Social Science Japan Journal Advance Access originally published online on October 23, 2007
Social Science Japan Journal 2007 10(2):217-241; doi:10.1093/ssjj/jym048
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Social Science Japan Journal 10:217-241 (2007)
© 2007 Oxford University Press
Compliance with International Standards: The EDIFACT and ISO 9000 Standards in Japan
Cornelia STORZ is currently Professor of Japanese Economy in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. Her research focus is on innovation systems, the comparison of economic systems and on regulatory enforcement and compliance. She has been invited by several Japanese organisations to conduct research (Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo; Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training; Kansai University and The Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry). Since 2005, she has served as Treasurer of the European Association of Japanese Studies (EAJS). Recent publications include Small Firms and Innovation Policy in Japan (Routledge 2006); Competitiveness of New Industries (Routledge 2007), co-edited with Andreas Moerke and Institutional and Technical Change in Japan's Economy (Routledge 2006), co-edited with Janet Hunter. She can be reached by e-mail at storz{at}wiwi.uni-frankfurt.de
International standards play an increasingly important role in the world economy. Research in the field of economics on standardisation has focused on addressing the question of how and in which situations standards should be generated. While this analysis is important, it tends to overlook the subsequent process of implementation, despite its importance for an appropriate standard setting. This paper uses empirical evidence from Japanese firms in order to identify the reasons why and under which conditions firms do not comply with international standards. The Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (EDIFACT) standard, which defines data exchange networks, and the ISO 9000 standard, which defines quality management processes, are the two case studies. I also draw comparisons to the implementation of these standards in Germany. I conclude that non-compliance with standards is a common phenomenon with specific, regional characteristics. At the end, I make preliminary conclusions about new ways of thinking about how international standards are set.
* I thank the SSJJ reviewers, Alexander Müller, Sebastian Schäfer and Hajime Yamada, for insightful comments on the topic of this paper. I also thank the many people I interviewed for the time and the attention they gave me. Stefan Peetz assisted in carrying out research on several technical data. Special and sincere thanks go to my father, who introduced me to the technical world of EDI standards.