News & Highlights

  • JUNE 2024
Faculty Immersion in Japan

2024年6月、33名のHBS教授陣がボストンから来日し、東京と京都を訪問して学ぶ1週間のファカルティイマージョンを行いました。グループはスタートアップ、老舗企業、革新的企業など様々な企業を訪問し、日本に対する見識を広めました。また、東京ではグローバル・リサーチ・シンポジウムとレセプションを開催し、スリカント・ダタール学部長も参加いたしました。5人の教授陣が、ライフサイエンスや時間管理からデジタル・イノベーションやジェネレーティブAIに至るまで、幅広い分野における最新の研究について発表しました。イベントには100人以上の企業幹部やHBS卒業生が参加し、教授陣はレセプションで彼らとの交流を楽しみました。また、いくつかの文化体験も行いました。教授陣にとって思い出に残る充実した体験となりましたことを、ご支援いただいた皆様に心より感謝申し上げます。

  • JANUARY 2024
The Global Classroom: Student Immersion in Japan

HBSはMBAプログラムの2年次の選択科目として、Immersive Field Course(IFC)という体験型の授業を開講しています。Japan IFCは、2011年3月11日の東日本大震災を受け、2012年にスタートしました。復興が進むにつれてプログラムも内容を変えて継続しています。10年以上経った現在も東北を訪れる機会を設けています。2024年1月、ラモン・カザダスス=マサネル教授と天野知道助教授は、11回目のJapan IFCとして47人の学生を率いて10日間日本に滞在しました。テーマは "Japan; Rising Sun Ventures: Exploring Entrepreneurship in Japan"。日本滞在中、学生たちは1)東京でのスタートアップ企業に対するグループコンサルティング・プロジェクト、2) 東北地方の起業家に会って被災地について学び、貢献するための活動、3)日本の昔ながらの伝統と新しい文化の体験を行いました。

  • NOVEMBER 2023
In-Person Event: Reskilling in the Age of AI by HBS Professor Raffaella Sadun

JRCは2023年11月、ラファエラ・サドゥン教授を招いてリスキリングに関するセッションを開催しました。サドゥン教授は、HBSのデジタル・リスキリング・ラボから得られた新たなエビデンスを掘り下げ、「管理職や労働者のリスキルに対する実際の需要はどの程度なのか?」「リスキリング・イニシアチブは組織でどのように展開されるべきなのか?」などを議論しました。卒業生等の参加者はサドゥン教授がリードする活発な議論を楽しみました。

  • AUGUST 2023
In-Person Event: The Stock Buyback Controversy: Facts, Fictions, and Policies by HBS Professor Charles Wang

2023年8月、JRCはチャールズ・ワン教授によるイベントを開催しました。ワン教授は、自社株買いのメリットと問題点についてディスカッションを行いました。同教授は、自社株買いに関する最新の研究成果を紹介し、米国と日本における自社株買いの意味を議論しました。参加者はチャールズ教授との対話セッションを大いに楽しみました。

NEW RESEARCH ON THE REGION

May 2024 | Case

Net Protections (A)(B)

By: Professor Ramon Casadesus-Masanell; Nobuo Sato; Akiko Kanno

In Case A, set in early 2017, Net Protections (NP) is the largest Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) fintech service in Japan and is experiencing a slowdown in growth of its core product, NP Atobarai. Launched in 2002 as non-membership service, the NP Atobarai product has given Japanese consumers an alternative to paying with their credit cards when using ecommerce (EC) websites. Despite having strong adoption and industry low delinquency rates, NP is considering launching a membership-based BNPL service to expand to more categories and a wider consumer segment. The company needs to decide on the features that would go into the new membership service while being careful not to cannibalize their core product. In Case B, set in spring 2017, the company has developed specific features and is at the stage of a "go/no go" decision.

March 2024 | Case

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Bets on Clean Hydrogen

By: Professor Gunnar Trumbull; Akiko Kanno; Nobuo Sato

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), an engineering manufacturer headquartered in Japan, was aiming to scale up its hydrogen production and establish a global hydrogen supply chain. The initiative was in line with Japan's energy strategy, as the country seeks to transition to clean energy. The company faced challenges such as the high cost of hydrogen production, uncertainty of demands, as well as competition from other countries. KHI was aiming to scale up hydrogen production and infrastructure by 2030, but the pace at which the market for hydrogen would develop was unpredictable and there was a risk that the timing of hydrogen availability would not align with market demand. Despite such challenges, KHI's past experience in scaling LNG infrastructure, its technological ambitions, and Japan's commitment to hydrogen provided a strong foundation for success. KHI could potentially lead the hydrogen industry and support Japan's decarbonization goals. Was it a smart choice for KHI to pursue its hydrogen strategy? Could KHI possibly scale up hydrogen production to a sufficient level and provide a solution at the scale that was necessary?

February 2024 | Case

More than Optics: Olympus's Vision to Become a Leading Global MedTech Company

By: Professor David J. Collis; Haisley Wert

In August 2022, CEO Yasuo Takeuchi reflected on Olympus Corporation's recent transformation from being known as a Japanese consumer camera company to becoming a leading global medical technology (MedTech) company. Over the past dozen years, Takeuchi and prior leadership had recovered from a major scandal and reinvented Olympus's purpose, governance, portfolio, organization structure and operating model. When asked if he could have done any better, he laughed with a humble smile. "There's no 'perfect' in the world-but we are doing almost perfectly. I am not a very optimistic type of person. But we are certainly advancing [the transformation] in the right direction. I have to say, it is working very well.'" Despite being on course, the journey was ongoing. Strategically, the evolving medical technology landscape demanded new capabilities-notably building an integrated digital solutions ecosystem. Organizationally, Takeuchi was at the helm of a matrix organization in which product divisions did not necessarily have full authority for all their activities; corporate functions were learning how to establish their global roles; and regional companies still drove local sales. And personnel issues remained a concern. Senior executive positions were staffed with "two in a box"-one Japanese and one non-Japanese manager-while Japanese employees were adapting to a job-based rather than a seniority system and the widespread use of the English language in meetings. How should Olympus navigate these challenges to deliver on its aspiration to be a leading global MedTech player?

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