In order to make an indelible impact on society, it is necessary to be at the right place to influence one’s desired changes. Being in the right place positions you to do the right thing… and doing the right thing equals positively impacting society. Being able to be in the right place is essential for succeeding in the international business world. What, then, determines how well and how far can you possibly go in achieving this skill? The answer is short and simple!  International MBA experience! (more…)

It’s been 6 months since I entered Globis University’s international MBA program and one of the things that has really become interesting to me personally since then are the case studies classes.

How we take academic work and then apply it to real world examples of international businesses.  We look at challenges, opportunities and how the people inside those companies have made a difference. Classes like this almost demand that the student be proactive and take the initiative, after all, one day they might be doing something similar in a real-world company and their decision could effect profits, employees and relationships.  After many types of class at Globis University, I have found these ones to be amongst the best.

Business classes (and case studies) teach something else too.  I am an accountant, so have basic knowledge about financial matters, cash flow, record keeping etc. Something I never experienced before however are areas such as HR or Marketing.

Off course this is something that anyone can learn by themselves.  Any number of book stores, even in Japan, have a huge selection of English language books on just such a subject and all you have to do it drop in and choose the one that interests you.  However, the Globis University course gives you something that you can’t get from reading one of these books. It gives you a great environment for applying and taking your learning out side which makes you more confident in the area as a result.

In class teams, when we talk through a TTO study session, we learn some of the frameworks of Marketing and Strategy. By the end I and I’m pretty sure most of the students in the class have a great understanding of it.  We plan to share the experience we have had on the internet, as you never know, what new opportunities and information it might lead to.

M.Ohashi

6:00 A.M: Alarm clock blares. I tell myself “Hey, wake up – Seize the day! Enjoy your MBA student life!” I Get out of bed leaving my wife and a brand-new baby still sleeping. Just enough time to wash down some bread with milk and then on to catch the bus.

7:00 A.M: On the train I skim the headlines in the Nikkei Newspaper before going into the Corporate Finance section more carefully and associating case-studies from yesterday’s class with some of the articles. (more…)

This past week has consisted of hours in front of the computer and cyberspace surfing, all in the name of market research. I have been trying to make an accurate depiction of what the music scene in Tokyo looks like, who the major players are, what its weaknesses are and how I can exploit them and so forth. I was yet again blown away by the sheer size of Tokyo and the amount of buzz it generates. The number of players and potential partners or clients is mindboggling! I then realized the greater challenge that lay ahead of me. At first I thought it would be difficult to locate and get in contact with distributors and record labels. Alas that was not so much a problem as just rather time consuming, hence the reason for my marriage to my computer. No, the greater problem is in fact being heard and getting people’s attention. How can I make myself heard in an orgy of communication, a hurricane of business trans-actions? I need to come down with a sledgehammer; I need to shine brighter than the sun in order to make an impact. I need a platform.

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There are several advantages of being a foreigner in Japan when attempting to start your own creative business. It grants you special privileges and allows otherwise unbreakable rules to be bent a little bit. A classmate of mine was successful in achieving a meeting with a large electronics firm and able to pitch their idea solely due to the fact that they were “gaijin”.

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Starting an event or business idea can without much discussion be considered a challenge in itself; if you then decide to undertake this challenge in Tokyo you will find yourself facing a very tough challenge. The obvious barriers are language and culture, but you also have the infamous Japanese bureaucracy, strong business mentality and immense competition. (more…)

One of the hardest things about starting a project is exactly that, starting it. I have been wanting to start a specific project for almost 8 years and every time I try to get the ball rolling I run into a thousand mental road-blocks: the timing isn’t right, the idea behind it all needs to be thought through one more time, I have to grab “just one drink” with my friend Mike which ends being quite a few; resulting in a hang-over the following day and yet another excuse to postpone the launch of my business idea.
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photo credit: OiMax

Recently, a real VP of Finance of a big, international company in Kansai told me that things are pretty serious right now for Japan’s economy, especially in the Kansai area. His company, Company X we will call it, was consistently bringing in a profit of 16 million dollars a month in previous years. The company’s revenue each month has been 36 million and taking away fixed costs of 20 million, they have been making a profit of 16 million, in other words, an 80% profit each month.

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photo credit: pokpok313

It has been a while since I was in front of a bank asking for money, but, last week I hit the road again and had a chat with one of the big bank holding companies regarding lending to small and medium sized enterprises. (SMEs).

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