The New Challenges I've Discovered at ABS

The reason I chose Aoyama Business School (ABS)

I chose ABS for three reasons. (1) The abundance of the curriculum: The primary reason I decided to enroll in ABS was because I realized that I could improve my career by studying under the extensive and diverse curriculum developed over its long history and ABS’s unique Aoyama Action Learning, which connects theory and practice. (2) The flexible course style: In addition to the close proximity and easy access to Shibuya and Omotesando, the pandemic allowed students to take classes in a hybrid format, such as through flexibly switching to online classes, making it easier to arrange classes with my work. (3) The recommendation from my family: My wife is a graduate of the FY2010 Full-Time Course (now known as the ‘Daytime Course’) and is familiar with the distinctive qualities of ABS from her own experience, and she recommended ABS to me, telling me that she thought the teachers and the curriculum would be a good match with me.

After actually entering the School, I found classmates with diverse goals and teachers who gave me generous support through fascinating classes, and this has become an asset in my life.

Studies at ABS

What you learn at ABS is mainly the ability to perceive business management from multiple perspectives and the practical side of growing a business. This can be learned from a variety of subjects including finance, marketing, and management strategy. As I found out after enrolling in the program, the specific learning experience here is that you acquire viewpoints that you would not have discovered if you were studying management on your own. You'll grow even more by attending lectures, drawing energy from the professors and instructors, integrating the theories you've learned with the experience you've gained, and discussing these theories with your classmates in the lectures. Here, you can get to know people from various industries, business owners, and people in management positions. ABS lectures also provide you with the opportunity to make connections with your classmates that you would not otherwise be able to make in your daily work.

In my case, even when I am studying at home, I sometimes talk with my wife about the differences between when she was in school and now. For example, my wife looks back on those days and shares what she learned during her MBA: "I remember the Kinokuniya case from my marketing class when I was in school." To which I reply, "In 2021, we learned about the Key Coffee and Coca Cola: I LOHAS cases. Today's lecture was also something new to me." When I share with my wife the lectures that she and I have in common and those aspects that have changed since she was in school, we both learn a lot (laughs).

Obviously, it is nice to be able to apply these academic and family experiences to my work, and I feel that if I can apply them to the work I will be doing in the future, I will then know that I have learned the most from my time here.

The challenges I would like to take on through my studies at ABS

As I described earlier, my purpose in enrolling in ABS was to advance my career. Recently, however, that has changed somewhat. In addition to learning applicable practical skills, I have also started to improve my academic skills by attending lectures on overseas case studies and the latest papers, and by being exposed to cutting-edge research on new frameworks and theories. Going forward, I will continue to devote myself to research based on what I have learned and continue to learn even more.

Moreover, since I enrolled in ABS, my wife and I have been entering business plan competitions both on and off campus. In the past year, we have achieved a number of successes, including the development of a real-life product for pregnant women, which was inspired by my wife's pregnancy. We intend to continue to develop our business management research, write papers, and make contributions to society by developing new business plans.

It was the support and understanding of my family and workplace, the generous guidance of the professors and instructors at ABS, and the friendly rivlary among my peers that expanded my potential in this way. I hope that my experience at ABS will be of some help to those who are considering furthering their MBA studies.