Reasons for choosing EMBA at KBS

I met a lot of technical but strongly business-minded people in Silicon Valley, where I worked for two years from 2017. As a technology person, I became keenly aware of the need for business skills in various aspects of my work, and so I enrolled in KBS. I also wanted to expand my network with people from diverse backgrounds who gather at EMBA. In fact, even within our cohort, we had members with different backgrounds from each field, and this led to fulfilling classes, engaging group discussions, and strong relationships outside class.

From online to face-to-face

Almost all the first-year classes were offered online, and I only met my friends online. Two overseas fieldworks, and lectures by prominent international professors and leaders of Japanese companies were also delivered online. Nevertheless, I did succeed in learning a lot that year. In-person classes began in the second year, and I went to Hiyoshi as much as possible to rediscover the opportunity to meet professors and colleagues in person. For domestic fieldwork, I was able to actually visit Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, which reaffirmed for me the value of being able to talk directly with my peers. The proposals for regional revitalization made by our team were well received, and we are still working on them after graduation.

International Exchange Program as a great learning opportunity

Because one of my motivations for admission was my experiences in the United States, the exchange program in the second semester of the second year was an additional attraction. Wharton School was my first choice because it gathered top-class thought leaders and provided a curriculum that enhances innovation. In addition, I organized a system to run my company project remotely, even though I was not in the office for four months, and I gained the understanding and cooperation of the people concerned. In the midst of the COVID situation, I was lucky enough to travel to the United States, where I was surrounded by full-time MBA students who were nearly 20 years younger than me, but it was an exciting experience full of encounters and learning. It took courage to speak out in classes and group work, but both professors and friends were always willing to listen. In the innovation class, we made a business plan based on our ideas, gave a pitch presentation, and actually created a web page to conduct market research. In the strategy theory class, my team worked on a strategic analysis of an airline; I suggested that we interview one of the executives online, and I contacted him and talked to him. By interacting with people in various business settings, I was able to absorb many approaches that can be used immediately at work. I also made friends with my classmates, including exchange students, and tried to participate as much as possible in social opportunities. In addition to eating and going out together, I also served okonomiyaki at my home to some of my friends. Many of them are of the generation who are about to begin their career; they had a great influence on me because they gave me the driving force to face new challenges in a very natural way.

Make an independent study into a paper

While studying abroad, I wanted to delve into a certain theme, so having asked Prof. Prasanna Tambe, who specializes in IT and labor, for guidance, I studied the impact of virtual reality (VR) -- which has been my lifework since university -- on various occupations. During the writing, I received advice from Prof. Greg Welch at the University of Central Florida, who is an authority on VR and a member of the VR subcommittee of the World Economic Forum. Since he asked me if he could possibly cite the completed research, we worked on making the research into a paper. "How Will VR and AR Impact Occupations?", co-authored with Prof. Tambe, can be viewed on the social science research database SSRN (http://ssrn.com/abstract=4022827) and has been downloaded by many people. During my stay in the United States, I visited Wichita, Kansas, a sanctuary for airplane lovers like me, and a friend of mine at Cessna told me about the use of VR at the airplane manufacturing site. Using this content, I completed my individual research at KBS as a sequel to the above research.

What I gained through learning EMBA

My two years in the EMBA course have given me new tools that I can utilize as a professional. Currently, I am taking on the unprecedented challenge of leading a corporate project by simultaneously conducting technology and business development while formulating a technology strategy at the company. Creating technology and business at the same time is a skill that I will continue to need in every situation. By studying at EMBA, I not only gained new perspectives and various means of implementation, but also met and worked hard alongside highly motivated colleagues with great goals and deep insights. During my four months in the US, through meeting various people I was able to truly understand their thoughts and background, and this provided me with the sustenance to open up a new future combining both technology and business. I would like to thank all those who supported my learning at EMBA, including the school in providing a place for learning, the friends with whom I worked so hard, the company members who supported me, and of course my family, who always encouraged me.

* Activities at the university and this article are personal and do not represent the views of his current company.

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