KIBS In Japan From The Manufacturing Corporations Client-side Point Of View

Service industries are most often studied in the EU compared to other regions of the world. The differences between EU and China cause our research regarding KIBS not match the practice very well. Our research focus on the KIBS in Japan by sending the questionnaire to 1000 Japanese manufacturing corporations then analyzed the data by SPSS 17.0. Based on the research we attempted to find some implications for KIBS in China. The need of client, choice of client, services provision and satisfaction as the chain of logic of our study.First, the paper analyzed the researches on KIBS and compared the difference of them. Base on the situation of China we found that there are five characters of KIBS:①dynamic character of KIBS②character of modality③custom-built④high technology and professional knowledge⑤close relationship with manufacturing. We classify the KIBS in China presently.Second, we focus on the researches on KIBS related, for example, the innovative function of KIBS and the protection of innovation of KIBS. We found that the role of KIBS to the innovation by economic analyzed and the IPR will be more important to the innovation of KIBS in the future, especially the mechanism of patent.Third, the previous researches on KIBS only take the perspective of KIBS side. But our study take view of client side and set the questionnaire for the Japanese manufacturing corporations following the need of client, choice of client, services provision and the satisfaction as the logic train. We analyzed the correlation and regression among the data related and found that: KIBS are very necessary to clients in Japan and clients are satisfied with it; the human resource services and IPR services are very consummate in Japan; KIBS contribute to the radical innovation of client rather than the incremental innovation; Japanese manufacturing corporations want to obtain IPR knowledge rather than IPR from KIBS; Japanese manufacturing corporations tend to think that the large size of KIBS, high price of services and advantageous location of KIBS show a high quality of services provision; When Japanese manufacturing corporations dealt with KIBS the face to face way is the best choice; the obstacles Japanese manufacturing corporations have faced when dealing with KIBS determine the services methods.Finally, the implications for KIBS in China based on the research on KIBS in Japan as following: the development of KIBS in China need the support from government; KIBS in China should focus on the different need of their client, the need of client including not only the services but also the methods of service provision; KIBS in China should pay attention on the criteria of choice of client because the criteria will help the KIBS improve their competitive advantage. The research on the KIBS in Japan implicates that the geographical factor, size of KIBS and the price of services are very important to the development of KIBS in China.