Introduction to Business

Assignment 2
Vivien Lin
Miao Li
Phavetra
Sze Hui

QUESTION 1

General experience and

Eductional experience
from the trip to Ajinomoto

General experience & Educational

experience

We get to know more about :

The history of Ajinomoto
Process of making Ajinomoto
Certificates that obtain by Ajinomoto from
various Malaysia Institution which control the
health and quality of the product sales in
Malaysia.
Various product of Ajinomoto
Different ingredient used by all the branches
all over the world.
The fifth taste of human (UMAMI)
The good about AJINOMOTO

The history of Ajinomoto

Professor Kikunae
Ikeda from the University of
when

Tokyo isolated glutamate from

the seaweed and discovered its
flavour enhancing properties in
1908. The next year, his
discovery was introduced to the
market in the form of the
flavour enhancer AJI-NOMOTO meaning the Essence of
Taste (scientifically, it is termed
as Monosodium Glutamate, or
MSG in short.)
Today, AJI-NO-MOTO is sold
more than 100 countries, and
Ajinomoto Group's 15 factories
around the world are supplying
about one-third of the 1.5 million-

The process of making

Ajinomoto

Step
Step
Step
Step
Step

1 : Natural Raw Material

2: Liquefaction & Saccharification
3: Fermentation
4: Crystallization & Drying
5: Packing and Inspection

Step 1: Natural Raw

Material

Tapioca & Sugar Cane (Ubi kayu &

Tebu)

Step 2: Liquefaction &

Saccharification
Starch extracted from the raw
materials is converted into glucose
solution through enzymatic action.
Enzym
es

Step 3: Fermentation
Microbes convert glucose into
glutamic acid and MSG solution is
produced.

Step 4: Crystallization & Drying

MSG solution is converted into
crystals from by evaporating excess
water.
MSG crystals are dried by using hot
air.

Step 5: Packaging &

Inspection
MSG is packed into finish product
under the brand name of AJI-NOMOTO and delivered to the market
with ensured quality.

Certificate
obtain by
Ajinomoto

VARIOUS PRODUCT OF AJINOMOTO

Aji-Mix

Slimup

AJINOMOTO

TUMIX

AjiShio

SERIAJI

Pal
Sweet

VONO

Different ingredient use by the

branches all over the world
For example MALAYSIA are using ubi
kayu and tebu to produce Ajinomoto.
In JAPAN , the factory are using to
procude Ajinomoto.
The branches in CHINA, KOREA, USA
and 10 MORE COUNTRY are also using
the different ingredient.

THE FIFTH TASTES OF HUMAN

( UMAMI )
UMAMI is scientifically recognised as the fifth basic
taste apart from sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
UMAMI come from glutamate rich food.
In Chinese , called XIAN WEI.
In English , called broth like or meaty
Found in :
- Fish source of Southeast Asia
- Oyster sauce of China
- Bouillon of Europe
- Dashi of Japan

The good of AJINOMOTO

Enhance the flavour of food
Stimulates appetile and promote
adequate dietary intake of children
and elderly
Lower the risk of high blood pressure
and other health problems by
reducing up to 30 % of salt /sodium
intake.

QUESTION 2
Does Ajinomoto concern
about their corporate
social responsibility ??!!

YES!

Corporate social
responsibility

Ajinomoto International
Cooperation Network for
Nutrition & Health (AIN)
Program

Project for Community Empowerment on

Nutrition and Maternal and Child Health ( Peru)

 The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia

Multisectoral & Integrated Development
Services (AMDA-MINDS), an
international NGO, is carrying out a
project in the district that aims to improve
the nutrition and health of about 2,000
mothers and children. The Ajinomoto Group
provided support to the project for three
years during its first stage from 2006.
The workshop provided training for 32
health volunteers who have given
nutritional guidance to about 2,000
mothers and children from impoverished
areas of the country.

Food Education through School Lunches and

Organic Vegetable Gardens ( Philippines )

 This project provides school lunches to

malnourished children at a local school,
and holds lessons on nutrition to teach
students how to properly choose food in
consideration of personal health. The
school, which has 2,200 students, has a
high rate of malnourishment mainly
due to the consumption of frugal meals
that lack the required nutritional balance.
Many of the students attending the school
come from low-income neighborhoods
located near garbage dumps.
Total expenses : 2 million yen

Used clothing collection a visit to orphanage (2003)

In year 2003, Ajinomoto (Malaysia)

Berhad conducted a campaign
among our members to donate used
children's clothing and we visited an
orphanage at a later date whereby
we presented the donated clothing
along with lunch boxes and other
items

Book donation & Zoo tour for Primary school students

Based on the theme "Learning is Fun",

Ajinomoto donated books to
elementary school students for the
purpose to promote the pleasure of
reading to children and to enhance
their knowledge. At the same times,
Ajinomoto also bring them to zoo,
which allowed them to take a close
look at, touch, feel and learn about
animals.

Funds raising day

During the period of April to September 2007,
Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad has participated in the
fund raising activities in secondary schools
throughout Malaysia. Various activities have been
arranged such as cooking demonstration, games,
products selling and etc to raise funds for the
secondary school development projects. All the
money that collected from product selling during that
day was donated to the secondary school itself.

AND MORE MORE.

QUESTION 3
Issue that challenges
Ajinomoto and
The best ways for
management to solve the
issue ?

Issue that challenges Ajinomoto

Health issue
Competitor in the market.
Traditional thinking of the people.

Health issue
ON NEWSPAPER

BY
DR
STEVEN
CHOW

 Dr. Chow state that MSG

( Monosodium Glutamate ) is one of
the things that may cause hair fall,
which MSG is the main ingredient of
Ajinomoto .

How Ajinomoto handle

this ??!
Show up all the certificate from various
health and quality institution of Malaysia
to enhance the faith of the customer
from using the product of Ajinomoto
Allowing visitor to visit the factory and
offer talk or seminar to the visitors.

Competitor in the market

How Ajinomoto handle

this ??!

Doing promotion through various

channel.
( Advertising , TV channel , Radio ..and
so on)
Enhance the quality of the product and
invent more and more product to
maintain the position of the company as
the marker Leader.

Traditional thinking of the

people

House wife , old generation cooker , those

SIFU , thought that product of Ajinomoto is
a product of mining chemical substance
which lead them to reject Ajinomoto.
In the mind of them , a delicious food
demand long hours and lot of ingredient.
Which influence them to have a bad image
of Ajinomoto in their mind.

How Ajinomoto handle

this ??!
Giving talk or seminar to the young
generation.
Providing free cooking class every
once in a month .
Providing receipt to teach people
cooking by using Ajinomoto product.

Thank you
TOTAL 50
MARKS!!