Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results forProfessional Graduate Business School

The Master of Business Administration in Globalization, the Kenichi
Ohmae Graduate School of Business
Basic Information of the Graduate School
Name of Institution: Business Breakthrough University
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of Review: 2012
Accreditation Status: Not Accredited

Related Links
Course Information:
http://www.ohmae.ac.jp/
Full Text of the Accreditation Results (in Japanese):
http://www.juaa.or.jp/accreditation/management/result_2012_opposition.html
Accreditation Standards, Process and other related information (in English):http://www.juaa.or.jp/en/accreditation/business_school.html

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the Master of Business Administration in Globalization,
the Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business

The Master of Business Administration in Globalization (hereafter referred to asMBAG) at the Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business (hereafter KOGSB) stands
based on its educational mission (founding spirit) of “contributing to the world society
by cultivating persons who have an intellectually creative basis with the international
perspectives and frontier spirits to be forerunning leaders,” and has the purpose offostering “global leaders capable of managing their tasks and producing results in theoverseas (English-speaking) environment.” The orientation of its mission and purpose is,as the JUAA views it, appropriate, since it matches the current situation in which
Japanese corporations face the daunting, immediate need to nurture “global personnel”
who can actively conduct business abroad with a good command of English. Such aneed is expected to be even more pressing in the future. The JUAA also appreciates theR , a unique distance-learning education,
significance of the MBAG offering AirCampus○
to those adult students who do not have enough time to commute.
However, the JUAA must point out that the MBAG has major flaws in its
faculty organization and its implementation of self-study.
Let us explain first the JUAA’s “Professional Graduate Business SchoolStandards,” which serve as the basis for assessment in the certified evaluation andaccreditation system of professional graduate schools. The introduction of the Standards
states: “The Professional Graduate Business School Standards have been formulated not
only to define the essential conditions for professional graduate schools required bysuch statutory standards as the Standards for Establishing Professional Graduate
Schools, but also to contribute to the further enrichment and development ofprofessional graduate business schools, while respecting their diversity and originality.”Thus the JUAA does not assess statutory compliance alone in its evaluation andaccreditation process in order to judge whether or not a professional graduate businessschool meets the Standards.
With the above stated premise of the JUAA’s Standards, we point out twomajor flaws in the MBAG—namely, those concerning the organization of the faculty
body and the development of a system to support and enhance the faculty’s research,and the self-study component related to these matters.
Concerning the first major flaw, we the JUAA point out two intrinsic problems that exist
in the MBAG’s faculty organization. The first problem is that, practically speaking, theMBAG does not have full-time faculty members. The MBAG defines “full-time”(sen’nin) faculty as those “not working as full-time faculty at other educational
institutions.” This definition in itself complies with statutory requirements. However,through our document analysis and site visits during this evaluation and accreditation
process, we have found the following three problematic issues concerning “full-time”
faculty members of the MBAG.
1) Many “full-time” faculty members only teach a class of one credit per year, which
does not meet the minimum six-credit-per-year teaching requirement to beconsidered a “deemed full-time” (minashi sen’nin) faculty member.
2) The KOGSB employs MBAG “full-time” faculty members not as regular employees,

2but as adjuncts, non-regular employees with a fixed-term contract.
3) Many “full-time” faculty members have very limited responsibility in themanagement of KOGSB, aside from participating in faculty meetings.
These facts bring to light that all MBAG “full-time” faculty members arepractitioner-faculty members, who are still engaged in business activities such as
corporate management. As the JUAA understands, to allow these faculty members tocarry on their corporate responsibilities, the MBAG makes a class of one credit run for
approximately two months; and, as a result, the MBAG’s “full-time” faculty membersbear very limited responsibility for its administrative domain. Moreover, observing thissituation, we the JUAA asked the MBAG to provide evidence that there is systematicmanagement of its faculty members’ substantial commitment to education; however, theMBAG did not respond and did not submit any clear evidential materials. Thus, theJUAA cannot conclude that the MBAG employs systematic management concerning its“full-time” faculty’s commitment to education.
The JUAA recognizes distance education’s convenience and predominance infacilitating students’ learning without regard to time or place. It does not necessarily
take the view that the organization and systems required of distance education have tomeet the same standards as those offering education that requires attendance. However,as we understand, for the very reason that distance education is so convenient andpredominant, it is necessary to build a system which makes it possible to manage
appropriately the faculty’s educational commitment.
Considering the current situation, in our assessment at this time, we the JUAA
cannot conclude that the “full-time” faculty, as it is defined by the MBAG, is realfull-time faculty who participate in the management of the MBAG and whose members
engage in its education throughout the year.
The second intrinsic problem is that the MBAG has not developed a system toassist and enhance research that supports the MBAG’s theoretical content of education.
All the faculty members at the MBAG are practitioner-faculty (those who conductbusiness, while teaching a class), and the MBAG argues that their involvement in thepractice of running their businesses is considered “research.” However, since education
at professional graduate schools aims at bridging theory and practice, it is required that
the MBAG’s faculty conduct research to support theoretical content of its education. To
be sure, the JUAA would add, research here does not necessarily mean the kind ofresearch conducted at traditional graduate schools. However, there is a conceptual
difference between the “research” the JUAA asks for and that defined by the MBAG. Inaddition, the MBAG states that “full-time faculty members conduct research activities
voluntarily by submitting their proposals.” Regarding the individual research funds forfull-time faculty, it also states that the faculty members “apply for necessary
expenditure via the electronic approval system within the corporation, so that funds will
be provided according to the requests.” The JUAA concludes that the MBAG has notdeveloped an adequate organizational system to assist and enhance research activities insuch matters as appropriate distribution of individual research funds.
The second major flaw concerns MBAG’s self-study. The JUAA points out that
KOGSB has not conducted, in a substantial sense, a self-study, and that no system
functions to connect the results of self-study and evaluations by a third party (e.g.,JUAA) to KOGSB’s improvements and enrichments.
For example, the JUAA pointed out similar problems to the flaw concerning
faculty organization in the 2009 Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results for theMBA program in the Graduate School of Management at KOGSB. In that text, theJUAA added the following words to call for improvements of the flaw: “To further
improve the level of education and research as a distance education institution using

