Kimura Kk Case Write Up
Q.2 Who are the key players at Kimura in this purchase? What are their respective roles and interests?
At Kimura K.K., the buying center, the players in this purchase are, first of all, Mr. Yutaka Kimura, the actual President and son of the founder of the company. He was very influential in Japan and, although the fierce competition in the market, he was known for keeping close contact with his main competitors. He had a very well defined strategy for Kimura K.K. – he wanted to double the company sales over the next three years, and to attain it he was expecting to buy the most appropriate technology. He is classified as both “the buyer” and “the decider”.
Dr. Gen-Ichi Nomura, a man in his mid-sixties whom had been a top-scientist that, after retirement, remained at Kimura K.K. as Dr. Kimura’s personal technical advisor. It is perhaps important to refer that he was a close friend of Dr. Max Scorse, (Pramtex’s scientist that developed Spartacus, the machine that Kimura K.K. would eventually buy): they both graduated from Sydney University and they both enjoyed discussing issues related to technology. Nomura wanted the best for both parties – Kimura K.K. and Pramtex – and it was evident that he preferred to make the deal with Pramtex instead of with its competitors (as it is even hinted in the case when, after the first deal, Mr. Kimura told Mr. John Reef - Pramtex representative in Japan and also the responsible for the deal with Kimura K.K.: “You owe a big favor to Dr. Nomura on this one… He is your best ambassador within our company.”). Accordingly, he is “the influencer”.
Dr. Komoda, a very respectful person among Kimura K.K., was the chief of production, thus responsible for all areas of optical disk replication and also responsible for defining the specifications that the Spartacus would need; besides this, he also tested the machines when they arrived in Osaka, Japan, to make sure they were performing accordingly to the big production for Walt Disney
At Kimura K.K., the buying center, the players in this purchase are, first of all, Mr. Yutaka Kimura, the actual President and son of the founder of the company. He was very influential in Japan and, although the fierce competition in the market, he was known for keeping close contact with his main competitors. He had a very well defined strategy for Kimura K.K. – he wanted to double the company sales over the next three years, and to attain it he was expecting to buy the most appropriate technology. He is classified as both “the buyer” and “the decider”.
Dr. Gen-Ichi Nomura, a man in his mid-sixties whom had been a top-scientist that, after retirement, remained at Kimura K.K. as Dr. Kimura’s personal technical advisor. It is perhaps important to refer that he was a close friend of Dr. Max Scorse, (Pramtex’s scientist that developed Spartacus, the machine that Kimura K.K. would eventually buy): they both graduated from Sydney University and they both enjoyed discussing issues related to technology. Nomura wanted the best for both parties – Kimura K.K. and Pramtex – and it was evident that he preferred to make the deal with Pramtex instead of with its competitors (as it is even hinted in the case when, after the first deal, Mr. Kimura told Mr. John Reef - Pramtex representative in Japan and also the responsible for the deal with Kimura K.K.: “You owe a big favor to Dr. Nomura on this one… He is your best ambassador within our company.”). Accordingly, he is “the influencer”.
Dr. Komoda, a very respectful person among Kimura K.K., was the chief of production, thus responsible for all areas of optical disk replication and also responsible for defining the specifications that the Spartacus would need; besides this, he also tested the machines when they arrived in Osaka, Japan, to make sure they were performing accordingly to the big production for Walt Disney