rdisation should be adopted. Standardisation of products can give the company more economies of scale. Currently Kao does not standardise its products. Most new products are first launched in Japan then later brought over to the South East Asia region. By launching its new products simultaneously worldwide, it can take advantage of greater economies of scale and faster market penetration. One last area I would like to make some recommendations on is to use cross-functional management. Currently Ford carries out this practise. By combining all the department of the organisation to perform a project, greater speed and flexibility can be achieve. There is also cost saving in this method of project management. Better understanding can be achieve among members of the different divisions and also decisions are made faster with less bureaucracy. Conclusion Kao Corporation is basically a strong and profitable company. It has sound financial fundamentals and has been largely successful in marketing its product both domestically internationally. The strategies that Kao Corporation employs in its bid to achieve profitable growth are admirable. However, Kao still has its weaknesses. These weaknesses can be overcome through the use of an appropriate strategy. Now, Kao Corporation is moving into the new millennium with new challenges to face and new opportunities to grasp. The external environment is changing rapidly. Changes are not just led by the Internet but also changes in people and their way of life. People have new needs All of Kao’s competitors are well aware of the external environmental changes. Competition is intensifying and in order for Kao to emerge successful, it has to carefully analyse and formulate the appropriate strategies ...
