Mid-Presentation of General Education Class "Business Communication" (Monday, May 26)

In the Business Communication class (taken by 14 Japanese students and 12 international students), students learn business communication skills needed in business environments such as Japanese companies and Japanese-affiliated companies overseas through project activities. In the project activities, students discuss actual problems faced by companies in Ibaraki Prefecture and propose solutions to the companies based on research and pilot cases.

On Monday, May 26, we invited the presidents from our four partner companies—Life Support Yamano, Sofners, Tsukuba Foods, and Sanwa Foods—to deliver mid-term presentations.

Sanwa Shokuhin's challenge is to improve communication between technical intern trainees and Japanese employees. The project group proposed using a questionnaire to survey the technical intern trainees' willingness to learn Japanese, the factors hindering this willingness, and the current state of Japanese communication in the workplace. They based this proposal on their observations from interviews and company visits. Sanwa Foods expressed their hope that we would proceed with the study, as it is important to base decisions on solid data.

Tsukuba Foods' issue is whether its employees understand the company's corporate philosophy, vision, and mission. The group investigated the degree to which Tsukuba Foods' employees recognize these based on a questionnaire survey conducted beforehand. The survey confirmed that most employees were aware of the mission but did not determine if they felt empathy for it. They will ask if part-time employees are also "sympathizing" with the concept and what can be done to make it a personal issue for all employees.

Sofners' challenge was to create a website where all the seminars held in Ibaraki Prefecture could be searched at once. After a series of online meetings, students will survey international students and companies to determine what information should be included on a website that lists seminars specifically for international students.

Life Support Yamano's challange is to build an online platform that connects Indonesian university students with small-to-medium-sized Japanese companies for part-time jobs. Students will investigate the demand for online part-time jobs and the types of jobs in demand.

The presentation seemed to have brought new insights to the corporate side, and was a meaningful time for both the participating students and the people from the companies.