Marketing application software in Japan
11/01/1996
Marketing applications software in Japan
David K. Lam, Sergio Faissol, ExpertEdge Corp., San Jose, California
In the past decade, personal computer software has become a fast growing worldwide industry. While there are many software developers in all parts of the world, it appears that most advances in software technology and products are made by US-based companies. The vast Asia/Pacific markets for applications software are virtually untapped and too important to ignore. Yet marketing software to this fast-growing economic region has never been easy.
Asia is anything but a monolithic region. There are notable differences among Asian countries, such as language, culture, and stage of economic development. Japan is the most economically developed country, and the Greater China Region, including the People`s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, is undoubtedly the largest potential market.
The changing corporate computing environment
For decades, corporate computing was dominated by the mainframe-centric model, practiced by computer giants like IBM, Fujitsu, and Digital Equipment. By the early 1990s, client/server computing had begun to replace the earlier paradigm in the corporate computing environment. The movement to client/server computing first occurred with UNIX-based workstations. The pace of change then accelerated with the advent of Microsoft`s Windows operating system and the availability of more powerful PCs. PC-based client/server applications are ideal for specific "departmental" processes such as field service. To understand this shift, the corporate computing model must be examined.
Every company needs five "building blocks" to use information technology (IT):
1. hardware platform,
2. operating system,
3. database, networks and tools,
4. business applications, and
5. consulting service and support.
Corporate IT needs once covered by a single computer company, are now supported by multiple, specialized vendors (Fig. 1).
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Figure 1. Building blocks of IT applications running on the Windows-Intel platform.
Four key elements have created the infrastructure for the deployment of PC-based client/server business applications:
1. the increasing power and decreasing cost of PCs,
2. the tremendous market acceptance of Windows,
3. the new networking and multiprocessing capabilities of Windows NT, and
4. the migration of major client/server database management systems to the NT platform.
Client/server technology forms the foundation for effective distributed computing. In the client/server model, ordinary desktop or laptop PCs where tasks are performed are the "clients," which are networked and supported (i.e. served) with centralized data and other computing functions by a more powerful PC, called the "server." This architecture helps corporations to provide more useful IT tools to their employees, to reduce the cost of IT implementation, and to select "best-of-breed" software for specific business processes.
Software localization
In order to market software successfully to Japan, or to any other non-English speaking country, the product must be able to function in that country`s language and in accordance with the local users` conventions. This requirement is generally known as "localization."
People often think of localization as simply translation from English to another language but, for software programs, it is much more complicated. To begin with, the software must be designed with international users in mind. For example, people often use and perhaps take for granted the function of sorting by alphabetical order. While alphabetical sorting works well in English and in other languages using Roman alphabets, such as French and German, it doesn`t work at all in the Japanese language.
Each character of the Japanese language requires two bytes of code to represent it. Double-byte languages, including Chinese and Korean, present added complexity. For example, all text-based functions, such as word wrapping, hyphenation, and text search, need to be specially written for double-byte characters. To ease the localization task, Microsoft has created many "functions" for applications developers, and implemented them in the Windows operating system. Three Japanese software screen shots are shown in Figs. 2-4.
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Figure 2. The three writing systems used in Japanese (hiragana, katakana, and kanji) are represented on the screen. Katakana is used to transliterate English words such as "lamp house assembly," "chamber," and "barrel."
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Figure 3. A screen displays data from a late-night inspection run. Logs are organized by daily, weekly, and monthly procedures.
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Figure 4. Graphical information is used to compare exposure frequency and cause. Graph parameters, including cause ID and machine ID, are indicated.
In addition to language, localization also involves other necessary modifications, such as local measurement standards, date/time formats, and currency units. To facilitate user interface (U/I) changes for the Japanese market, the software designer must separate U/I elements from the program code in the early phases of design.
