NUCB developed and released its official iPhone application through which the updated campus information will be released. The application has been available since April 11th, 2012 in App Store operated by Apple, Inc. The application has largely two functions: release of the campus information for alumni and the Blackboard system for existing students. Plus, it is equipped with a safety confirmation system in the event of a disaster. NUCB is the first Japanese university to have this system.
If you would like to download the application in App Store, please search on “NUCB.”

In the high-school general evaluation category in the 2013 Asahi Newspaper rankings, NUCB was ranked 26th among all 756 universities in Japan, 4th in the Chubu district, 2nd (1st among private universities) in Aichi Prefecture after Nagoya University. The ranking went up from 32nd in Japan, 6th in Chubu district, in the previous year.

NUCB is offering seminars which are open to the public for those living in Nisshin-city where the undergraduate campus is located, as part of its community service activities. The university invites speakers from a wide variety of industries and fields (i.e. company presidents, public officers, lawyers, accountants, artists, and others), to give lectures on their experience and life philosophy. In the 2012 academic year, NUCB is scheduled to have 28 lectures (14 per semester).

Introduction of NUCB's Global Partners：
Audencia Nantes School of Management, France

Number of Students : 3,000
Foundation : 1900
Accreditation : AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS
Agreed Category : Exchange Program, Faculty Exchange
Website：http://www.audencia.com/

Audencia offers 16 programmes in bachelors, international masters, specialized masters, MBAs and various executive education courses. In 2004, Audencia became the first school of management in France to sign the United Nations Global Compact. Audencia is one of the world's few business schools to hold the 3 major academic accreditations.

NUCB has been officially accepted as a member of EMBAC, The Executive MBA Council.
Among the top business schools from around the world, The NUCB Graduate School become the 218th member as well as the first and only in Japan.

The Executive MBA Council plays the role of strengthening the bonds among Executive MBA Programs throughout the world and contributes to the advancement of executive education.

Professor Masuda, NUCB's lecturer and an expert of energy policy, has contributed an article to The Daily Yomiuri.

In the article, Prof. Masuda points out that it is time for the world to seek for "harmonious survivability" instead of "sustainability". Addressing that Japan has the opportunity to become a "guiding light" for the world's new energy architecture, Prof. Masuda introduces three key actions that would enable Japan to overcome it's energy challenges.

Read the article online (English)

Almost week 5 of second term has ended to start next two stressful exam season. Like NUCB, Graziadio school also has 2 sessions (A & B), 7 week each. At the very beginning of session B, I enrolled two more courses than other exchange students with the support of assigned academic counselor. Each student at Pepperdine is designated with one academic counselor and one career counselor, they will be in charge of your entire 2 years here to help you which class you should take and which job/industry is suitable for you and give you different options for course/job selection. Session B kicked off with several events of Social Enterprise Week that I enjoyed the guest speakers from Wells Fargo Bank, Yahoo, Living Homes, Shiftalliance and University of Southern California. They discussed how their organizations could develop sustainably and support to their industries and communities such as in real estate, filming & entertainment, energy, architecture, consulting and they even advised us how to build our personal life sustainbly, as quoted from Gandhi " Be the change to the world you want to be". Along with these workshops, NAWMBA students also ran Pink Day which many students wore whole pink clothes to donate for cancer patients. Before ending Social Enterprise Week event this year, we also joined Dating Auction Talent where students bid for a romantic or memorable dating with their schoolmates. I really enjoyed and grasped my own theme for balanced work-life ahead. On Saint Patrick's Day, we celebrated in green outfit and accessories but on Bra day, more than 100 students wore Bra outside of their clothes regarless men or women to support breast cancer foundation. It was really successul and interesting event for NAWMBA.

