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Nikkei Computer

May 29, 2006 Issue <<Contents>>

FEATURE 1 A Study of Seven-Eleven Japan Information systems for pursuing profitability - Seven-Eleven Japan put a sixth-generation comprehensive information system into operation in May of this year.  The system was completely renovated for the first time in eight years.  The company, one of the top-class firms in Japan, invested ¥50 billion and spent four-and-a-half years to establish the latest system.  How does it work?   This article gives readers an overall grasp of the system by focusing on its “headquarter information analysis system” and “store system” as well as the “development project”. The facts about the sixth-generation comprehensive information system: - Evolving from single item management to an approach based on the characteristics of the location of each store: Headquarter system - Encouraging store clerks to do hypothesis-testing tasks: Store system - Challenging employees to reduce costs by 30%: Development project FEATURE 2 The Future of Office Software - Office software is changing.  Google, which has helped to trigger this trend, provides free software that can only be used with a Web browser.  And Microsoft is aiming to strike a balance between higher functionality and the user-friendliness of its Office products by upgrading their operation screen.   This article looks toward the future of office software by examining the efforts being made by the two companies to improve the usability of their software.

REPORT

[Inside]

- The operator of the “toto” soccer lottery has invested ¥12 billion in the development of a new system

- The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has formulated templates for contracts and agreements for consigning system development


[News & Trends]

- The mistaken transmission of e-mail has emerged as a new risk factor for information leakage

- Fujitsu has withdrawn from the competition with IBM over the performance of general-purpose mainframe computers

- A series of tools for supporting internal control over system development processes has debuted

- SAP unveiled the latest version of its ERP packaged software at SAP SAPPHIRE 2006 in Orlando

- What is the objective of Nissan Motor’s next IT plan called “BEST”?

- A newly launched database allows users to search the results of performance evaluations done on open source software (OSS)

- The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has put a stop to a plan by a major Internet service provider to take measures to guard against computer viruses that exploit the Winny file-sharing program

- Will the efforts by NEC, Hitachi, and Fujitsu to standardize business grid technologies bear fruit?

- Services have been launched that support the recruitment of Chinese systems engineers


[From BusinessWeek]

- IT education is stumbling and floundering in the U.S.


[News Flash for Each Industry]

- Finance: Nearly 280,000 transactions were disrupted by a system failure at Citibank in Japan

- Manufacturing: Sapporo Breweries switches from IBM’s Lotus Notes to Microsoft’s Exchange Server

PEOPLE

Interview
Toshifumi Suzuki: Chairman and CEO, Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd.

- Exquisite IT systems are not required


Real Feelings Expressed by Top Executives
Koichi Nishikawa: President, PARK 24 Co., Ltd.

- Advanced systems can be used as leverage in business negotiations

CASE STUDIES

Investigation of a Noteworthy Project
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

- The company has renovated its personnel and payroll system by using external consultants effectively


Absolute Solutions for Enhancing IT Strategy
Japan Airlines (JAL)

- The company takes every possible measure to ensure the safety of its flights, in particular by revamping its IT system for overseeing aircraft maintenance


A Computer That Does Not Work
Obihiro City Hall

- The local government did not address system defects in spite of being aware of the problem


[Novel / Cyber Lawless Area]

Second Chapter: Employee Monitoring (4)

MANAGEMENT/TECHNOLOGY

Key Points in System Design for Increasing Business Value
- It is necessary to reflect the current conditions of business operations and IT systems when thinking about a project


A Practical Project-Management Course for Users
- It is important to remain aware of “general control” throughout the entirety of any project.


Techniques for Management Reforms That Can Be Used Immediately — Internal Control
- The results of a self-evaluation of internal control should be disclosed to the public, and if there are any weaknesses, they should be addressed immediately


Useful Legal Advice for When You Are in Trouble
- Since the contract laws in China are different from those in Japan, careful attention should be paid to specified provisions of the laws


IT Keywords You Should Have Known Long Ago

MDA (Model Driven Architecture)


Commentary

- According to a survey of corporate users on IT trends, conducted by the Japan Users Association of Information System (JUAS), about 50% of large-scale projects experience some delay before their completion