Fall 2000, Vol. 21,
No. 1
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MBA Students Explore Internet
Entrepreneurship
Imagine you have an idea for a new company.
You develop a business plan. You obtain funding and design a website
advertising your products and services. Your site is visited by
users who have a week to spend their cash at your site and are given
the opportunity to review your business plan and invest in your
company. At the end of the week, your companyęs performance is evaluated,
an IPO (initial public offer) occurs, and both you and the users
find out how much itęs worth.
Welcome to the virtual world of an online entrepreneurship
simulation called VCommerce.
With the emergence of numerous dot-com businesses
today, the concepts of electronic commerce and venture capital have
virtually become household topics. This past spring a group of Japan-focused
MBA (JEMBA) and China-focused MBA (CHEMBA) students were able for
the first time to enroll in a new course, Internet Entrepreneurship:
Theory and Practice. It was offered as one of their elective courses
for JEMBA and CHEMBA, joint programs of JAIMS and the University of Hawai'i at Manoa College of Business at Manoa.
Taught by UH professor Philip Johnson, the course
exposes students to "theory" through readings and presentations
on e-commerce, entrepreneurship, venture capital and business models,
and "practice" through the online business simulation
of setting up an Internet-based company and selling consumer products
and services.
Last year, Johnson, an associate professor in
the UH Department of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), and
Glen Taylor, a professor in the UH College of Business Administration,
received a course development grant for Internet Entrepreneurship.
"I had taught a more •conventionalę course on entrepreneurship
before and was looking for some way to actively engage studentsăsome
way to actually help them to •feelę the process of new venture creation,"
Johnson said.
VCommerce is designed to provide participants
with practical, experiential insights into the basic skills of an
entrepreneur, which include team formation, market understanding
and strategies for rapid business growth. In Johnsonęs class, students
experience "real-world" and "VCommerce world"
and learn the process of business formation, planning, site implementation
and evaluation by consumers and investors, allowing them to work
with different partners, refine or replace product ideas and revise
or expand company websites. The course itself takes place via HITS
(Hawaii Interactive Television), the distance education system of
UH, providing a variety of potential viewing locations at different
places on the islands.
For nearly two years, JAIMSę Intercultural Management
Program, a four-month graduate diploma program where students learn
American business management, has been offering courses in e-commerce
and entrepreneurship. JEMBA and CHEMBA, 15-month programs consisting
of MBA courses, business Japanese and Mandarin language classes,
Japan-focused and China-focused management courses, and a three-month
internship with a company in Japan or Chinaărecently added advanced
courses in information technology, e-commerce and entrepreneurship
to its curriculum.
According to JAIMS VP for Academic Affairs Blair
Odo, the changes came in response to student feedback. "The
students were pleased because these courses add a technology component
to their country-focused curriculum," she said. "JAIMS
and the UH College of Business Administration felt that this curriculum
enhancement will better prepare the students for the business world
in the new millennium."
Johnsonęs spring class consisted of both business
and ICS graduate students, with a few undergraduates. "The
combination of both business and ICS students in the same class
was fantastic for both sides," Johnson said. "Initially,
I required each company to be comprised of at least one business
and one ICS student, and many students thought that learning how
to work with someone from a different intellectual •cultureę was
really useful."
Also adding to the mix was the fact that most
of the students from the JEMBA and CHEMBA programs come from Asia
Pacific countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, China, Philippines,
Taiwan, and New Zealand, with the rest from the United States.
For CHEMBA student Liwei Kimura, who is originally
from China and is now a Hawaii resident, the mix of the business
and computer science students made for an interesting team. "The
way it worked in most teams was that the business students came
up with the ideas and the ICS students, some of whom were more knowledgeable
about web design and programming, did the implementation,"
she said. "The most challenging part was to coordinate the
web design with the business process, as it required a joint effort.
A beautifully designed web page may not necessarily draw business,
or a wonderful business plan may have limitations when itęs implemented
on the web."
Teams of three to five students formed various
"companies." Kimura and her team created Campusreality.com,
providing an information and tutorial service to students on campus.
