Student Life

Self-introduction

I am 38 years old and I am responsible for the international purchasing of marine products (prawns) for a frozen food company. I travel abroad on business 5 to 6 times a year for the purpose of negotiation and quality control. I am happy with my current position, since it was my dream to engage in international business.
Yet, strangely, the job is not directly related to my university major and so, when asked, I always have a hard time explaining how the two are connected. From my experience as a backpacker when I was a university student, I do not hold any qualms with overseas business trips, even to isolated area, and rather enjoy the moving around. Most countries I visit tend to have flexible rules and regulations, whereas Japan is quite the opposite, and I often think that we have so much to learn from these countries. In addition to the stimulation my brain gets from the MBA course work, I endeavor to exercise at the gym twice a week. The reason why I exercise is that I love to eat and drink. I want to continue enjoying these pleasures whilst keeping my health in order.

What motivated you to study for an MBA and to join the Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business?

Originally it was not my intention to study for an MBA. My lifelong target has been to have a good command of foreign languages. At this time of my life, I was thinking about studying English again and to master the language this time, I applied to the school, taking advantage of the unexpected encounter. I chose this program because all the second year courses are conducted in English. Although I knew the Japanese-language-only MBA would also provide rich and unparalleled learning opportunities, I felt the features of the second year on the MBA in Globalization were best for my objectives. I have been abroad frequently for business and pleasure, yet have had no experience of studying abroad. Therefore I was craving for the opportunity to study English intensely with other highly motivated students.

How do you spend an average week?

As a matter of course, I spend most of my time working, but I also make efforts to spare time for studying. When I am incredibly busy with work or on a long business trip, I inevitably tend to get behind schedule with viewing lectures. As a solution, I make both short- and long-term study plans to accommodate. When I first entered the school I was desperate to create lots of spare time for study, which did not work well on a long-term basis as I was asking too much of myself. There are times when I cannot find even a minute to study, but now I do not stress about it too much. The MBA program has such a flexible system that I can study anytime, anywhere.
Basically, after work I always access AirCampus. I view lectures and read comments from other students. A communication medium like AirCampus is totally new to me and sometimes I lose track of time. I am fully aware now that keeping my own pace is best and that the top priority is that I understand and digest what I learned. I think that in most cases students concentrate on their studies at weekends to catch up on viewing lectures. This is fine. To study little by little is important. I still go out drinking with my colleagues and go to the gym. I attach great importance to keeping my usual lifestyle, while doing my best to find time to study. One thing I have to remember is that I should also place importance on my family, whose lives have been affected since I entered the school.

What has proved useful to you so far?

With regards to the English language courses in the first year, it seems to me that the key to success is to study for a short time every day (though I often fail to do so). Since a long time ago I have been listening to English using my I-pod, but studying for the MBA made me aware that I also need to strengthen my reading and writing abilities. I realized that progress in English is very limited if you only practice English listening. Personally I would especially like to improve my writing, which I have not had much training in so far.
Apart from communicating on AirCampus, what I think is most important on the course are the daily updated news articles which cover almost every subject, from the economy to financial news and other world affairs. In addition to this, international news is available from overseas news agencies. Frequent exposure to so many sources will dramatically enhance your knowledge, and hone your information gathering skills.

What do you hope to gain from Year 2?

I would like to study actual cases on how companies have dealt with problems when they occur overseas, on organizational issues and to learn what the strengths of successful international companies are. I want to encounter the dynamic realities of business. In addition I would like to hear about the real experiences of Japanese business people who are working successfully overseas, with a view to having a better understanding of how the Japanese should cope in the age of globalization.

What are your career aspirations further to obtaining the MBA?

I haven't drawn a clear picture of my future career in my head yet, although I would like to work abroad in a multinational environment, to maximize the use of my MBA in globalization.

A message for future students considering the MBA in Globalization.

I think that in the period of your life during the 30s and 40s you are particularly occupied with work commitments. You also have your role to play in the family and thus it becomes difficult to find time for just yourself to do other things. However, if you let your days go by without making efforts, you will find yourself in your 50s having accomplished nothing right? I decided to enter the MBA program as I believe that handling a lot of things at once during the busiest time of my life would help me develop self-confidence and the ability to compete successfully in business.
I get the feeling that Japanese people do not place much importance on time management but I think it is a skill that will be significantly sought after in the future. Professor Ohmae writes many books, travels around Japan and the rest of the world for seminars, enjoys his free time with motorcycling and snowmobiling, whilst holding directorial positions with several companies and speaking about current affairs for 2 hours on weekends. Where on earth does he find the time and energy? As I gradually learned about his lifestyle since entering the school, the reality of time management and working effectively dawned on me. The other day, I attended Professor Saito's face-to-face seminar on "Problem Finding and Solving" which mentioned the "vertical lift on a growth curve". This means that by putting a tremendous amount of pressure on yourself, you have the chance to dramatically enhance your ability - you not only progress step by step but will jump vertically. This was a really thought-provoking lecture. When you are busy, you should try to incorporate more into your life and that itself provides value.
* Written during my business trip to Lampung Cambodia.