Title: Importance of intelligence for strategic scenario building: the information section role in research and development

Authors: Noriko Minamizaki

Addresses: Graduate School of Management, Japan University of Economic, 24-17 Sakuragaoka-Cho, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150-0031, Japan

Abstract: Product development of Japanese companies has changed greatly from the post-war revival period, when it was promoted mainly to provide low-cost, high-quality products. In recent years, it has become necessary to develop products and services that correspond to social issues. Research and development has shifted from a technological basis to a perspective based on societal trends for developing next-generation products. According to Kubo (2011) and Asai (2013), scenario planning is an effective method for considering the future environment in R&D. Furthermore, the functions and roles of the information section, because of the contributions of information services, have changed along with the use of the R&D situation. Based on findings from questionnaires and interviews of Japanese companies, this paper presents a discussion of the importance of information collection and intelligence generation for scenario planning along with the role of an information section in the area of research and development.

Keywords: information; intelligence; information section; scenario planning; scenario analysis; scenario building; research and development; questionnaire; interview; Japanese companies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2017.084228

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2017 Vol.9 No.1, pp.75 - 89

Received: 19 Dec 2015
Accepted: 19 Jul 2016
Published online: 21 May 2017 *

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