Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results forProfessional Graduate Business School

Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2018
Accreditation Status: unaccredited

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business
Kenichi Ohmae Graduate School of Business (hereafter, GSB) sets forth the objectivesof “creating world-class innovative knowledge by continually offering free and openminded intellectual exploration activities that embody a frontier spirit and a high levelof professional ethics, as well as cultivating world leaders with the ability to formulate
their own decisions and take appropriate action, and helping them achieve advanced
competencies through the creation and inheritance of knowledge.” To pursue theseobjectives, GSB provides education with the aim of fostering people who can play
active roles in the ever-changing global business environment. Unlike many otherprofessional graduate schools, as an online school GSB does not require students tocommute and eliminates both time and spatial limitations however possible byemploying AirCampus®, its own proprietary e-learning platform. This is a notable andcommendable feature of GSB. The school also provides students with opportunities
outside its enrolled courses to study a broad range of fields, including management,
business and economy, through “AirSearch” and “Business Breakthrough Channel.”“AirSearch” is a Business Breakthrough Inc.-owned library of educational materials andcontents explaining the latest managerial trends and theories. “Business BreakthroughChannel” also offers a variety of business-related courses taught by instructors withpractical experience.
“Real Time Online Case Study” (RTOCS) is the educational method used inthe three courses offered: “New Economic Principal,” “Corporate Strategy,” and“Modern Management Strategy.” This method is distinct to the online graduate
school, and students are required to set their agenda, participate in forum discussions,submit a weekly report, and repeat the process. Moreover, GSB supports students
aiming to start their own businesses based on business plans created in “Graduation
Research.” After scrutinizing these business plans, the school submits recommendations
to the SPOF sponsored by Business Breakthrough Inc. GSB also partially subsidizes theexpenses of the alumni association’s general meeting.
As a result, the level of student satisfaction with GSB’s educational program ishigh. It is also commendable that former graduates actively participate in educational
activities as teaching assistants (TAs) who facilitate class discussions.
However, there are serious problems with the composition of GSB’s full-time
faculty, as suggested by the previous accreditation review for professional graduate
business schools and the follow-up review. The Japan University Accreditation
Association (JUAA) reviewed the educational and research records of GSB’s academic
faculty and found more than half to have achievements insufficient to be designated asacademic faculty members, and the faculty organization cannot effectively ensure thequality of education that bridges theory and practice. In addition, although GSB adopts
the policy that, in principle, academic faculty members teach theory-focused subjects
and practitioner faculty members teach practice-focused subjects, the actual facultyorganization deviates from the policy due to the shortage of qualified academic faculty
members as explained above.
Another issue involves the full-time faculty members over the age of 70 whocomprise 36.8 percent of the entire faculty. JUAA expects GSB to correct thisimbalance so that no particular age group disproportionately accounts for such a large
portion of the full-time faculty, although this is not the reason for JUAA’s conclusionthat GSB fails to satisfy the Professional Graduate Business School Standards.
In addition to the serious concerns described above, there are several otherissues that need to be addressed. In particular, TAs are expected to evaluate in part thestudents’ contributions to subject discussions, even though faculty members are
responsible for assessing the academic achievements of students. This situation should

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be corrected. Moreover, TAs play a very important role in facilitating student
discussions on the virtual platform AirCampus®. There is a risk that the function of theTAs may lead to the perception that teaching and evaluation, which are duties exclusive
to faculty members, are partly delegated to TAs. GSB needs to work further to ensure its
faculty members fully understand and share the understanding of their duties.
Furthermore, while the standard course term is set at two years, numerous
students enroll in GSB for periods longer than proscribed, which may lead to amisunderstanding that the standard course term is not respected. It is common for
professional graduate school students to pursue both study and work. It is expected that
GSB will consider and implement measures to lower the ratio of students enrolled
longer than the standard course term.