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Former Tokyo Manager Searches For Impact With MBA In UK

Japanese education sector manager Ippo Kondo is profiting from a diverse MBA cohort at Lancaster in the UK.

Sun May 31 2015

BusinessBecause
Ippo Kondo aspires to have the greatest impact on the company he works for, by leading organizations’ sales and marketing strategies.

He has certainly made an impact so far. The Lancaster University Management School student spent two years managing a school in Tokyo for Nagase Brothers, the leading, public Japanese educational services provider — in which he converted a £1.7 million budget deficit into a surplus over two years. Before that, he was a Nagase Brothers sales representative.

The law graduate enrolled in the UK-based Lancaster MBA last year. He says the most valuable aspect of the program so far has been learning from a diverse cohort — 92% of the LUMS MBA class are considered international, according to FT rankings data.

Why did you decide to begin an MBA degree?

In my previous work as a general manager I had great achievements in sales in the Japanese education sector. However, I assumed that the achievements resulted not from my ability, but from the brand reputation of my company.

So, in order to be competitive as an independent business person, I decided to study the Lancaster MBA, with the strategic management module. In particular, I wanted to learn about the objective criteria of decision-making, and gain a deeper understanding of the whole business process.  

What made your business school stand out from the rest?

The Lancaster MBA program provides a lot of opportunities to put useful theories and frameworks into action. For example, in the Consultancy Challenge module, we worked with a UK company as consultants, delivering recommendations with implementation plans. It was a truly excellent opportunity to utilize what we had learned from our lectures.

In addition, we planned to start new businesses in the New Venture Challenge module. In the summer, we are also going to work with a company in London. I cannot wait!

How would you describe the culture at your business school?

Practical learning is one of the attractive features of the Lancaster MBA. We have a number of opportunities to work as a team and with people from different backgrounds — learning how to be good business leaders.

Which aspect of the MBA has been the most valuable?

I believe working with a variety of people from different backgrounds — industries and countries — is most valuable.

At first, I was really surprised at the culture difference of my classmates. However, as our MBA has only 36 students, allowing us to interact intensively with each other, I have learnt from the different perspectives of my colleagues. Work experience and culture affect your ways of thinking so much. The MBA taught me how to think from different angles.

What advice would you give to people who are about to apply to business school?

Future applicants should consider their future careers. Business school will give you a lot of things. But I think re-considering what you want to be, and whether it is right time to apply to business school, would be helpful to maximize learning.  

What was your greatest challenge at Nagase Brothers Inc?

The profitability of the school I managed. When I arrived, the school had a huge deficit, and employee motivation and customer satisfaction were quite low. It was an extremely difficult situation. However I did not give up. I analysed and identified key issues, and changed the organization. In particular, I focused on repositioning its marketing focus and motivating employees with a shared vision.

As a result, I succeeded in converting the deficit to a surplus in two years.   

What are your future career plans?

In the short-term, I would like to form sales and marketing strategies. Through my work experience and the Lancaster MBA program, I realized I prefer and am good at creating solutions to overcome severe problems. I want to help organizations by utilising my strategic thinking abilities.

In the long-term, I want to go back to a general management role, dealing with all aspects of an organization. I would like to be the person who contributes the most to the organization I belong to.

Student Reviews

Lancaster University Management School

Jesse

Verified

28/09/2018

An exceptional educational establishment in the North West of England.

This university has been a fantastic life experience as well as a great academic one. I first decided to go to Lancaster University Management School due to its exceptional business education facilities and have not been disappointed. I recommend the university to anybody that wants to put themselves in a strong position for a career upon graduation.

Student

Verified

24/11/2022

On Campus

Student Ambassador

Overall, the instruction is decent, however it also depends on your department. The people are friendly, in my opinion. The sporting events are enjoyable, and there is a good sense of community. Although the city is quite remote, it is nonetheless attractive.

Student

Verified

3/08/2020

Lancaster University honest review

The education system in the university is excellent especially that of the Management School. The campus has great facilities for students to study and live in a relaxed manner. The students can engage in various activities through the socities.

Student

Verified

17/06/2020

Great opportunities to think beyond

Lancaster University provides a lot of good opportunities to think beyond.There Entrepreneurship in residence program helps students to meet and seek guidance about entrepreneurship and the challenges.Their Work in progress program help to fabricate your startup idea and further to pitch to the potential investors.Apart from that there are lot of programs like Enactus, guest lectures and guidance from seniors to help and shape your career needs. They provide lot of opportunities to shape up your employability skills.

Student

Verified

9/10/2020

On Campus

A top university in the UK for management science!

If you’re interested in management science studies, Lancaster University is one of the top universities in the UK. The faculty is renowned and have a sterling reputation for research in management science. Candidates specifically interested in Forecasting would find the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting especially relevant to their field. Besides, the ROI is good as the overall cost compared to other universities is less.

Student

Verified

10/04/2019

Great university for academia – not great for 'entrepreneurs'

Please keep in mind that my review is nuanced by my expectations of an Entrepreneurship degree :) I came to Lancaster University because it was one of the top universities to have a course in Entrepreneurship. After 4 years in this degree, my most valuable experience has been my placement and not the actual course. The course is heavily focused on impractical elements, which is a bit odd for an Entrepreneurship degree. There are some modules that involve hands-on work but the faculty support for such things has not been great. My course also involved a lot of teamwork which has been fantastic and really prepared me when it comes to dealing with the diversity of opinions. In terms of career prospects, the management school does A LOT to host events, workshops and support sessions to help you build up your employability skills. Although, I wish there was more acknowledgement of SMEs/startups as a viable career option. The entrepreneurship team which is meant to support budding businesses is really stepping up their game with tons of guest speakers, workshops and pitching opportunities. The location is a concern if you're not in STEM, Law or Accounting and Finance. Business requires networking with the broader community. However, for Lancaster students, the best bet is a trip down to Manchester or London. On the flip side, living in Lancaster is much cheaper! Overall, if the purpose of your university experience is to receive top academic education and have great facilities at your disposal, Lancaster is a great choice. But if you want to be in business and entrepreneurship, I would look elsewhere.

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