Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation forProfessional Graduate Business SchoolKagawa University Graduate School of Management

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: NationalLocation: Kagawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2023
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2029）

Graduate School of Management, Kagawa University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the Graduate School of Management, Kagawa University

The purposes of the Graduate School of Management, Kagawa University, or GSM, are to“develop knowledge and skills related to management and regional policies, and high ethicalstandards and a global perspective through education and research that promote regional
development,” as well as “train highly aspiring public or private sector professionals whowill carve out a new era of regional development by supporting and managing regional
economies in leadership positions.” To achieve these goals, GSM has defined acommendable medium- to long-term vision, stating that it “aspires to become a businessschool that plays a positive role in regional development by linking regional communities
and the global society in a mutually sustainable manner, and by providing education andresearch that integrate knowledge of theory and knowledge of practice.” One example where
this vision and strategies are translated into concrete action is the co-hosting of the Kagawa
Business and Public Competition, a contest that invites the submission of business plan
proposals for revitalizing Kagawa Prefecture and awards prizes to help commercialize thewinning entries. This is a commendable undertaking through which GSM supports students
in bringing their project research ideas to life. The Graduate School aims to train three typesof professionals: (a) Business leaders who lead creative innovations in companies andcontribute to regional development while maintaining a global perspective; (b) Public
professionals who bring new strategies and vitality to the public sector; and (c) Regional
producers who work with community residents to promote regional development thatembraces the local character. The unique aspect of GSM’s education is the equal emphasis
placed on training people specifically to work in regional government (public professionals)
and regional development (regional producers) and developing business leaders in general.
It is commendable that the curriculum is designed in line with the educational goals, withcourses focusing on public policies and regional development, in addition to courses
imparting specialized knowledge in corporate and organizational management. Also notable
are courses such as Economic Affairs of Shikoku Part 1-3 and Local SMEs and EconomicDevelopment, which the Graduate School offers in collaboration with local agencies of thenational government, local governments, and industry support groups, and invites businessowners and local government leaders involved in business and regional development asguest lecturers.
The Graduate School has several other commendable features. From the timestudents enter the Graduate School until completing their studies, each student is teamed up
with multiple teachers who serve as mentors to discuss their research and academic concerns.
This system ensures that students are given instruction and advice that meet their individual1Graduate School of Management, Kagawa University

interests and objectives. Furthermore, GSM offers such programs as Career Workshops
designed to support students’ career development, the Recurrent Program organized to help
create a network among teachers, staff, and students, and strong student support programs,
including the post-MBA program, that help students bring their research projects to life. Alsoworth noting are the mandatory monthly faculty development sessions held to help full-timeteachers improve the teaching contents and teaching methods as well as the fact that GSM’sfaculty, including practitioner teachers, has maintained a high success rate of 70% forGrants-in-Aid for Scientific Research.
There are several areas of improvement GSM should address, however.
First, there is no uniform understanding among faculty members as to the meaningof “global perspective” expressed in the degree award policy. The Graduate School needs toclarify the meaning of this term to ensure a common understanding across the faculty.
Furthermore, the degree to which the content related to a global perspective is included
varies from course to course. This situation needs to be addressed to ensure broader anddeeper learning for students.
Second, while the multiple-mentor approach mentioned above has many advantages,
there are disadvantages as well. Some students, for example, were observed struggling todeal with the conflicting opinions of different instructors. There are currently no sufficient
processes in place to mitigate potential problems and this situation needs to be addressed.
Third, the faculty is not sufficiently diverse, with only a small number ofinternational and female teachers on the teaching staff. The previous AY2018 certified
evaluation and accreditation for professional graduate business schools recommended thatthe ratio of international faculty members to Japanese faculty members be increased and thatthe administrative bureau have greater independence, yet no improvements have beenobserved. The Graduate School is expected to respond appropriately to the issues forimprovement identified by outside inspectors. Improvement is also needed in themembership composition of the Collaboration Council for Educational Program, a majorityof which are members of the university community.
To address the issues raised above, the Graduate School is advised to utilize theresults of the certified evaluation and accreditation for professional graduate businessschools and continue its self-study efforts for improvement. Going forward, GSM isexpected to assure and enhance the quality of its education program and to further develop
its unique characteristics.

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