Joint International Workshop of Four Business Schools

In September, students from the Executive MBA program at Tampere University, a comprehensive national university in Finland, visited Japan. Seizing this opportunity, three Tokyo-based business schools—Waseda Business School, Hosei Business School, and Aoyama Business School—teamed up with Tampere University to host a joint workshop on global business at Waseda University on September 17. We were honored to welcome Mr. Paul Mori from Intralink KK as the facilitator.

Nearly 70 participants took part in the workshop. From ABS, both current students and alumni joined, making up the largest delegation among the four schools. Professor Kenneth Pechter of Hosei Business School served as the master of ceremonies, Professor Tomoko Kawakami of Waseda Business School arranged the venue, and Professor Hiroshi Osawa—who also teaches at ABS—coordinated the overall program. Associate Professor Yuta Hirose also represented ABS. Although unable to attend on the day, Professor Takanori Genba, Dean of Hosei Business School, contributed greatly during the preparation phase.

Networking among participants was already in full swing right after the doors opened. The workshop officially began with opening remarks by Professor Takamichi Hosoda, Dean of ABS. Following introductions of each school’s program—including ABS, which was presented by Ms. Si, a second-year Evening Program student—Mr. Mori took the stage. His lecture began with general knowledge and case studies on global business and gradually shifted toward issues related to international business with Japan.

After the lecture, participants engaged in group discussions in mixed teams that included Tampere EMBA students. These discussions focused on potential opportunities and barriers when entering different national markets, framed around concrete business scenarios. The debates were highly engaging, to the point that the session extended beyond the scheduled end time.

ABS will continue to collaborate with Tampere University and other Tokyo-based business schools to provide both current students and alumni with opportunities for international exchange.