys have those. In other words, whether a motorcycle has authenticity is not necessarily determined by its physical characteristics. Given these circumstances, Harley-Davidson Japan and its authorized dealers make efforts to emphasis their continuity with the past and convey the tradition to owners by holding various events to introduce the brand’s history. “Vintage” Harleys are also on display at such events. In Japan, authenticity among owners is not necessarily a matter of perspective based on one’s identification with an outlaw versus an enthusiast perspective (cf Schouten & McAlexander, 1995). “Vintage” Harley owners are not necessarily “outlaw bikers”. Most of them regard outlaw bikers as unauthentic. The lack of modern marketing is valued among them. Second, certain unauthorized dealers selling “vintage” motorcycles differentiate themselves from competitors and build their businesses by reinterpreting and strengthening the brand classification. These dealers were critical of Harley-Davidson Japan’s marketing activities, and viewed themselves as the proper flag bearers of the Harley brand. One reason for this was that they felt that the quintessential nature of Harley-Davidson — the individuality of the dealers — was lost in the expansion of authorized dealers and the resulting homogeneity. Thus, these dealers don’t seek to become authorized, but rather to propagate the Harley image to the next generation and maintain their shops as in the past. They focus on sales and repair of models not handled by authorized dealers. Against this background, Harley-Davidson Japan and the authorized dealers set up booths at events where many distributors and owners that provide authenticity to “vintage” models participate, and expanded their contact with the diverse group of owners and potential customers. In addition, they make an effort to expand the use of authorized parts made to legal standards, and sponsor traffic safety activities in an effort to expand their customer base and rid themselves of the negative image caused by illegal modifications and noise pollution. As noted above, while there is some conflict around brand authenticity, the efforts of Harley-Davidson Japan, authorized dealers, and unauthorized dealers to differentiate from competing dealers and other motorcycle manufacturers have contributed to the expansion and maintenance of their customer base. This study showed that brand authenticity is a shared set of beliefs about the nature of things we value in the world.

No fault compensation in perinatal medicine in Japan: From results for 8 years

( Mitsutoshi Iwashita ) 대한산부인과학회 2016 서울심포지움 Vol.21 No.-

Diagnosis and management of preterm birth in Japan

( Mitsutoshi Iwashita ) 대한산부인과학회 2017 대한산부인과학회 학술대회 Vol.103 No.-

Preterm birth rate in Japan is around 5% of total birth in which majority of preterm birth has been between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. On the other hand, perinatal mortality rate as well as neonatal mortality rate has been rapidly improved by progress of perinatal medicine. Neonatal mortality rate in extremely low body weight (ELBW) infant (<1000 g) has been improved from42.7% in 1950 to 8.1% in 2010 in Japan. However, approximately 50% of survived ELBW infants have neurological problems including cerebral palsy and/or mental retardation due to prematurity. Therefore, it is one of most urgent issues in perinatal medicine to reduce preterm birth especially between 22 and 27 weeks of gestation. Various examinations for high risk pregnancy and prognosis of threatened preterm birth have been introduced and measurement of cervical length (CL) between 18 and 24weeks is recommended by guideline issued by JSOG. Other than measurement of CL, several biochemical markers are also used for prognosis of threatened preterm birth such as fetal fibronectin, IGFBP-1, interleukin6, 8 and granulocyte elastase in majority of perinatal center in Japan. JSOG guideline also recommended examinations for bacterial vaginosis (BV) such as Nugent score and/or Amsel criteria before 20 weeks. Using these examinations, high risk group and prognosis of preterm birth could judge relatively correct. On the other hand, prevention and treatment of preterm birth are not established yet. Although many trials have been reported, it is difficult to compare clinical results since the sample group in each report is different. Among them, betamimetics such as ritodrine and magnesium sulfate have been used as tocolytic agents in Japan. It is generally accepted that ritodorine is useful for prevention of preterm birth within 48 hours, but the long-term intravenous administration is routinely performed in hospitalized patient in Japan. Magnesium sulfate is also frequently used in Japan with careful observation on side effects due to over dosage although clinical evidence for prevention of preterm birth is poor. Several RCT suggested that vaginal progesterone suppository might be more effective than intramuscular injection of 17alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate. However, clinical trial of vaginal suppository of progesterone is just begun in Japan and there was no substantial evidence that treatment with progesterone is effective to prevent preterm birth in Japan. BV is considered as one of causes of preterm birth and JSOG guideline recommended to treat with metronidazole or clindamycine, however, clinical results by treatment with antibiotics are controversial. Similarly, JSOG guideline recommends to use “suitable” antibiotics when cervicitis and chorioamnionitis are suspected although there was no indisputable evidence. Administration of betamethasone is recommended by JSOG guideline to improve neurological prognosis of infant when preterm birth between 22 and 33 weeks is expected within one week as obtaining consensus internationally. Preventive cerclage after 12 weeks of gestation is one of alternatives for pregnant women with past history of preterm birth in JSOG guideline. Similarly, therapeutic cerclage is one of alternatives in pregnant women with short cervix at present pregnancy although a newest report indicates that therapeutic cerclage for short cervix does not prevent preterm birth. Examinations for diagnosis is almost established to find high risk group for preterm birth and prognosis of threatened preterm birth but further well-designed RCT is necessary to establish treatment for prevention of preterm birth.

