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27 October 2022 Information

Porter Prize Winners 2022

The Porter Prize Organizing Committee at Hitotsubashi University Business School, School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS) announced today the winners of the Porter Prize 2022.


Porter Prize Winners 2022 (in Japanese alphabetical order)

  • Accenture Japan Ltd. (A management consulting firm)
  • SHIFT Inc. (Software quality assurance and testing)
  • Tokyo Electron Ltd. (Semiconductor and flat panel display production equipment)
  • Renesas Electronics Corporation (Microcontrollers, integrated chips and sensors)

Accenture Japan Ltd.

Accenture, a management consulting firm, helps large corporations and organizations to expedite a large-scale transformation of their business by incorporating digital transformation (DX) and superior customer experience (CX) design. This is possible because Accenture offers broader end-to-end services and solutions that include business strategy, IT strategy, IT system design and development, IT systems operation, and experience design.

It is not easy to provide such a broad line-up of services in an integrated manner. A great deal of coordination is required between strategy, business operations design, IT design and development, and CX design. The key is an elite talent pool that possesses expert knowledge in various fields and diverse skills. Talent development is supported by the core values of Accenture and its global affiliates, as well as group-wide access to the company's information sharing systems. Accenture also uses M&As to acquire new competencies as a means of further improving its extensive line-up of advanced services. Accenture has developed a comprehensive and unique measurement, the "360° Value Meter," to quantify the impact of its services on the client companies (an impact that is not limited to financial returns).


SHIFT Inc.

SHIFT's core business is the provision of software testing and quality assurance services. Leveraging a depth of knowledge cultivated through software testing, the company provides feedback to client companies regarding software design and development. SHIFT provides comprehensive services centered on software test planning, design, and implementation.

Software testing, the purpose of which is to identify deficiencies, accounts for 30% of the entire software development workload. Previously, there was no standardized process for the testing of software. Moreover, it was very difficult to improve the operational efficiency of software testing. In Japan, software developers were the ones responsible for testing software. The alternative was to outsource software testing to third-party service providers. SHIFT decided to specialize in this indispensable, yet inefficient software testing process. The company has succeeded in improving the efficiency and reliability of the software testing process by applying its proprietary approach. This approach consists of breaking down the process into a series of individual tasks, and then undertaking the systematization and standardization of the software testing process. SHIFT has also added value by providing feedback on software design to the client's upstream software development team. As a result, SHIFT has been able to accelerated to acquire the market.


Tokyo Electron Ltd.

The company's strength in developing leading-edge equipment is supported by its unique organizational structure, which consists of a virtual business unit for each product category. These virtual business units handle sales, R&D, and manufacturing, as well as technical service and support. The use of virtual business units enables Tokyo Electron to interact with customers, develop customized devices, manufacture those devices, install the equipment, and bring it to full operation in a short time.

The company conducts the manufacturing of chip production equipment primarily in Japan, where it has developed a strong cluster by working closely with local suppliers. This cluster helps Tokyo Electron to achieve technological advances in product development and facilitates rapid customization. By leveraging these capabilities and expertise developed in Japan, the company has succeeded in expanding sales to foreign chip manufacturers.


Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics supplies various semiconductors such as microcontrollers, system on chip (SoC), analog, and power. Renesas also provides solutions (comprised of unique combinations of its semiconductor products) to automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT markets. For example, Renesas offers automotive manufacturers a turn-key inverter solution for electric vehicles. Automotive manufacturers pursuing shorter development lead-times can reduce the workload of their product development team by using an already-tested system with proven effectiveness.

In addition to its expertise in semiconductor products for the automotive market, Renesas broadened its business portfolio to shift its focus from individual products to providing high value-added solutions. At the same time, Renesas expanded its products to address industrial, infrastructure, and IoT markets as well. The company recognized an abundance of potential applications for its products in various segments. Thus, Renesas was able to build a strong position in the segments it had targeted. As a result, the company succeeded in significantly improving its profitability.

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