Voices
- Dominik Luczak
- London Business School, MBA Class of 2012
As I was working already for 1.5 years in Japan as a consultant prior to my MBA in London, I decided to participate in the KBS International program to get deeper insights into Japanese culture, the current business environment and meeting people from various backgrounds as an exchange student. Keio University with its high reputation among Japanese employers and convenient location in Tokyo was my first choice.
My Japanese classmates were very welcoming and interested in sharing their perspectives. I will never forget the controversial discussions we had about Asian and Western differences in management, firm organization and corporate governance. The English speaking lectures included various group work projects, presentations, speeches by industry executives and a field trip to a Japanese manufacturing plant in Kanagawa.
I am glad I had the chance to experience Japan as a student and left KBS after three months of great fun with a much deeper understanding of Japan, its culture, people and business environment, and hope to be back in Tokyo soon in my future career.
- Ping-Wen Chen
- UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA Class of 2012
Exchanging to Japan has always been one of my objectives for MBA education. The Japanese business environment is peculiar in so many aspects that make it a black box to foreigners. In my opinion, getting inside is the only way to understand this giant and its role in the global economy. I chose KBS because it is the most prestigious Japanese business school that offers courses both in Japanese and English.
The two types of courses turned out to be a good contrast and a wonderful learning experience. The Japanese curriculum gave me profound insights into Japanese corporate culture from experienced professors and students who worked in top tier Japanese companies. On the other hand, courses in English are usually small and intimate, with students from all walks of life around the world.
By the end of the three months, I’ve improved my language skills and understanding of Japanese market and culture. Moreover, I now have friends in Japan whom I will come back for in the near future.
- Andre M. Kimura
- Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Class of 2011
My name is Andre Mitsuo Kimura and I am a second year MBA student at Kellogg School of Management, with intended majors in Finance and Marketing.
Studying and living in Japan has been an amazing experience. My father emigrated from Japan to Brazil more than 35 years ago. My mother is a second generation Japanese-Brazilian. However, it wasn’t until last year that I could finally get in touch with my heritage. After visiting Japan for the first time during a Kellogg trip, I have decided that it was worth spending some more time in Japan, learning more about the Japanese way of life and business practices. Thanks to the classes I am taking at KBS, I am learning a broad spectrum of issues surrounding Japanese businesses. For instance, at Prof. Asakawa’s Multinational Organizations and Strategy, we have been studying cases of both Japanese companies and foreign companies conducting business in Japan. In all, the exchange program at KBS is very well organized, with a good mix of IP students and KBS students. Also, KBS fosters a culture of collaboration and unity. I was particularly impressed by the way KBS students received us through the many events organized.
Besides taking classes at KBS, I have been also taking Japanese language classes, improving my language skills. Moreover, I also had the chance to visit my sister and niece, who have been living in Japan for the last eight years. All my experiences in Japan will definitely help me in the future.
- Julien Farhi
- ESSEC, MBA Program
During my internship in Tokyo a few years ago, I was amazed by the country and its culture. I knew I would come back one day to get further experience and learn more about Japanese business style. Of course, Keio Business School came as a natural choice.
Choosing KBS was a way to understand Japan business environment from the inside. This exchange program gave me the keys to decode Japanese way of thinking and overcome the obstacles you may encounter as a foreigner. To my mind, it is necessary for any people wanting to do business in relation with Japanese.
What I learned as a student at KBS helped me understand what I lived every day as an employee in Japan.
- MI Lan
- Reims Management School, France
From the moment that I managed to choose Keio Business School as the destination for exchange, I’ve been looking forward to the program. Not only because of my personal interest in Japanese culture and my curiosity about every aspect of Japanese life, but also the fact that KBS is one of the most reputable universities in Japan.
After the wonderful three months in Keio Business School, I am more satisfied than I ever expected. All the erudite professors and guest speakers’ presentations, the group work with Japanese students, the fruitful visits to the plants, as well as the kindness of KBS students and the great atmosphere of the school have impressed me a lot.
The time in Tokyo has been a great part of my life, I think nobody will regret to do it if he or she wants to experience a real Japan.
- Tsubasa Tanaka
- The University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA, Class of 2009
I had an amazing quarter in Japan. I chose the country for mostly personal reasons: I was born in Japan and am still a citizen, yet I’ve spent most of my life in the U.S. I felt that a quarter at Keio Business School was the perfect opportunity to accomplish what I had been wanting for a while: to regain my understanding of a culture and language with which I felt I’d lost touch.
Keio Business School did a nice job of tailoring the English curriculum for the International Program (IP) students. I was thrilled that all of my classes had groups that were a mix of IP and Japanese students. In my four classes, we had the opportunity to present our final projects to Japanese companies, as well as visit several other companies’ production facilities. I think that this exposure to real firms is a definite strength of KBS; I saw first-hand how business presentations in Japan are conducted and how manufacturing plants are run.
Overall, I came out of KBS with a newfound confidence in my language skills, a better understanding of Japanese culture and the business environment, and new friends!