GMBAGlobal MBA Program

Project 1-A is an internship (referred to as Internship 1), which generally takes place at a regional government office in Japan. (At the discretion of the faculty, however, in certain cases according to the background of the individual student, placements may be made instead to private sector, non-profit sector or -- in rare cases -- overseas organizations.) The internship takes place for at least 160 hours over approximately 4 weeks in the January-February time period of the Global MBA (GMBA) Program Academic Year 1.

The purpose of Internship 1 is to provide a real-world business learning experience, while also providing the opportunity for students to be exposed to intensive Japanese language and cultural learning, and to real-world workplace conditions. (In cases where the student is a native Japanese speaker, alternative placements may be made to provide equivalent learning opportunities in a non-Japanese environment.)

The internships are arranged and assigned by the GMBA program faculty.

In certain special cases, students may be accepted into the GMBA program with the understanding that they are unable to participate in Internship 1 for the following specific reasons (to be pre-approved by the faculty):
- People with concurrent full-time jobs who are unable to take leave of absence
- People with full-time childcare duties who are unable to be away from home
- Special institutional arrangements requiring a field research project
- Special company dispatches requiring a field research project

In these cases, students may be permitted to take Project 1-B (Field Research) instead of 1-A, with the specific project to be carried out under supervision of the faculty in order to provide an equivalent experience. (Such cases result form GMBA program decisions, not simply because the student prefers to do a field research project.)

In case of a time conflict during Academic Year 1, it is possible though not recommended that Project 1-A may be taken in Year 2 along with Project 2-A.

This course also contributes to the three core learning objectives of the GMBA Program, which are to instill the following skills:
1 Practical Management Competency
2 Critical Analysis Competency
3 Communication Competency

Internship 1 provides a real-world business learning experience. This serves as a complement to the project-based learning approach promoted in the Hosei Business School of Innovation Management, in which classroom learning is facilitated though the exploration of practical, real-world problem solving. Internship 1 (and later Internship 2 in Academic Year 2) corresponds to the “project method” used in the Japanese MBA programs residing in the Business School along side the English-language GMBA program. This enables the student to acquire working knowledge and develop critical assessment abilities that form a solid foundation for a career as a management professional.

As the majority of students in the GMBA program are anticipated to be non-native Japanese speakers, Internship 1 also provides the opportunity for students to be exposed to intensive Japanese language and cultural learning while experiencing real-world workplace conditions in Japan. This enables the student to cultivate the global perspective that the GMBA program values.

Student interns perform as if they were regular employees of the organization, including expectations of neatness, punctuality, productivity, and openness to supervision. The primary job responsibility of interns is to work on projects assigned to them by their host organization, as well as on their own individual project on topics assigned by the GMBA program, such as the improvement of inbound tourism. Interns are also expected to do routine tasks and clerical work.

Goals:
- To acquire real-world working knowledge of innovation practitioners grounded in management theory and practice
-To experience real-world work conditions in Japan, in order to cultivate the critical thinking skills of innovation practitioners
- To cultivate the global perspective that the GMBA program values, through exposure to intensive Japanese language and cultural learning, in order to become innovation practitioners grounded in effective communication

Will be able to gain“DP1”,“DP2”,“DP3”,“DP4”and“DP5”.

英語 / English

In order to clarify the purpose and procedures, and to explain the specific goal and deliverables of Internship 1, orientation meetings are provided in the months prior to the internship, and this is furthermore supported by individual discussions with the internship coordinators.

The internship itself is a required over 160 hours, during which the student works in the internship organization under the direction of a supervisor in the assigned organization.

This amount of time is generally 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks, plus time spent after-hours and on weekends participating in local activities.

Periodic internship reports in English are required based on regular journals to be kept by the student, as will be specified during the orientation and assignment period, with the final report of the same format due within a week of finishing the internship.

Towards the end of the internship students will make a Summary Presentation to their host organizations at the internship location. Upon returning to Tokyo, a Final Presentation will be made at the Internship Presentation Conference.

あり / Yes

あり / Yes

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Orientation Period Week 1

General information on Internship 1

2[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Orientation Period Week 2

General information on Internship 1

3[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Orientation Period Week 3

General information on Internship 1

4[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Planning Period Week 1

Familiarization with host region and organization

5[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Planning Period Week 2

Familiarization with host region and organization

6[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Planning Period Week 3

Familiarization with host region and organization

7[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Preparation Week 1

Determination of individual internship project and preparation for move to region

8[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Preparation Week 2

Determination of individual internship project and preparation for move to region

9[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Preparation Week 3

Determination of individual internship project and preparation for move to region

10[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Internship Week 1

Work at assigned regional organization

11[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Internship Week 2

Work at assigned regional organization

12[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Internship Week 3

Work at assigned regional organization

13[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Internship Week 4

Work at assigned regional organization, and make Summary Presentation at internship location

14[対面/face to face]：Internship 1 Final Week

Final Presentation in Tokyo

The student must attend the orientation meetings (dates to be announced).