Other teamsăwith company names like Stique, UCircle.com and HawaiiTravellerăoffered
products and services such as clothing and Hawaii logo items. The
"customers" were mostly students, but Johnson later opened
it up and sent user accounts to others, including Hawaii government
officials.
For the business students in the class, the
skills they learned were invaluable. Besides web design and programming,
they found the hands-on knowledge and business concepts of starting
an Internet-based company very helpful for their future careers.
Lukman Chow, a JEMBA student from Indonesia, plans to do IT consulting
upon graduation. "Most of what the class promised I learned.
And that includes all that is required to establish a dot-comăfrom
funding, advertising, operation and how to deal with competitors,"
he said.
CHEMBA student Moses Koh from Singapore also
sees himself in the future as a business consultant. Although it
is unlikely that he will be setting up websites for his clients,
however, he said that he can "at least now appreciate the process
and better understand the potential" and will be prepared should
he ever manage a project that involves IT.
As with any real company, some students found
challenges in setting up their virtual company. Florencio Kabigting,
Jr. cited technical difficulties and conflict of schedules and interests
among team members. However, Kabigting, a JEMBA student from the
Philippines who had studied industrial engineering, learned from
the experience. He said the course also taught him how to create
a business plan in two weeks, and he plans to establish his own
business, possibly Internet-based.
"Most students are surprised about how
time-consuming the course was," Johnson said. "Of course,
thatęs just like the real world!"
Take it from an Internet entrepreneur himself.
"The largest single challenge in Internet entrepreneurship
is being accomplished in general business management skills, including
skills in accounting, human resource management and client management,"
said Pete Martinez, founder and president of Hawaii Internet Emporium,
Inc., Hawaiięs first Internet advertising agency and first cybermall.
"The essential ingredient of what it takes
to be a successful online entrepreneur is many of the identical
skills required to be a successful •bricks and mortarę entrepreneur,"
Martinez said. "At the top of the list of requirements is a
very well-developed business plan that would include virtually all
of the components of every business plan. The fact that it is an
online business will require that the analysis process also include
analysis of the online business community as well as including technical
skills in areas such as supporting technologies for a Web presence."
Established in 1994, Hawaii Internet Emporium
specializes in designing, developing, managing and marketing commercial
retail websites that are successfully selling products on the Web.
Their clients include Pacific Harley-Davidson, Inc., Mauna Kea Resort,
Reyns, and Laird Christianson Harris Advertising.
"The future of dot-coms and e-commerce
can be summed up with the term •exponential growth,ę" added
Martinez, who was a guest speaker for the Internet Entrepreneurship
course. "Company presidents and senior management recognize
that their customer base is already on the Internet, and it is their
task and responsibility to determine how to provide their customers
with a digital interface to facilitate financial transactions (e-commerce),
customer support and database integration with legacy systems."
Even with the recent news of technology stocks
falling and dot-coms going out of business, new Internet-based companies
and start-ups are being launched daily. Internet Entrepreneurship
students highly recommend the course for all its benefits and practical
experience.
"Itęs definitely worth trying," Kimura
said. "You have an opportunity to try out your creative or
even wild ideas on a real e-commerce customer base, and better yet,
without the risk of the cost of business failing."
Drucker-JAIMS Roundtable
Debuts in Hawaii
The Drucker-JAIMS Inaugural Roundtable on leadership
for the new millennium convened in Hawaii, January 12-14, 2000.
Highlighted by Peter F. Druckeręs presentation on "drivers"
for the new millennium to the Roundtable participants, more than
42 executives from the United States, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil
and Mexico discussed and debated corporate governance, competitive
strategy in an era of globalization, and knowledge productivity
in organizations.
Led by honorary co-chairs Chairman Tadashi Sekizawa
of Fujitsu Limited and Chairman David Heenan of The Estate of James
Campbell, and facilitated by faculty from the Peter F. Drucker School
of Management and Hitotsubashi University, the Roundtable participants
overwhelmingly indicated that sharing perspectives with colleagues
from different countries signaled the excitement and challenges
that globalization is bringing to the table of every corporation
or organization, regardless of origin. The participants found that
corporate governance may be converging and businesses on both sides
of the Pacific need to take this into account in mergers and alliances.
