Accreditation Results 2021

1. Accreditation Comprehensive Review

Evaluation:

“ABEST21 hereby certifies that Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University (GSM)’s educational and research activities satisfy all or most accreditation standards. The School’s Kaizen plans are excellent, and quality maintenance and improvement of education and research are very promising and excellent. Accreditation commences April 1, 2021 for a five-year period”

PRT Comments:

• Comprehensively, what GSM Kyoto has delivered is very good and adequate. As an international standard business school, both the qualifications of students who enter the MBA program, and the lecturers, have a good reputation. Research collaborations and exchanges for both students and lecturers are also carried out in the context of globalization of education. Teaching and learning support facilities are available properly.
• Financial support is obtained from MEXT, industry partners and student tuition, all of which can support the sustainability of this program well in the future.
• To ensure the future progress of the GSM, it is recommended to review the Mission statement. GSM is a part of a famous university, but it is not easy to specify its features that could differentiate it in the market as a professional graduate school. It is advisable that the School considers how it can define and promote its uniqueness. This uniqueness needs to relate not just to the program offerings, but also to the School’s mission and philosophy.
• In terms of strength & uniqueness, GSM Kyoto has been quite aggressive in offering international program with many foreign students and international academic collaborations.
• Ensuring systematic curriculum revision or design taking into consideration feedbacks from various stakeholders to meet the needs of the industry.

• Comprehensively, what GSM Kyoto has delivered is very good and adequate. As an international standard business school, both the qualifications of students who enter the MBA program, and the lecturers, have a good reputation. Research collaborations and exchanges for both students and lecturers are also carried out in the context of globalization of education. Teaching and learning support facilities are available properly.
  Financial support is obtained from MEXT, industry partners and student tuition, all of which can support the sustainability of this program well in the future.
• The School meets most Standards. However, there is surprising lack of specific issues to be improved in the SCR. This may mean a shallow analysis or a sign that there is an obstacle to the School’s ability to analyze its operations, and hence to future development.
  To ensure the future progress of the GSM, it is recommended to review the Mission statement. GSM is a part of a famous university, but it is not easy to specify its features that could differentiate it in the market as a professional graduate school. It is advisable that the School considers how it can define and promote its uniqueness. This uniqueness needs to relate not just to the program offerings, but also to the School’s mission and philosophy.
• In overall, good initiatives have been taken to ensure the successful implementation of the program at GSM, Kyoto. There are many evidences indicating the strong support given by top management, academic staff and supporting staff. Generally, GSM Kyoto has a quite good internal quality assurance system and an integrated quality improvement process particularly in achieving the ABEST21 standards.
  In terms of strength & uniqueness, GSM Kyoto has been quite aggressive in offering international program with many foreign students and international academic collaborations.
  The school should explain whether there are strategies for quality improvement, then the school should check whether the proposed plan is in line with the condition of the school.
  The School’s Action Plans for three years are quite clear and objective.
  The school targets for each action plans may be described along the followings:
  A. Refinement and improvement of infrastructural and other facilities towards addressing the Covid-19 issues.
  b. Ensuring systematic curriculum revision or design taking into consideration feedbacks from various stakeholders to meet the needs of the industry.
  c. Further promote research collaborations with industries.

2. Good Practice in the Program Management Education

Title:

The title is “International sustainable MBA program”

Reasons:

The reason for proposing the title International sustainable MBA program, is the fact that GSM Kyoto has both students and lecturers who come from various countries internationally. And the MBA program in GSM Kyoto is supported by good funding, coming from the government (MEXT), industry partners, and students. This will ensure the sustainability of the program going forward. Besides, GSM Kyoto also focuses its research on sustainability issues, both in industry and society, and is very concerned about environmental issues.

• The reason for proposing the title International sustainable MBA program, is the fact that GSM Kyoto has both students and lecturers who come from various countries internationally. And the MBA program in GSM Kyoto is supported by good funding, coming from the government (MEXT), industry partners, and students. This will ensure the sustainability of the program going forward. Besides, GSM Kyoto also focuses its research on sustainability issues, both in industry and society, and is very concerned about environmental issues.
• The School’s student body is quite international, and the School’s programs in English are an asset that helps to ensure this diversity.
• GSM Kyoto has done significant efforts in promoting global business education and diversity.

3. Matters to be noted

• To facilitate monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Action Plan that has been prepared, it should be equipped with a Person in Charge (PIC) who is responsible for the realization of the program.
• To help lecturers make reports on teaching and learning process activities, and so that students can also monitor the progress of lectures and the process of mentoring or writing a thesis, GSM Kyoto should make a dashboard or academic platform in a system.
• With the increasing number of international students from various countries, with various cultural and religious backgrounds, GSM Kyoto should provide prayer rooms for Muslim students, as well as provide a canteen with halal food.
• Research collaboration between GSM Kyoto lecturers and partner university lecturers abroad needs to be improved, related to various global issues in business, as well as seeing different business practices in various countries in the world.
• It appears that it is popular with the School’s MBA students to proceed to the PhD program, which is not very conventional, because MBA is a professional degree for people who wish to have a career in business. The School may need to consider students’ future career plans and inclinations when reviewing its target student profile.
• Upgrade and improvise infrastructure and facilities related to the online learning and teaching in line with the current Covid-19 issues.
• Clarify the term new intake versus enrolment for the student admission record.
• Clarify the target for each action plan using some kind of qualitative or quantitative indicators to describe the achievement or progress of the action plans.

PRT Comments:

• To facilitate monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Action Plan that has been prepared, it should be equipped with a Person in Charge (PIC) who is responsible for the realization of the program.
• To help lecturers make reports on teaching and learning process activities, and so that students can also monitor the progress of lectures and the process of mentoring or writing a thesis, GSM Kyoto should make a dashboard or academic platform in a system.
• With the increasing number of international students from various countries, with various cultural and religious backgrounds, GSM Kyoto should provide prayer rooms for Muslim students, as well as provide a canteen with halal food.
• Research collaboration between GSM Kyoto lecturers and partner university lecturers abroad needs to be improved, related to various global issues in business, as well as seeing different business practices in various countries in the world.
• It appears that it is popular with the School’s MBA students to proceed to the PhD program, which is not very conventional, because MBA is a professional degree for people who wish to have a career in business. The School may need to consider students’ future career plans and inclinations when reviewing its target student profile.
• The school may want to improvise the organization chart and relook at the department directors’ role and the relevant sections under each director.
  Upgrade and improvise infrastructure and facilities related to the online learning and teaching in line with the current Covid-19 issues.
  Relook at the grading system and consider incorporating + and – in the grades.
  Clarify the term new intake versus enrolment for the student admission record.
  clarify the target for each action plan using qualitative or quantitative indicators to describe the achievement or progress of the action plans.

4. The Peer Review Schedule