During the term of the internship, the student will participate in the activities of the host organization, as well as work on an individual project (such as improvement of inbound tourism to the region).

During the term of the internship, students must create and maintain a journal of their work and experiences. Details of the format will be described during the orientation period prior to the internship, but generally speaking will include:
- a summary of each day's activities
- observations and brief reflections about the functioning of the office (e.g. work-supervisor relations; leadership and management practices; interactions with outside agencies, groups and constituents/clients)
- placement of the observations in the perspective of the lessons learned in the GMBA courses.
It is important that interns set aside regular time to record these journal entries.

Periodic internship reports in English are required based on regular journals to be kept by the student, as will be specified during the orientation and assignment period, with the final report of the same format due within a week of finishing the internship.

Towards the end of the internship, the student will make a presentation to their host organization summarizing their assigned duties during the internship, their own individual project (for example, promotion of inbound tourism), and their feelings on the overall internship experience. The student is encouraged to do this Summary Presentation in Japanese (or bilingual Japanese and English) if at all possible, both as a goal for improving Japanese ability, and as an expression of gratitude to hosts who have so kindly accepted the student for the internship.

After returning to Tokyo a Final Presentation will be made at the Internship Presentation Conference. This presentation is generally in English, although students for whom their English is stronger than their Japanese may challenge themselves to presenting in Japanese if they desire.

(In general students may expect 2 to 4 hours per week of preparation prior to the internship, full time work during the internship, and then 5 to 10 hours per week in preparation for the Final Presentation after the internship.)

Not applicable

Not applicable

[Final grade is determined by]
・Administrative Cooperation 30%
・Professional Communications 30%
・Project Planning & Execution 40%


Students will be judged on their overall professional attitude and completion of assigned tasks.

The assigned tasks include:
- Attendance at orientation and training sessions
- Creation and maintenance of a regular journal (detailed instructions to be provided during the orientation period)
- On-time submission of regular reports in English (detailed instructions to be provided during the orientation period)
- Submission of final weekly report, and a Summary Presentation (in Japanese if possible) at the internship location, and a Final Presentation (usually in English but Japanese also possible) at the Internship Presentation Conference following the internship (detailed instructions to be provided during the orientation period)

Professional attitude will be judged on characteristics including the following:
- Positive and cooperative attitude during the orientation and assignment period
- Active participation in training
- Proper and business-like communications in email and report submissions
- Critical assessment and decision-making during the internship
- Collegial relationships with colleagues in both the GMBA program and at the internship locations
- Responsible communication with the GMBA program office, GMBA faculty, and adherence to rules and guidelines

In making the assessments, the GMBA faculty also works closely with the internship hosting organizations, so that the overall grade will also take account of the intern's performance as assessed by the intern's supervisor in the organization.



Overall assessments are made in consideration of the three core learning objectives of the GMBA Program, which are instilling the following competencies:

1 Practical Management Competency

Learning Outcome 1a. Management Planning:
Student demonstrates competency in the application of the principles of management theory & practice to the planning of new business and/or the assessment of existing business

Learning Outcome 1b. Strategy Execution:
Student demonstrates competency in the application of the principles of management strategy to the planning of new business and/or the assessment of existing business


2 Critical Analytical Competency

Learning Outcome 2a. Hypothesis Setting:
Demonstrates competency in the formulation of hypotheses used to validate the planning of new business and/or the assessment of existing business

Learning Outcome 2b. Hypothesis Testing:
Demonstrates competency in the evaluation of hypotheses used to validate the planning of new business and/or the assessment of existing business


3 Communication Competency

Learning Outcome 3a. Written Communication
Demonstrates competency in professional written communication

Learning Outcome 3b. Spoken Communication
Demonstrates competency in professional spoken communication

It is possible that the internship format may change to a group internship at a limited number of locations, as was done in 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please speak to the Innovation Management Office for details.

Students should have use of a computer for internet research, communication and writing, should bring the computer to their internships, and have access to the internet as well.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courses this year will be held either in person or online according to the decisions of Hosei University, the Business School of Innovation Management, and the GMBA Program. Please check the university website and communications from the university for the final decision each quarter. In case of online course, please check the HOPPII system (学習支援システム) for specific online instructions of each course.

Specifically in the case of internship courses, the internship may be changed to a full online or hybrid online/face-to-face format.