YOSHITAKA KAI Dean, Institute of Business and Accounting

The economical growth of the emerging countries has been remarkable while the developed countries are experiencing decline. The world demands that the market, and not just the production base, extend worldwide and is managed with a global perspective. There is also an emphasis on the movement towards convergence of International Accounting Standards and execution of Economic Partnership Agreement like TPP. Meanwhile, as we look to our own country, there is a society that has completely lost its confidence from the 20 years of stagnation since the collapse of the bubble economy. There has been a continuous effort to break down this sense of stagnation with new social and business models, but we have yet to find a way out. Can we expect a miracle, such as the likes of the Meiji Restoration and postwar reconstruction? Much like its predecessors, the solution is found in the development and use of human resource. The period of change is also a period of developmental opportunity. On one hand, the employment condition is unimproved, and on the other hand, the society and corporations lack the human resource to maximize this developmental opportunity to pursue business and organizational reform.

The institute was established in 2005 when the need for management professionals was increasing. The institute consists of a management strategy major (business school) and an accounting career major (accounting school). The business school offers a corporate management strategy course for working adults and an international business course taught in English. The accounting school offers a corporate accounting course for certified public accountants and other accounting specialists and a municipal accounting course that teaches public accounting and public administration. Utilizing these diverse and synergistic effects of the courses, the institute aims to develop managers who possess global perspectives and the skills of management and accounting specialists. The institute also created a doctoral program in leading management in 2008. Here, the institute aims to develop the first ever researchers who target leading areas of business in their research and development program. Many leading researchers are expected to emerge from this program and carve out a path to a new era.

General management techniques cannot be learned as an extension of the work from each department. The managers are required to discover and address issues unseen by other departments and business personnel. For instance, this refers to the ability to “see the entire picture without being bound by the details” or “detect prisoner’s dilemma and fallacy of composition between organizations.” 2010 was the first year of 3-D. The movies and television clearly display the difference between 2-D and 3-D. The three dimensions of management refer to technique, market, and asset. In addition to the knowledge of each, by combining the knowledge and acquiring a method to capture the management environment sterically, we will be able to select an appropriate strategy. This methodology cannot be learned on the job or through years of experience. Because there are complex and multiple elements for decision-making, it must be learned separately and systematically as a management technique. The institute integrates business, accounting, and international courses, and with abundance of teachers and curriculums, the students can cross-register for classes. The courses are not only designed to give in-depth learning for specified areas, but efforts are made throughout the program to meet the students’ needs to provide a comprehensive education. The program intends to create a system of developing specialists who understand the overall management and generalists who possess special expertise, or in other words, develop T-type / π-type personality, a person with expertise in one or two specific fields in addition to general management. We invite you to obtain 3-D glasses and discover a brand new world.

Kwansei Gakuin University’s philosophy is “Mastery for Service” and the institute requires courses in corporate ethics and accounting ethics. This is because corporations have social presence and people can contribute to society through a corporation. However, for this to happen, it is important to always be aware that corporations and society are connected. The classes will emphasize the corporate perspective on their contributions to regional and international societies.
Furthermore, the teamwork between all the personnel plays a large role in the success and failure of management. Because the basics of improving teamwork are linked to an individual’s ability to initiate and receive communication, many of the courses include presentations and group exercises. The students will be able to obtain tips on how to achieve closer cooperation by overcoming differences, such as profession, age, and job position.
The balance between theory and practice is important at a professional graduate school where social application of your knowledge is expected. For this to happen, many teachers with much experience from being in the forefront of management and auditing will teach the classes. Please visualize a business setting and learn the case histories, specialized theories, and analysis tools to dramatically enhance your knowledge.

Majority of the graduated students tell us that it was difficult attending classes while holding a full time job, but they were able to get significant results from the program. Some even say that it has changed their philosophy of life. Graduation ceremony is always filled with a sense of accomplishment and hope for the future. However, today, the world is in tumult and it is a fact that people are easily left behind if they do not continue to learn after graduating. The institute’s motto is “continued support”. We have created an organization called the Research Forum with an auditing system that allows people to continue their research or study after graduation. This organization is a type of alumni association, which can be used as a place of interaction between the graduated students, current students, and the teachers. These reunions are held at annual Christmas parties and beer parties where fun conversations abound and attendees make eternal friends.