{"title":"What hinders digital communication? Evidence from foreign firms in Japan","authors":"Kiyoyasu Tanaka","doi":"10.1016/j.japwor.2023.101190","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Digital technology such as virtual meetings is key to communication and collaboration. However, a firm-level survey in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that foreign firms regarded digital communication as a key business obstacle. This paper estimates the determinants of the likelihood that foreign firms regard digital communication as an obstacle. The results show that digital communication is hindered by language differences, employees’ nationality differences, employment size, and time differences from foreign headquarters. Contrary to common assertions, digital communication is regarded as an obstacle in remote-work feasible sectors, but not so in in-person service sectors. Thus, digital communication does not completely eliminate barriers to face-to-face communication.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46744,"journal":{"name":"Japan and the World Economy","volume":"66 ","pages":"Article 101190"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Japan and the World Economy","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0922142523000166","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Digital technology such as virtual meetings is key to communication and collaboration. However, a firm-level survey in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that foreign firms regarded digital communication as a key business obstacle. This paper estimates the determinants of the likelihood that foreign firms regard digital communication as an obstacle. The results show that digital communication is hindered by language differences, employees’ nationality differences, employment size, and time differences from foreign headquarters. Contrary to common assertions, digital communication is regarded as an obstacle in remote-work feasible sectors, but not so in in-person service sectors. Thus, digital communication does not completely eliminate barriers to face-to-face communication.
期刊介绍:
The increase in Japan share of international trade and financial transactions has had a major impact on the world economy in general and on the U.S. economy in particular. The new economic interdependence between Japan and its trading partners created a variety of problems and so raised many issues that require further study. Japan and the World Economy will publish original research in economics, finance, managerial sciences, and marketing that express these concerns.