Department of Business Administration

Business Administration

• Content and Characteristics
• Four-Year Program Flow
• Educational Objectives and Human Resource Development Objectives

Content and Characteristics

Building Bridges Between Theory and Practical Business

Department of Business Administration has many full-time faculty members who gained practical experience as certified public accountants, at financial institutions, with manufacturers, and other such businesses, then went on to acquire doctoral degrees. They teach practical courses. Also a distinctive feature of our curriculum is lectures on tax law that are closely related to tax accountancy work, and lectures from practical business perspectives offered with the cooperation of major securities firms and audit corporations. Lecture series to assist in acquisition of financial planner or bookkeeping certification can also be taken starting in the first year.

Discussion Courses Held in Small Groups

Workshops held in small groups for practice in report writing, group discussion, and presentations are in principle taken by all students immediately on entering the university. The three introductory courses taken in the first year and the six core courses taken in the second year are conducted in two classes so that each class has one-half the number of students. This encourages dialogue with the instructors and active group discussions. In seminars, students hone their ability to identify and analyze problems and to express themselves through study in specialized fields.

Business Administration, Commerce, and Accounting

In the business administration field, students take theoretical approaches to learning about the management strategies that support businesses as they internationalize and evolve day by day, and about the desirable forms of organizations. They learn about management history, about management information that follows advances in information telecommunications technology, about corporate social responsibility, and about other such matters, in a pragmatic manner. In the commerce field, research in marketing examines how products and services meet customer needs, and how markets are created. Studies also include consumer behavior and branding, which are applications of those matters, and theories of finance and securities, which are involved in corporate fund-raising. In the accounting field, studies cover financial accounting that publicly releases corporate accounting information to investors and others outside the corporation, as well as management accounting that is used for in-house decision-making. Studies also include the organization of accounting systems and methods for evaluating corporate value.

Four-Year Program Flow

First year: Introductory courses are taken in small groups

This is the stage of approach to specialized learning. Students take a cluster of introductory courses in business administration, marketing, and accounting, and acquire a foundation in economics and business law. Workshops that accustom students to discussion and presentations, data processing theory courses for mastering spreadsheet software, and business English taught by native speakers are courses taken in small groups. Lecture series to assist in acquisition of bookkeeping or other certification can also be taken starting in the first year.

Second year: Learn the key subjects of business administration, commerce, and accounting

Study is focused primarily on a cluster of core courses such as principles of business administration, theory of management organization, marketing, and financial accounting theory, which are key subjects for specialized study. In order to keep class sizes smaller and make these courses more participatory, multiple sections of the same course are offered. This enables active dialogue with instructors and group discussion. In the second (autumn) semester, students will be invited to join seminars, and internships (and lectures) oriented toward job-seeking will begin.

Third and fourth years: Join seminar groups and pursue deeper study of major field

In addition to seminars in specialized fields held in groups of about 10 students and an instructor for intensive study and completion of graduation theses, there is also study in highly specialized applied subject clusters, such as management theory and consumer behavior. During the summer of the third year, internships and workshops in Japan and other countries will be available. Making effective use of the systematic knowledge, ability to identify and analyze problems, and expressive skills they have built up, many students finalize their post-graduation career path early in their fourth year.