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new media, we request that the school take the necessary steps to resolve problems theJUAA points out.” However, in our current accreditation process for the MBAG,
discovering no trace of the necessary steps having taken place, we found no changes
concerning the request made in 2009; therefore, the JUAA has to state that thesubstantial self-study and assessment are insufficient.
The evidence for the above is as follows: Although KOGSB established, basedon its own regulations, a “Self-study and Assessment Committee” as a system toconduct self-study activities, no actions have been taken to improve the points
suggested in the 2009 accreditation process of the MBA program. Thus, the JUAA
regards this as proof that the committee has not functioned substantially to make
improvements and reforms. Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that “the Self-studyand Assessment Committee” be comprised of faculty from undergraduate departments,
which excludes the MBAG faculty members from the pool of constituents. Based on theabove evidence, the JUAA concludes that the MBAG has not engaged in an
organizational and continuous endeavor for self-study, and that it is not equipped with asystem that effectively utilizes self-study and third party evaluation results to improveand enhance its education and research.
It can be said that these major problems that exist in the MBAG significantly
influence its educational content, methods, and outcomes, resulting in troubles. To
resolve such troubles, the JUAA points out that it is required that the MBAG drasticallyre-examine its faculty organization to make improvements based on appropriate
self-study. The influence of the problems is specified in two areas below.
The first area of influence concerns how the MBAG’s education overall
attaches too much importance to content addressing practical business. As a result, there
is insufficient theoretical education aiming at bridging theory and practice. Concerning
its curriculum organization, the MBAG states that “the characteristic of educational
content is to examine problems concerning the latest business practices and to offersolutions.” It also states that its education overall “provides students with practical andrealistic know-how from practitioner-faculty recruited from the business world.”
However, the education of professional graduate business schools requires an aim tobridge theory and practice and to systematically organize a curriculum based ontheoretical education.
The second area concerns the absence of sufficient guidance and consultation
opportunities for students’ registration for courses and learning. Regarding classregistration, students are left on their own to seek advice, as the MBAG states that “itgives advice to the students who contact the MBAG to ask for help through such means
as emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings by considering their individual workand life situations and their pace of learning.” Thus the JUAA cannot conclude that theMBAG is truly equipped with an appropriate and full guidance system for course
registration. Furthermore, the content of events such as orientation remains within anR system. Thus the JUAA cannot conclude
explanation of how to use the AirCampus○that the MBAG has developed a system to have faculty respond to students’ concerns
about their learning and counsel. To improve these situations, the MBAG is required tomake drastic improvements, by having substantial full-time faculty and developing asystem to assist and encourage research to support theoretical aspects of education.
Based on the points raised above, at this point, the JUAA cannot conclude that theMBAG exists in a structure in which it achieves its purposes based on its educational
mission (founding spirit). In order to achieve its purposes, it is necessary that theMBAG develop an appropriate faculty organization with substantial full-time faculty
members and a system to assist and enhance research to support theoretical aspects ofeducation.
As stated in the beginning of this document, the needs for distance education
will further increase as adult students wish to pursue education while working, and,

4

therefore, high expectations are held for the role the MBAG plays. However, as apioneer institution using information technology spearheading distance education, it isrequired that the MBAG pay special attention to producing evidence for its assurance ofeducational quality as a professional graduate business school. For that, the MBAG
must prove that its education functions effectively by drastically re-examining thefaculty organization system, developing a system to assist and enhance research, andmaking efforts for improvements and enhancements based on the implementation ofsubstantive self-study and assessment. The MBAG is expected to avoid solely
R system; rather, it is expected
depending on the unique distance-learning AirCampus○
to conduct substantial self-study, assessment, and improvement activities, to ensure thequality of education with an adequate development of faculty organization, and to offer
an appropriate professional graduate business school education that aims at bridging
theory and practice.