MBA & Corporate Training

Forging Global Leaders

Dr. Christina Ahmadjian, ICS Dean

One popular option for mid-career professionals during an economic downturn is to go back to school. But following the post-Lehman shock and a severe cut-down in company structure, just how useful is a Masters in Business Administration?

According to Dr. Christina Ahmadjian, Dean of Hitotsubashi University’s Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, or ICS, demand for their MBA in International Business Strategy has remained constant through the crisis.

Hitotsubashi University, which was founded in 1875, started the first full-time, English-taught MBA in a Japanese national university with the launch of ICS in April 2000. Not long after, it was voted the No. 1 MBA program in Japan in terms of international orientation by the Nikkei Weekly in 2004. Indeed, the current student body is currently 25 percent Japanese, 53 percent Asian, 11 percent North American, 8 percent European and 3 percent from other parts of the world.

Dr. Ahmadjian said, “Hitotsubashi University decided to start a new graduate school that was much more global in nature and that focused on imparting practical knowledge and skills rather than training scholars.”
Commenting on her own recent appointment as Dean of ICS, which she joined in 2001 as Assistant Professor, Dr. Ahmadjian said, “Hitotsubashi is one of the oldest universities in Japan. To appoint a foreign woman as Dean in Japan is pretty unusual and says a lot about Hitotsubashi University’s open-mindedness.”

ICS counts amongst its international partners academic institutions such as the London Business School, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the HEC School of Management in Paris and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. ICS will be starting a One Asia Executive Program with Peking University and Seoul National University starting next March, where a total of 45 elite executives will have the chance to network and expand their horizons over the span of half a year.

Journal: Has the role of the MBA changed following the recent financial crisis?

Dr. Christina Ahmadjian: The image of an MBA has been about finance, marketing, strategy, accounting and such. What we’re seeing is more companies saying these are necessary but not enough. An MBA should hone leaders who can take the initiative and motivate people from very different backgrounds and countries. ICS provides that environment with a very diverse student body, and with our “Best of Two Worlds” philosophy. Our students learn about the Michael Porter-style of strategy but also read about Zen Buddhism in their curriculum. Japanese companies are fundamentally different from companies anywhere else in the world; they’re changing but they’re not going to be like American companies. There’s not just one system of management and I think business schools still tend to teach the U.S.-style of management or some variation on that. At ICS, students get courses about Japan, taught by faculty who are leading business gurus in Japan as well as globally renowned teachers, scholars, and practitioners. By virtue of its diverse student base, and study of management philosophies both Eastern and Western, ICS not only imparts the intellectual tools needed for business management but also helps students develop the necessary skills to be global leaders in the new economy.

Journal: How does ICS’ MBA program mold global leaders?

Dr. Christina Ahmadjian: We recently completed a survey of our alumni and asked how their education at ICS benefitted them. One of our Japanese graduates was sent to India to manage a department of 50 opinionated and vocal staff. He said, “Everyone has a different opinion and is not afraid to speak up—just like at ICS!” He said he wouldn’t have had the skills or confidence to manage a department in India if not for his ICS education. Another student is opening a branch of a Chinese bank in Europe, and several of our alumni are top advisors to their governments. And of course, many of our graduates are in key positions in both Japanese and foreign companies in Japan, building bridges between their firms and the rest of the world.

Journal: How can MBA graduates contribute towards rebuilding global business in the aftermath of the financial crisis?

Dr. Christina Ahmadjian: Top MBA programs used to be feeders for the financial services industry, with top graduates joining investment banks, but the number of job openings in finance have dropped dramatically since the crisis. We see demand for MBAs in manufacturing and other service industries. What we’d like to see, moving forward, is more of our MBA graduates trying their hands at being entrepreneurs, and also going into social ventures that make profits while addressing important social issues.

Journal: How does ICS see itself meeting the needs of the new economy?

Dr. Christina Ahmadjian: We are currently in the process of building an alliance with Peking University and Seoul National University that will include a senior executive program, joint faculty research and an MBA exchange program. One of our beliefs is that the future of Japan lies in the strength of its networks with other Asian economies. Our mission is to create a truly global model of business education, from Japan, linked to Asia, and networked to the entire world.

Find out more about the Hitotsubashi ICS MBA at:
Fax: +81-3-4212-3006
Email: ics-info@ics.hit-u.ac.jp
Web: www.ics.hit-u.ac.jp