Roundtable presenters included Cornelis A. de
Kluyver, dean of the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management;
Richard Ellsworth, professor of management and co-director of the
Institute for Advanced Studies in Leadership at the Drucker School;
Ikujiro Nonaka, founding dean of the Graduate School of Knowledge
Science at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
and professor of the Graduate School of International Corporate
Strategy at Hitotsubashi University; Vijay Sathe, professor of management
at the Drucker School; and Hirotaka Takeuchi, dean of the Graduate
School of International Corporate Strategy at Hitotsubashi University.
JAIMS, in partnership with the Peter F. Drucker School
of Management at Claremont Graduate University, served as the hosting
organization for these business and community leaders. Governor
Benjamin Cayetano of Hawaii issued a proclamation for the event,
and The First Lady of Hawaii, Vicky Cayetano, was a Roundtable participant.
Nonaka First Distinguished
JAIMS Fellow
Ikujiro Nonaka, Xerox Distinguished Professor
of Knowledge at the University of California at Berkeley Haas School
of Business, has been named the first Distinguished JAIMS Fellow.
Established on June 1, 2000, the Distinguished
JAIMS Fellows Program recognizes prominent academic scholars and
business executives who have been associated with JAIMS. The Fellows
Program is a demonstration of JAIMSę commitment to its participants
by bringing outstanding scholars and executives to JAIMS for teaching,
applied research and student interaction. These Fellows would share
their work and competencies with JAIMS participants, faculty and
staff, the JAIMS Family Alumni Association, partners, clients and
the business community.
"Dr. Nonaka is no stranger to Hawaii as
he has publicly spoken about knowledge creation to our business
leaders in several appearances here. Those who have heard him are
familiar with his wit, elfin sense of humor and application of knowledge
creation to organizations," said Glenn Miyataki, president
of JAIMS. "As a Distinguished JAIMS Fellow, he will be returning
to Hawaii in the coming years to share his continued insights of
knowledge creation necessary for todayęs new economy. We are all
fortunate to have the chance to learn from such an accomplished
and acknowledged scholar."
In 1997, Nonaka became the first Xerox Distinguished
Professor of Knowledge at the University of California at Berkeley
Haas School of Business, an endowed visiting professorship dedicated
to research about knowledge created in businesses. He is also founding
dean of the Graduate School of Knowledge Science at Japan Advanced
Institute of Science and Technology; professor of the Graduate School
of International Corporate Strategy at Hitotsubashi University;
and faculty director for the Japan portion of the Japan-focused
MBA program.
Nonaka received his MBA and Ph.D. from the University
of California at Berkeley and has long been one of Japanęs foremost
authorities on developing and using the intellectual capital of
workers to create and expand business knowledge. He co-wrote the
award-winning book, The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese
Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation.
JAIMS Reaches Hawaii
Teachers with StarFestival
After a successful pilot test with Hawaii teachers
and StarFestival, a multimedia curriculum, JAIMS is pursuing grant
opportunities to train additional teachers and place the StarFestival
curriculum in Hawaii schools.
More than 40 teachers from public and private
schools throughout Hawaii were involved with StarFestival, which
was developed under Shigeru Miyagawa, a linguistics and Japanese
professor at MIT.
Patterned after Miyagawaęs own search for identity
in Japan, StarFestival is a K-12 multimedia social studies curriculum
with two overarching themes: cultural/racial identity and modern
Japan. The heart of the curriculum is the award-winning CD-ROM,
StarFestival...a Return to Japan, which tells the story of a young
Japanese boy who comes to the U.S. when he is 10, then returns 30
years later to his homeland to find his roots.
K-12 teachers who teach social studies, language
arts, history and related subjects pilot tested the curriculum.
JAIMS served as the host facility for the training and helped Miyagawa
with the coordination of the pilot test in Hawaii.