Development of new Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and regenerative medicine based on regulating gene expression during preimplantation development

( Mitsutoshi Yamada ) 대한산부인과학회 2019 대한산부인과학회 학술대회 Vol.105 No.-

The high rate of early embryonic developmental arrest is common and presents a major obstacle to achieving better successful pregnancy outcome in assisted reproductive technology (ART) and also development of therapeutic cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). After fertilization, the maternal genetic program governed by maternally derived RNAs and proteins is switched to the embryonic genetic program by de novo transcription; this switch is termed zygotic genome activation (ZGA). ZGA is essential for establishing pluripotency and genome stability. However, it is unclear how ZGA plays a role in development and preventing mitotic errors. Nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (ntESCs) are assumed to be closer to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) than induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Initial attempts to produce human stem cells using SCNT failed, as only 16% (124 of 761) of ZGA transcripts were upregulated after genome exchange in SCNT human embryos. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) supplementation during the first cell cycle induced zygotic transcription in SCNT embryos, which lead to isolate ntESCs giving rise to all three germ layers, including insulin-producing cells. Therefore, ZGA can be deemed indispensable for blastocyst development and stem cell derivation through SCNT. Mining gene-expression-profiling data identified a zygotic genome activation (ZGA) gene, we identified Zscan5b. Zscan5b-deficient ESCs showed random distribution of gaps in their chromosomes, elevated DNA-stress response and developed cancerous lesions. A co-immunoprecipitation analysis showed that ZSCAN5B bound to the linker protein histone H1. In addition, rescue analysis restored genome stability. Therefore, the Zscan5b gene can be classified as encoding a protein directly involved in DNA repair and protection of chromosomal architecture. Exploring reprogramming path based on ZGA can be useful for development not only of regenerative medicine but also of ART.

A Study on Low Jitter DCPLL Using Delay Clock Pulse

Mitsutoshi YAHARA,Kuniaki FUJIMOTO,Hirofumi SASAKI,Takashi SHIBUYA,Yoshinori HIGASHI 대한전자공학회 2005 ITC-CSCC :International Technical Conference on Ci Vol.2005 No.1

An Integrated Production Planning Problem for a Multi-State Production System Using Kanban

Mitsutoshi Kojima,Takayoshi Tamura,Seiichi Fujita,Katsuhisa Ohno,Masayuki Shirata 대한산업공학회 2006 Industrial Engineeering & Management Systems Vol.5 No.1

Estimation of the Effect of Grain Boundary Diffusion on Microstructure Development in Magnetite Bi-crystal under Oxygen Chemical Potential Gradient at 823 K

Mitsutoshi Ueda,Toshio Maruyama 한국세라믹학회 2012 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.49 No.1

Mass transport near grain boundary in a magnetite bi-crystal has been estimated at 823 K by finite element method. Mass transport near grain boundary strongly depends on the diffusivities along grain boundary. If grain boundary diffusion has the same oxygen activity dependence as lattice diffusion, there is no mass transport between grains and grain boundary. On the other hand, mass transport between grains and grain boundary is observed in the case that grain boundary diffusion has different oxygen activity dependence.

Preparation of Aromatic β-Selenolactams and Their Bioactivities as Agricultural Chemicals

Mitsutoshi Kimura,Hideharu Ishihara,Shinzi Kato 대한약학회 2007 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.30 No.8

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of aromatic β-selenolactams being used in agricultural chemicals. A series of β-selenolactams with aromatic substituents at the 1-, 2- and 3-positions were synthesized and their bioactivities were evaluated. Acarianicidal and insecticidal activity against common destructive insects, antibacterial activity against seven common plant pathogens, and plant growth activity of typical food crops were investigated. We found that introduction of 4-chloro and 4-methyl groups on 2- or 3-phenyl groups of the β-selenolactam ring brought about acarianicidal activity against adults and eggs of Plutella xylostella. However, except for moderate to weak effect on fatality of Culex pipiens molestus Forskal, insecticidal activity against two other kinds of insects, antibacterial activity against plant pathogens, and activity on plant growth regulation were not detected among the β-selenolactam derivatives.

