In this edition of Byline ICS, Coco, a 2-year student in Hitotsubashi ICS's MBA Program, talks about her experience of being an "ICSer" (ICS student), busy MBA student and mother - all while living in a different continent for over a year - as well as her time in US on exchange at one of the country's most prestigious business schools, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business with her family.

On January 26, 2021, a webinar titled “DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY: RISK, UNCERTAINTY, AND STRATEGY IN THE NEW NORMAL” was hosted by Hitotsubashi ICS and The Berkeley Research Group.

Dean Kaz facilitated the 90-minute webinar, where three prominent professors gave presentations followed by a Q&A session.

Norio Imai, a DBA student of Hitotsubashi ICS shared the event report with us. 

In March 2021, we were honored to renew or partnership for the BEST Alliance (Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo), uniting Hitotsubashi ICS with two Top Business Schools, Guanghua School of Management at Peking University (PKU) and Graduate School of Business at Seoul National University (SNU).

One of the most attractive features of Hitotsubashi ICS is the double-degree program, which is an option for students in the two-year program.

In this edition of our faculty interview series, the marketing team sat down with Associate Professor Satoko Suzuki. Her research interests lie in business and culture. She has been invited to various academic conferences to present her research, and has been actively providing advice to central and local governments for marketing and globalization. At the Hitotsubashi ICS MBA program, she teaches Marketing, Design Thinking, and leads the Global Network Week program.

Ambitious individuals who take the time and effort to earn their Master of Business Administration (MBA) are well aware of the many potential advantages of the qualification, which can include career advancement, higher earnings, and more. Research has revealed that networking is also key to career advancement. In fact, many mid-career professionals with MBA backgrounds credit networking with creating more professional opportunities. With this in mind, when selecting an MBA program, it’s wise to pick an establishment reputed for its networking opportunities. An international MBA program becomes an especially ideal avenue for generating a network on a global scale.  

The Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM) Schools will be offering thirty-three Global Network courses in the coming term, a significant increase from the usual four to eight such courses typically offered. Students interested in such courses have responded enthusiastically to the increase in topic offerings, with hundreds of first-round applications streaming in. 

Doing Business in Asia, (DBiA) is a three-week program combining three cities and their unique features into one curriculum. In Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo ten students from each Business School, PKU, SNU and ICS take classes, visit companies, and experience culture while fostering relationships among each other.

The results of the Rising Leaders on the Sustainable Development Goals Report reveal regional, gender differences in assessing global priorities.

Deciding where to do an MBA involves a large number of variables, like any other life-changing decision. If you are on the fence, trying to weigh the financial investment required and the opportunity cost versus the benefits of each program, consider these six reasons to join Hitotsubashi ICS, the best MBA in Japan (#1 MBA program - 2022 QS Rankings).

I would like to share some slightly different perspectives; some of which are becoming ever more common amongst business minds and others that I believe need to be rapidly adopted by future business leaders, both in Japan and globally. While I hold no delusions that my career path is singularly unique; my background, my experiences, and my journey remain intrinsically tied to me and give me a unique view that I would like to share. I began my career as an investment banker on Wall Street but left it behind for an opportunity to work in development in Sub-Saharan Africa and subsequently in the U.S. Following which, I joined Yale School of Management as an MBA student and most recently Hitotsubashi ICS as an exchange student. During my time in Japan both as an ICS student and as a Tokyo resident, I’ve been able to add another perspective by contrasting the challenges of a stagnating Japan with the opportunities of a rising Sub-Saharan Africa. However, I know that my world view and my form of development is still incomplete. After completing my MBA, I will continue to build my social enterprise and begin my master’s degree in public policy.

I think there is a misconception that development is somehow concessionary work or a sacrifice, but nothing could be further than the truth. I left Wall Street and strove to work in this field because its ambitions far exceed the corporate goals of profit and growth for stakeholders. Development aims to solve global challenges, build nations, raise humanity to our best levels, and ultimately bring us closer together. I feel grateful every single day that I’ve been given the opportunity to break free from corporate shackles and move on to a larger stage. My journey began the day I walked into my managing director’s office at Barclays and formalized my resignation. After leaving New York City, I packed my bags and moved across the world to Namibia to be a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

This month, for the second consecutive year, Hitotsubashi ICS welcomed Professor Raúl Montalvo from EGADE Business School for a short faculty exchange during Term 3 of the full-time MBA program. Professor Montalvo will teach Global Business, in which students learn strategic decision making by analyzing the implications and interdependence among the business context, business model, and business expansion and operation strategies. We sat down with Professor Montalvo to talk about the future of the MBA.