"StarFestival is a versatile curriculum
because it can be used in most classes, not only Japanese language
and social studies," said Dori Hirata, manager of the Takuma
Yamamoto e-Learning Center at JAIMS. "The student results that
were showcased were fascinating. Professor Miyagawa was an effective
role model for students. His investigation into his heritage prompted
the students to explore their own heritage and have fun in the process."
Hawaii teachers at a workshop in January were
given an overview of the project and a hands-on session in lesson
planning working in teams. They also had an opportunity to meet
with two teachers from BostonăDeborah Washington, senior program
director of social studies at Boston Public Schools, and Maria DęItria,
fifth-grade teacher at Harvard Kent School, who has taught with
StarFestival for the past three years.
Miyagawa, StarFestivalęs executive producer,
facilitated the workshop. At MIT he currently holds the Chair, Kochi-Prefecture
John Manjiro Professor of Japanese, which is intended to support
application of technology to education.
The StarFestival CD-ROM was awarded "Best
of Show" at the 1997 MacWorld Exposition. For further information
on StarFestival, go to www.starfestival.com.
Systems Engineers Get Global Business Training
In May, seven systems engineers from Fujitsu
Ltd. in Japan were at JAIMS for the six-week Global Business Training
Program (GBTP).
Initiated over a year ago by Hiroshi Yamamura,
former JAIMS vice president and current Fujitsu Systems Business
of America president, the GBTP was developed by JAIMS VP for Academic
Affairs Blair Odo and the JAIMS Japan Office staff.
The purpose of the program was to prepare the
participants for their overseas assignments to Fujitsu Australia,
DMR Consulting, and ICL. A curriculum based on the Intercultural
Management Program curriculum had been modified for GBTP and included
courses in cross-cultural communication strategies, business writing
and presentation, international negotiation, management and entrepreneurship.
"For a truly cross-cultural experience,
we integrated the seven participants with as many ICMP, JEMBA and
CHEMBA activities as possible in the short time that they were here,"
Odo said. Also included in the curriculum were site visits to Manoa
Innovation Center and an ahupua•a cultural tour in Kahana Valley.
All participants have at least five years of
experience in the field of systems engineering.
In Memory of JMP Alumnus
Stanley Taylor
(Editoręs Note: JMP-12 alumnus Stanley H. Taylor
passed away on February 19, 2000 in Upland, California. A professor
of communication arts at California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona, where he taught for 25 years, Stanley spent his 1984-1985
academic year on a sabbatical, traveling and studying in Japan and
Hawaii. This is an excerpt from his reflections on his JAIMS experience
upon completing the Japan Management Program.)
For a change, I was a full-time "student"
instead of being the teacher.
Most of my experience involved communicating
in English to Japanese who had different levels of ability with
English. You should have heard me trying to explain a complex statistical
concept to a group of Japanese advertising men. I am still not sure
that they understood everything, but I did get an approval to go
ahead with the idea so I guess that I was successful.
At the end of the Hawaii portion, the Japanese
language testing was the most critical element in determining who
would go on to Japan. All of us who had stayed with the program
passed.
In the mornings in Tokyo we had an additional
intensive Japanese language course. In the afternoon we had lectures
on Japanese business and management at the International Campus
of Sophia University.
I wanted to be forced, by daily living, to be
a part of the Japanese society. It does take some time to learn
your way around the subway and rail system in Tokyo, but once you
can do it, itęs great! It did help to be able to read some Japanese
signs. The special feature of the JAIMS program was that internships
were obtained for each of us by Fujitsu. Mine was at the Mitsubishi
Research Institute in downtown Tokyo.
The point that I want to make is that JAIMS
is regarded as one of the best of the private institutes and it
has many elements which are the same as the requirements in Communication
Arts here at Cal Poly.
I insisted that, as a part of my program, I
have some time to travel around Japan before I returned to Tokyo
for the "graduation" ceremony. It was both a happy and
a sad day, because my "class" was leaving for various
places in the world.
In all, I found out that it can be both "fun"
and "hard work" to be a student once again.
JAIMS Endowment Fund Supports Student Aid
JAIMS President Glenn Miyataki is pleased to
announce the establishment of the JAIMS Endowment Fund, which was
approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting in June. The fund
provides financial support in the form of short-term aid, loans
or scholarships for participants who exemplify the intercultural
spirit and leadership qualities necessary for success in todayęs
interdependent global economy.