Fetal growth and insulin-like growth factor system

( Mitsutoshi Iwashita ) 대한산부인과학회 2016 대한산부인과학회 학술대회 Vol.102 No.-

Migration of subpopulation of the placental trophoblast known as extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells into the maternal endometrium is one of the fundamental components of the human implantation and placentation. Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) stimulate EVT cells migration and invasion into uterine wall . Since these cells produce IGF-II and possess IGF-I receptor, it is suggested that IGFs regulate EVT cells invasion into endometrium in an autocrine fashion. In contrast, one of IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs), IGFBP-1 is produced in decidualized endometrium that inhibits IGF action thereby regulating EVT cells invasion negatively. Thus, appropriate placentation is determined by the balance of IGF in trophoblast and IGFBP-1 in endometrium. IGF and IGFBPs in maternal-fetal interface are involved in not only placentation but also placental function. IGF-I stimulates glucose and amino acid uptake by trophoblast cells in vitro and enhances the transfer of maternal amino acid to the fetus in vivo. In contrast, IGFBP-1 inhibits IGF-I action in placenta in terms of maternal amino acid transfer to the fetus. In mother, circulating levels of IGF-I are increased during pregnancy and correlates with fetal birth weight while IGFBP-1 gradually increased throughout pregnancy and negatively correlates with fetal weight. Thus, maternal IGF-I and IGFBP-1 are tightly involved in fetal growth presumably by regulating placental nutrient transfer to the fetus. Although maternal IGF-I and IGFBP-1 are not transferred through placenta, fetal circulating levels of IGF-I is positively and IGFBP-1 is negatively correlated with birth weight. Cell culture and animal experiments clearly demonstrated that fetal IGF-I and IGFBP-1 are regulated by nutritional factors and oxygen concentration where fetus stimulates IGF-I and inhibits IGFBP-1 production under enough supply of nutrition and oxygen from placenta and promotes its own growth. A condition that decreases supply of these substances such as placental dysfunction, fetus produces more IGFBP-1 and inhibits IGF-I production in order to inhibit own growth to survive.

No fault compensation in perinatal medicine in Japan-from results for 8 years

( Mitsutoshi Iwashita ) 대한산부인과학회 2017 Obstetrics & Gynecology Science Vol.60 No.2

No fault compensation in perinatal medicine has been established to provide aid to patients in the event of disability due to a medical accident during delivery and to strive to resolve disputes quickly that contributes to reduce medical malpractice suit in the field of perinatal medicine. Furthermore, this system is aimed to establish a mechanism that achieves higher quality of obstetric care by analyzing the causes of accidents. This system is operated by Japan Council for Quality Health Care and 99.9% of childbirth facilities in Japan registered with this compensation system. Compensation system has two major functions including compensation and cause analysis and recurrence prevention based on cases. Compensation eligibility is reviewed in the Review Committee at the organization in Japan Council for Quality Health Care and currently 1,717 cases are judged as eligible cases out of 2,250 since 2009. The cause of each eligible case is analyzed in the Cause Analysis Committee one by one. The Cause Analysis Committee has 7 independent subcommittee and each subcommittee members are consistent of obstetricians, neonatologists, pediatricians, midwives and lawyers. Original cause analysis report is sent to childbirth facility and patient`s family. Questionnaire survey demonstrated that 73% of childbirth facilities and 65% of patient family were satisfied with the cause analysis report. The number of medical lawsuit in obstetrics and gynecology is significantly decreased compared to those in all medical departments since the compensation system was introduced suggesting that these cause analysis reports may contribute the decrease in medical lawsuits. The major purpose of the Recurrence Prevention Committee is striving to prevent future cases of cerebral palsy and to improve the quality of obstetric care. To accomplish the purpose, the committee routinely collect information from individual cases and analyze quantitatively and epidemiologically. Furthermore the committee choose subject from cases to discuss for future prevention and provide wide public disclosure of the information with recommendation. The committee issued 6 reports until now and these reports have been distributed to childbirth facilities, perinatal medicine-related scientific society and administrative agencies.