International Management Course (IMC) has participated in the “Global Business Project (GBP)” since 2008. GBP is a joint extra-curricular course offered by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) in which about 30 business schools in US have joined.
It is a consulting project course, where the MBA teams (5-7 students/team) are offered real business issues by client companies. Teams work virtually for seven weeks, gathering information/data, clarifying problems and investing in possible solutions. Then for two weeks on site, they conduct field surveys and present their findings/proposals to the clients.
IMC has participated in the GBP from its start in 2008. IMC students team up with MBAs in US and address issues of Japanese companies/organizations. So far, four diversified companies in Japan have sponsored the GBP, and students investigated problems and offered proposals to solve issues of each company. We received high evaluations from participating companies which noted “we got valuable knowledge we cannot gain from the Japanese mind-set” and “we learned new ways of thinking from MBAs with different cultures”.
GBP has also received a favorable reception from IMC students who can take the international standard MBA course with MBA students of US leading business schools, while experiencing hands-on consultation practice. In addition, it is a valuable learning opportunity for students to demonstrate coordination ability and leadership as intermediaries between overseas students and Japanese companies.
GBP has been certified as a formal credit by IMC since 2009.
| Year | Company | Theme |
| 2008 | SAP Japan World's largest business software company. |
Conduct a SWAT analysis and a 5-force analysis, and identify strategic options. Build Mid-term Management Strategies in Western Japan. |
| Yoida Local Shopping Street in Toyooka, Hyogo The largest leather bag manufacturing town in Japan. |
Build Strategies for Revitalization of Order-made Bag Manufacturers, looking for alternative business models, new product development, and new market opportunities. Consider the Bag Street Award. |
|
| 2009 | Kobe Institute of Urban Research Provides research and study for the city of Kobe urban planning and policies. |
Develop the Financial Business Model to conserve Historic Architectures in Kobe. |
| Gogyofuku Gourmet food company with 400 products, sold in 4000 stores throughout Japan. |
Develop a viable marketing strategy with a focus on supply chain management, product quality controls, and new product development. Develop brand strategies of Gogyofuku. |
|
| 2010 | Koki Shoko Wholesaler and retailer of Chinese food materials for restaurants. |
Create a long term plan, including possibility of global expansion and creating appropriate distribution strategy. Develop brand strategies of Weiper. |
| Potomak Gourmet chain of restaurants, bistros, cafes and stores, which offer a variety of cuisine in Kobe, Tokyo, and Osaka. |
Expand the core identity of the company through systematic analysis – defining the brand structure and direction of designs of the products, stores, packaging and its total image. |
Kick-off Meetings in USA: Teams met in Washington DC with MBA students, faculty advisors, language mentors, primary company representatives and country leaders, staying there 3 days and 2 nights. After the plenary meeting and various training, teams separately developed their own projectwork for their client companies.