The fund was established with a lead gift of
$10,000 from JAIMS Trustee and Past President Fujio Matsuda and
his wife, Amy. Matsuda suggested the establishment of an endowment
fund to assist deserving students who need financial aid. Past JAIMS
President Hideto Kono and Past JAIMS Vice President Hiroshi Yamamura
are also founding contributors to this fund. At the Trustees meeting,
the First Hawaiian Bank Foundation and Walter Dods, chairman of
BancWest and a JAIMS trustee, made donations in honor of Matsuda.
JAIMS will launch a five-year campaign to raise
monies for the fund, with a special effort in the year 2002 in commemoration
of the 30th anniversary of JAIMS. Miyataki will soon be announcing
the membership of the campaign committee with representation from
faculty, staff and alumni.
Support of the endowment fund is greatly appreciated,
and donations of any amount are welcome.
For more information, contact JAIMS VP for Academic
Affairs Blair Odo: e-mail blair@jaims.org, phone (808) 396-7131,
or fax (808) 396-7111.
JAIMS' First French
Student Attends ICMP
When Nicolas Guillet de Chatellus arrived in
Hawaii for JAIMSę Intercultural Management Program (ICMP), he had
not one but two culture shocks. He was in an American environment
for the first time. And second, he was surrounded by Asian classmatesăfrom
Japan, India, Korea and Philippines.
He quickly learned to adapt to the new culture
and those of his new friends. "JAIMS gave me the opportunity
to be involved in a cross-cultural environment and helped me to
have a nonjudgmen-tal attitude about different people," Guillet
de Chatellus said.
For him, JAIMS was a unique experience that
helped him understand how to work effectively in international business.
"Having been to JAIMS, I now have a tremendous advantage in
the business world," he said.
As part of JAIMSę new exchange program with
Reims Management School in France, Guillet de Chatellus is the first
French student at JAIMS. While Reims students have the option of
coming to JAIMS for the spring program, JAIMS students have the
option of attending Reimsę International Management Programme in
the fall term. Three students from Japan went to Reims for two months
after completing their four-month ICMP coursework last fall.
Guillet de Chatellus looked for "local
solutions" in dealing with his culture shock. For instance,
he did not go looking for French food but went out of his way to
try Hawaiian and American foods. He said he "discovered the
wealth of the Hawaiian culture."
Guillet de Chatellus, who had studied economics,
mathematics and foreign languages and whose most recent position
was as a trading operator in an oil and petroleum company, noted
that the work and study environment in the United States is not
much different from that of France. He especially enjoyed what he
called "exotic courses" such as Leadership and Issues
for the Global Manager since they were nothing like courses he had
ever taken. He hopes to find a position in international finance.
"This exchange program offered me the chance
to improve my language skills and gain valuable experience in the
area of multicultural business by developing an understanding of
other cultures, as well as lead me to a wider range of career opportunities,"
he said.
Guillet de Chatellusę time abroad promoted his
own academic and personal growth. "Studying and working abroad
is an enriching, life-changing experience. By living abroad, I have
already revealed a desirable trait that sets me apart from other
peopleăintellectual curiosity," he said. "I wanted to
know more about other peoples, other languages, other cultures.
I understood that there is no substitute for the experience of living
in another country, and I became eager to expand my cultural horizons
by learning first-hand how other people live, think and play."
Scholarship Awards
Student's Entrepreneurial Spirit
A special scholarship is now available for a
student in the Japan-focused MBA (JEMBA) or China-focused MBA (CHEMBA)
programs, which are jointly offered by JAIMS and the University of Hawai'i at Manoa College of Business at Manoa.
The Akira and Mari Ohtomo Entrepreneurial Spirit
Award, valued at $5,000, "recognizes and supports an outstanding
student who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit necessary for
success in todayęs global markets." The scholarship will be
awarded to the student for the internship portion of the JEMBA or
CHEMBA program.