Most applications software also interfaces with "third-party" software supplied by other software applications vendors such as Frame, Word, and Acrobat, and with viewers for computer-aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD. These third-party software programs also must have localized versions for successful linkage when the application calls up a specific page of a document or a particular CAD drawing out of many.
Finally, software implemented in Japan is subject to the constraints of the hardware platforms available in that country. Fortunately, this requirement has become less of a problem in recent years, as the IBM-compatible PC and Microsoft Windows have gained acceptance among Japan`s corporations.
Marketing model
It is not uncommon that a marketing model that works well in the US simply doesn`t work in Japan. With client/server software, the problem is more complex.
Client/server software programs are different from personal productivity software such as spreadsheets. Client/server applications, built on relational databases and computer networks, are designed to improve a company`s business processes. In the US, corporations of all sizes are linking their computers in networks and managing corporate information using database software. These companies have also been aggressively shifting to client/server computing; this is not the case in Japan.
While Japanese companies continue to purchase large quantities of PCs, these PCs are generally not networked. Many of these companies are not accustomed to using databases to manage corporate information (such as failure and uptime data in the case of capital equipment suppliers). So, despite their global success in manufacturing and selling hardware, some Japanese corporations are not as ready as their US counterparts to take advantage of client/server applications software. Software solutions must therefore be marketed differently in Japan.
Implementation support
Japanese customers expect US vendors` commitment in after-sales support in Japan. Client/server software support is more demanding because client/server applications, unlike shrink-wrapped personal software, require implementation efforts. In addition, if the Japanese customer does not have much experience in database and network administration, post-implementation support will be more challenging for both vendor and user.
Some managers think that implementation of client/server applications is simply a technical matter and are surprised when the project doesn`t progress smoothly, even though a technically capable person has been put in charge. The crucial success factor for client/server solution deployment, in Japan or America, is management commitment. Typically, because business processes are not isolated phenomena, these applications affect more than one single functional area in the corporation. Inter-departmental cooperation is necessary for successful implementation.
For example, in order to integrate multimedia technical information to assist an equipment field engineer in spare-part identification, an application needs the following: spare parts database from Information Services; manual from Technical Services; CAD drawings from Engineering; and pictures, sound, and video clips from yet another department of the company. While much of the information is available, management involvement and guidance are needed to ensure collaboration among various groups. Once this program is implemented, field service engineers can identify spare parts quickly and accurately, and the multimedia technical information for the equipment becomes centralized, organized, and up-to-date for better customer service.
Because of the differences in management experience in networking, databases, and other software, the implementation support team for the Japanese user should allow for more time than for an American user to complete a similar application. Furthermore, the application should be implemented in several carefully thought-out phases to allow the user to absorb and master the new technology as the project moves forward.
Conclusion
Client/server software solutions designed to upgrade a company`s infrastructure and improve business processes will ultimately increase productivity. Field service management software, for example, helps reduce head count, increases customer satisfaction, and makes the company more competitive.
While there are many challenges in marketing software in Asia, few software vendors can afford to miss the market opportunities represented by Japan and other Asia/Pacific nations. It is only a matter of time before Japanese management vision and commitment prevail over these obstacles. Japanese corporate leaders who succeed in guiding their companies to overcome roadblocks and adopt client/server IT tools will do well in the competitive global market of the 21st century.n
DAVID K. LAM is president and CEO of ExpertEdge. He received his BS degree in engineering physics from the University of Toronto and his masters and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from MIT. Previously, he founded Lam Research. ExpertEdge Corp., 2099 Gateway Place, 7th floor, San Jose, CA 95110; ph 408/487-0088, fax 408/487-0099.
SERGIO FAISSOL, VP of engineering for ExpertEdge, received his BS and MS degrees in systems engineering from Catholic University and Federal University, Brazil, respectively. He holds a doctoral degree in computer science from UCLA. Prior to joining ExpertEdge, Faissol held various engineering management and product development positions at Informix and Sybase. Most recently, he was engineering VP of Internet Profiles Corp.