An exchange event was held for students from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and Hitotsubashi students

On May 22nd (Monday), a total of 29 undergraduate students from the Carlson School of Management (CSOM) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) visited Kunitachi Campus and met with Hitotsubashi Univeristy (HU) students various exchange activities over the course of a day. UMN is one of the universities with which HU has signed international and departmental exchange agreements. Their visit was an integral component of CSOM's IBUS 3033W coursework, encompassing a two-week immersion in Japan and South Korea, aimed at gaining firsthand knowledge and understanding of cross-cultural communication within a global business context.

At the beginning, Associate Professor Jin Abe, director of the Center for Global Education and Exchange, gave a welcome speech, sharing episodes from his own life in the United States. Next, Professor Hiroshi Ota (Center for General Education) gave a lecture titled "Japanese Business Culture" on the cultural and social attributes of Japan in an international comparison. Professor Ota and CSOM students discussed Japanese characteristics in seniority, diversity, work-life balance, and how to build relationships with others, and it was an opportunity to think about cultural diversity in the global business community.

Subsequently, CSOM students gave a public presentation for HU students on campus life at UMN. Six teams introduced various fascinations of UMN and American food culture, creating a relaxing atmosphere in the audience.

After lunch at the West Plaza cafeteria CSOM students enjoyed a campus tour around the library and Kanematsu Auditorium guided by HU students who are scheduled to study abroad at UMN, as well as UMN students currently studying at Hitotsubashi.

In the afternoon, Professor Yuko Yamashita (Faculty of Commerce and Management) held a workshop titled "Japanese Green Tea Workshop; How can we turn knowledge about traditional cultural products into cross-cultural value?" The students from the Faculty of Commerce and Management, who are studying the value chain of Japanese green tea in Professor Yamashita's seminar, participated as hosts. They asked CSOM students about their impressions of Japanese green tea and which elements of the tea they were most interested in, and listened intently their opinions which are important marketing information when considering the value chain of tea products. At first, the CSOM students were simply enjoying receiving hospitality of the tea serving, but gradually they were drawn into the marketing discussion, and each group had a lively debate among students all studying management.

Mr. Jessie Lara Pliego from CSOM, who participated in this visit, said, "I was deeply moved by the warm, friendly and respectful welcome of the people of Hitotsubashi. The program was not just a visit, but an opportunity to learn a lot. It was more fulfilling than I expected. I definitely want to visit here again in the future."

HU has reached student exchange agreements with more than 160 universities around the world, and its global exchanges will continue to expand in the future.