Sometimes life offers us synchronicity, and one such event happened to me a few days ago. I had just finished Part II of this series on calculating just how much space is needed to house your employees, when a client happened to ask me the exact same thing. This client is based overseas, but has a Tokyo office, complete with a local country manager and half a dozen staff. They are planning to ramp up fairly quickly, and want to have an office for 12-15 staff by the end of the year. Currently they are in a serviced office.

The activities of sovereign wealth funds have attracted a lot of attention recently. One such fund, Mudabala Development has recently partnered with the Kobe International Frontier Medical Center. Terrie questions the motivation behind this investment and raises some serious concerns about the viability of the business model.

The movement of human traffic within Japanese firms having an external customer service and/or sales effort is a study of contrasts. In the morning, after the departmental meetings, the office is a buzz of activity, with sales and service people on the phone to prospective and existing customers. Appointments are being made and customers are happy to get the personal attention.

This week's Gadget Watch takes a look at the new bluetooth adapter headphones, the demise of the Gocco print kits and the BT bluetooth keyboard for mobile phones.