Another credible part of every MBA course, we will have at least 3 guest speakers in related majors to the course we enroll. I found intense and valuable in Acquiring Wealth, Success, Power ethically as we had to read 6 different books, 2 articles and 1 written report every week but we had engaged with Professor from UCLA in meditation moments and a successful real estate businessman in California. I was impressed with Justin Paperny, an ethical USC baseball player and talent UBS financial broker but once in a lifetime he got caught by FBI and was sentenced 1.5 years in prison as a convicted felony. After his return to real life, he teaches about ethics and operates real estate business as well as contributes to his community, helping juveniles to prevent jail sentence. Before meeting him, we have read his book but I still feel uncomfortable, however after his talk, I realized that anyone of us or excellent MBA graduates can be resulted in a verdict even we have good foundation in family nurtured and ethically education background. That is no-charge lifetime lesson I need to remind me in every decision in life.
And in Brand Management class taught by former Vice President of Nestle, we know how to learn alone in 120 minutes, work in a group in 30mins and 45-minute in class presentation but ultimately get out of 10 minutes for our own reflection in every class. After first day lecture, 3 team members of group of 6 dropped the class, they feel intense and strictly class schedule. As a consequence, my team has only 3 persons in comparison with other groups of 6 or 7 but we had to present the first book " Winning with P&G 99" on the second lecture. Stressful but determined, my team didn't need the support from Professor to divide the groups again nor any exemption for one week delay of first presentation. Finally, three of us did good job and satisfied with our team work.

In Mar 11, Japan held nationwide marathon event and Nagoya organized Nagoya City Marathon Festival to support the victims and energized Eastern region, here we have Honda Marathon Festival in downtown Los Angeles with the participation of 20,000 runners in April 16. They ran for different causes and purposes but I volunteer to alleviate cancer cause for Susan Komen Foundation. If you don't find available time for charitable works, you can participate at Global Village where international students introduced their cultures and cuisines or you can perform at Pepperjam stage to show your talent in music, dancing, poem or plays. I like Japanese, French and German booths and enjoyed Madonna-like student singer on stage.

For the short time studying here, I can understand about politics, technology, real estate, entertainment, education, environment and gaming industry in the U.S, which widen my knowledge and accept the differences. I conclude my post here with the quote I gain for my own: "Your life is your message" and come back to next two exam-week and internship project.

Enjoy your Good Friday!!!

P.S: Photo 1: Main entrance of Graziadio School of Business and Management
Photo 2: Volleyball match with Harvard University : Pepperdine 3- Harvard 1
Photo 3: Baseball match with Columbia University: Yamaguchi powers win over Columbia

On this academic year, a new class "Lean Production System" by Professor Monden, has been added to the Global Leader Program.

Lean production, also known as the Toyota Production System or Just-in-Time Production, is an assembly-line methodology developed originally for Toyota and the manufacturing of automobiles.

Professor Monden is an expert in managerial accounting and production management and has currently revised his new edition of "TOYOTA Production System: An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time (4th Edition) ".

This class will provide students great chance to learn from Japanese manufacturing and Toyota method.

NUCB also offers a study tour to Toyota for GLP students to ensure better understanding of what they have learned in class.

The NUCB Graduate School, one of Asia’s leading international business schools, and its Asia Pacific Case Center are pleased to announce that eight case writers were honorably awarded the Case Award 2011 at the NUCB Graduation ceremony held at the Nisshin campus, on the 20th of March, 2012. This prize is regarded by many as the most prestigious distinction for successful case study writers. The award recognizes cases with high quality field research and writing, which feature companies that give strong attention to globalization, and/or unique topics, such as diversity. The Nomination committee is proud of these exemplary cases, from the Asia Pacific region, that offer strong international academic contributions. The awarded cases feature major corporations such as Toyota, Daiichi-Sankyo, NEC, and Kagome. The award recipients successfully articulated new aspects of business operation and development while contributing new perspectives on management structure that enrich the study of international business. As a key mission of our case center, we will continue to develop, produce and share intellectual contributions in order to play a leading role in business research from within the Asia Pacific region. We wish to convey our congratulations to the achievements of the award recipients.

Takehiko Ito
Head of Center for Asia Pacific Case, Associate Dean
The NUCB Graduate School

Case Award 2011

• Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. 2011
• NEC 2011
• Kagome Company, Ltd. 2011
• Nagoya City East Medical Center’s East City Hospital 2010
• Toyota Motor Corporation 2011
• Asama Chemical Company, Ltd. 2011
• Aisin Seiki Company, Ltd. 2012
• Briggs & Stratton 2011

On the 6th March 2012, NUCB had the honour of hosting Dean V. Vance Roley and Ms. Alice Li of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Shidler College of Business. Dean Roley and Ms. Li visited both the Graduate School’s downtown Fushimi campus, as well as the NUCB countryside campus in Nisshin.

In a meeting attended by President Hiroshi Kurimoto and other representatives of NUCB, the group discussed the various obstacles facing business education both in Japan and in the US given the current world financial situation, and the ways in which universities can respond to turn challenges into opportunities.