Akira Ohtomo, chairman and CEO of Pan Pacific
Enterprises Inc. in Japan, and his wife, Mari, a well-known figure
in Japanęs film and television industry, have offered the scholarship
to begin with the Fall 2000 JEMBA and CHEMBA classes. "We feel
that the entrepreneurial spirit is one of the critical elements
in todayęs global business world," Ohtomo said. "Through
this scholarship, we would like to give students who exemplify this
type of spirit the encouragement to start their own business or
work for a start-up company. With the opportunities now available
to them, particularly in the area of technology, these individuals
have the freedom to apply their own ideas into a real company."
Ohtomo himself started Pan Pacific Enterprises,
a management consulting company, back in 1977. He has worked as
a senior executive at a number of large corporations, including
Canon, Coca-Cola, and Cartier.
news@jaims
Congratulations to the fall 1999 and spring
2000 Intercultural Management Program classes, who graduated in
January and July, respectively. Numerous awards were given to students
in the two classes. Fall 1999: Hiroyuki Fujii, Francis A. Wong Award for Leadership; Karen Tan, Studentsę
Choice Award and Presidentęs Language AwardŔfirst place, "Color
Speak" (Hiroyuki FujiiŔsecond place; Phyu Phyu SannŔthird
place); Hiroyuki Fujii, Presidentęs Research AwardŔfirst
place, "Corporate Governance by CalPERS" (Yoshihiro
NishikawaŔsecond place, Daisuke Kato and Kaori KijimaŔthird
place). Spring 2000: Kazunori Horachi, Francis A. Wong Award for Leadership; Tith Lim, Studentsę Choice
Award; Maria Theresa Uyjioco, Presidentęs Language AwardŔfirst
place, "On Life and Centipedes" (Haruo YamaguchiŔsecond
place, Kumiko NishikataŔthird place); Koji Yatsuhashi,
Presidentęs Research AwardŔfirst place, "Starbucks Coffee"
(Kazunori HorachiŔsecond place, Haruo YamaguchiŔthird
place).
The 1999-2000 JEMBA and CHEMBA students, currently
at their internship companies in Japan and China, completed their
coursework in July. John Koh received the Francis A. Wong Award for Leadership. A special Business Plan Competition
Award was given to Mary Jade Roxas and Florencio Kabigting,
Jr. for their work in an entrepreneurship course taught by UH
business professor Nicholas Ordway. In the JEMBA speech competition,
Moses Koh, Lukman, Jason Sanders and
Yustina were the grand prize and most entertaining winners for
their presentation Kenshusei no ichinichi ("A Day of Interns").
Winners in the most informative category were Sethipong
Anutarasoti and Kai-lei Wei. For their speech competition,
the CHEMBA class put together a presentation promoting and marketing
a waterless-based detergent in the China market. Gene Tamesis,
Jr. was the grand prize winner.
In honor of Fujitsu Chairman Emeritus Takuma
Yamamoto, JAIMS has renamed its business resource center to
the Takuma Yamamoto e-Learning Center.
On two separate occasions JAIMS students met
with international executives Merle Okawara, eBay Japan
president and CEO, and Ray Tsuchiyama, director of business
development for Tegic Communications in Japan, who discussed such
topics as entrepreneurship, the Internet and communication technologies.
JAIMS VP for Academic Affairs Blair Odo
was named chair of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiięs Board
of Directors for the 2000-2001 term, effective July 1.
JAIMS staff welcomed Linus Kan, academic
programs manager, and bid a fond aloha to Karlton Tomomitsu,
now a consultant at Asia-Net in Tokyo. Patrice Oppie is
the new office assistant and receptionist, replacing Sachiko
Burke, who became program assistant following the departure
of Chikako Tomita. Yen Chun joined JAIMS, succeeding
Rosa Chiang as the business Mandarin program manager.
Rex Akutagawa joined JAIMS as manager of administrative services
when Ann Yakuma left to go to Hawaiian Electric Industries.
Margaret Yamashita is business Japanese program manager,
succeeding Akio Nakazawa, who continues to teach in the
language program. Sachiyo Fujita is JAIMSę new library information
science specialist.
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