Field Study Course of MBA at Hitotsubashi University
ICS , Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy
[Spring Break] Field Study (2009/Term 3&4 (Spring&Summer))
The objectives of the course are to give students practical experience (a) solving a real-life strategic problem facing a company, (b) acting like consultants in identifying the underlying problem, conducting analyses, and developing options, and (c) making recommendations to the top management team of the company.
Each year, a number of companies each submit a real-life strategic problem that they would like a team of students to work on and resolve. The faculty will interface with the companies, narrow down the number of proposals, and determine the most appropriate projects for that year.
Sponsoring companies will allow the student team full access to internal data, as well as arrange the necessary interviews with relevant internal and external resources. They will also pick up all out-of-pocket expenses associated with the project (e.g., travel and accommodation expenses, telecommunication expenses, etc.).
A faculty member will be assigned to each student team. He or she will serve as the advisor/coordinator, as well as the sounding board for the project, but will not be expected to add much intellectual content or value. The project will be initiated, managed, and implemented by the students in a self-organizing manner. Self-governance will be the mode of operation.
Students earn four credits for participating in an intensive four-week course, which will take place during the spring break. The course will require a full-time commitment from the students who decide to take it.
Course Structure
During Term 1 (Fall) or early Term 2 (Winter), students will be presented with the projects for that year. By the end of January, they will be asked to submit their No. 1 and No. 2 choices among the projects. Students will be assigned to different projects by the faculty based on (a) their preferences, and (b) the maximum number of students allowed per project. Thus, it is possible that a student may not be assigned to his or her No. 1 choice. The assignment notice will be posted by the end of January.
The duration of the course is from March 3 through March 28. Students are expected to be at the premises of the sponsoring company for most of the time on weekdays. If the sponsoring company is located quite a distance away from Tokyo, students may also have to spend the weekends at the location of the sponsoring company.
On March 3 (Monday), project teams will meet with representatives of their respective sponsoring companies and determine (a) the exact nature of the problem, (b) the scope of the project, (c) the expected output, and (d) the overall schedule. Each project team should also (a) select a team leader, (b) identify the key issues and required analyses, (c) assign specific tasks to different team members, and (d) draft a flow chart that combines both the list of activities that need to be accomplished and the timing/date by which they should be completed.
Each team will present its recommendations to the top management of the sponsoring company during the final week. The final presentation, however, should not be a one-way communication process. Each team should ascertain the receptivity of top management to the suggested plans of action and the chances of having them actually implemented.
Teaching Method
This course will be based entirely on field research. However, some library research as well as on-line research may be necessary to acquire background information about the industry, the company, the problem at hand, competition, etc., especially at the front-end. Each team is expected to manage the research process on its own, acting like a consultant team to the sponsoring company, which should be treated as the “client.”