In what was a very wide ranging and friendly discussion, it was agreed that one of the most effective ways of offering greater opportunity and a better educational experience to today’s business students was through forging closer ties with partners internationally.

The Shidler College of Business in Hawaii has a number of Japanese-speaking faculty members and has strong links with Japan, including with NUCB, and so the two schools look forward to ever closer ties in the future.

Leaving Japan after more than a year has paved my perspectives into American life. Arrived in LAX after 10-hour flight wasn't too long for me, I started my new life experiences at Pepperdine University with hungry learning-minded to "become our Waves across the World" as President Benton remarks in the honor of Pepperdine 75th anniversary this week.

Today we have been freed from stressful 7-week intensive courses after the first session, I feel comfortable with course schedules here as Pepperdine full time program also lasts for 2 sessions per semester and 7 weeks each like NUCB. However, each course is loaded with massive books, assignments and workgroups every week. The level of professors and classmates are very high and helpful. With Pepperdine's family spirit, you can easily see smiles and warm instructions from Professors, staff and friends everywhere you go.

Located in center of Malibu, a affluent and beachfront city in Los Angeles County, Malibu has spectacular beaches and mountains and of course warm weather at anytime of the year. Needless to say, LA is the third populated Japanese society across the U.S after Hawaii and New York. At Pepperdine, we also join Japanese Student Association to feel connected in Japanese language, at Graziadio School of Business and Management Cafeteria, I also see sushi and udon in meal plan for everyday. Adding to that Ralph's grocery nearby and many sushi restaurants in Santa Monica and an amazing Japanese Town in downtown LA only 30-min away make you feel the warm Japanese culture here. California environment has very diverse, multi-cultural and political views. Nonetheless, Graziadio School also hosted the offical meeting between Obama adminstration with Vice President of China in LA last week.

I can select from 5 up to 9 courses at many concentrations such as Leadership, Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, however each session is packed with academic works and school events so we don't have class on Fridays and weekends. Usually, five or six courses are acceptable for full time MBA students regardless domestic or international students and thus I took 3 classes such as Product Innovation and Managment, Global Marketing and Aquiring Wealth, Success and Power Ethically. Every class has only 25 students at maximum to ensure quality and the working pace for students, therefore many students can't be admitted to the classes if they enrol later than others. The professor level is high and attentive, group assignments are hard-working and high results.

After one session here, I wish I have more 24 hours every day to travel and be able to attend every school and students activities. Every week has more than 10 events at graduate levels from Dean Leadership series, guest speakers, career/internship fair, Social Enterprise week, Case competition, academic clubs, art, music, sports to school trips (domestic or abroad) and I already missed nearly 20 events in 7 weeks even though I also joined at least 2 events each week. You will always have more things to do at schools and outside LA region. Besides, I think you also love Pacific Ocean and mountains in front of wherever you are to feel refreshed before starting a new class everyday or see Hollywood celebrities or Silicon big bosses on the way you shop here.

Have a great weekend to you all!

Jane Thai Ngo

Pepperdine 75th anniversary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Py3koX2O0&feature=relmfu

The intensive six-week transfer at Queens School of Business is now over. Three top-class courses and nearly a hundred classmates guaranteed that in Canada there wasn’t too much free time. Of the experience, the final course Corporate Valuation and Mergers & Acquisitions with the resident professor Bill Cannon was the most challenging but definitely most memorable experience. No powerpoints, no whiteboard – just the old reliable blackboard. The three week course was a good mix of deep theory and extensive and puzzling cases that left everyone participating with a strong dose of sleep deprivation. But after all the hamburgers and pizza of North-America I’m looking forward to Japan again.

So I left Kingston and Queens wanting to stay longer but it was also good to leave on a high (NUCB students are able to stay for about 3 or 4 blocks until the end of March depending on their schedule). In Block 2 I took Project Management which was very demanding but provides the contact hours necessary to take the PMP exam giving PMP certification – this would normally cost quite a lot so it was great to get these hours as part of the course at Queen’s and explained by expert professors.

For the final weekend in Kingston there was an important hockey game between the Queen’s MBA students and MBA students from the University of Western Ontario – Ivey School of Business. Queen’s went down 0-4 in the first period but fought back to 4-5 in a very close encounter. Later that night the students from both teams hit the town for some dinner and partying.

All in all the exchange at Queens was a wonderful experience and something I would definitely recommend to other MBA students at NUCB.