Kao: Localizing R&D Resources

Abstract

Kao’s corporate mission is to contribute to the wholehearted satisfaction and the enrichment of the lives of customers and employees throughout the world. We will accomplish this by drawing on our creative and innovative strengths to develop products of excellent value and outstanding performance. Fully committed to this mission, all members of Kao companies are working together as a single corporate force to win the loyalty and trust of their customers. Based on our corporate mission, Kao’s activities are as follows:

• Ensure customers’ wholehearted satisfaction worldwide;

• Create innovative products based on original ideas and technologies;

• Sustain profitable growth and respond to the trust of stakeholders;

• Leverage the abilities of individuals into a powerful corporate force;

• Encourage close harmony with the environment and the community.

Kao now offers worldwide a wide range of products: Approximately 570 branded package-product items from the consumer product divisions, a wide range of chemicals from the chemical divisions for industrial and institutional uses, and high technology information storage products from the Kao Infosystems group. Kao specializes in consumer products, and chemicals and infosystems products.

This case study was authored by Dr. Kenji Hara, Director of Research and Development Division, Kao Corp. This case study was written in 1998: The reader should keep in mind that all numbers, figures, organization charts and forecasts represent the state of 1998 or before. The case study was revised in 2007 by Wei-Chi Chen.