Episode #46 - William Baber, Kyoto University

William W. Baber has combined education with business throughout his career. His professional experience has included economic development in the State of Maryland, language services in the Washington, DC, area, supporting business starters in Japan, and teaching business students in Japan, Europe, and Canada. He taught English in the Economics and Business Administration Departments of Ritsumeikan University, Japan, before joining the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University, where he is an associate professor, in addition to holding courses at University of Vienna and University of Jyväskylä.  The book "Transforming Japanese Business", which Will co-authored and co-edited, explores the digital revolution in Japan. Its chapters present approaches and examples from sectors commonly understood to be visible arenas of digital transformation―3D printing and mobility, for instance―as well as some from not-so-obvious sectors, such as retail, services, and fintech. https://www.springer.com/book/9789811503269 Business today is facing unprecedented change especially due to the adoption of new, digital technologies, with a noticeable transformation of manufacturing and services. The changes have been brought by advanced robotics, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and digital networks that are growing in size and capability as the number of connected devices explodes. In addition, there are advanced manufacturing and collaborative connected platforms, including machine-to-machine communications. Adoption of digital technology has caused process disruptions in both the manufacturing and services sectors and led to new business models and new products. While examining the preparedness of the Japanese economy to embrace these changes, the book explores the impact of digitally influenced changes on some selected sectors from a Japanese perspective. It paints a big picture in explaining how a previously manufacturing-centric, successful economy adopts change to retain and rebuild success in the global environment. Japan as a whole is embracing, yet also avoiding―innovating but also restricting―various forms of digitalization of life and work. The book, with its 17 chapters, is a collaborative effort of individuals contributing diverse points of view as technologists, academics, and managers. Produced in collaboration with Tokyo FinTech. If you have an interesting story to share with our audience, and would like to appear on the podcast, please contact us via [email protected] You can also find us on.... Home Page: https://tokyofintech.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tokyofintech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TokyoFinTech Medium: https://medium.com/tokyo-fintech YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/tokyofintech Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/tokyofintech/