Prof. Kodo YOKOZAWA talks about VJU-MBA course

Prof. Kodo Yokozawa is working at Yokohama National University (YNU). He has been teaching Qualitative Analysis (QLA for MBA students at Vietnam-Japan University. Let’s have a small talk with him now to see how the course is designed and what is special about MBA at VJU.

1. You are delivering QLA for MBA students at VJU. Can you tell us main objectives of the courses?

The course mainly focuses on how to conduct case study research. It provides students with the methods to design research, collect and analyze qualitative data.

– What is the outstanding feature of this course, especially about features that show us the big difference and being updated to adapt to the current society?

In this course, students can learn a methodology of generating propositions from data through learning inductive case study research strategy. Students will not only learn many theories and frameworks but also practice how you can actually develop propositions and theories from qualitative data. You will also learn how you can actually write a qualitative research paper by reading the state-of-art qualitative research papers.

2. You are delivering QLA for MBA students at VJU. Can you tell us main objectives of the course?

Besides the internship programme in Japan, which is already mentioned by other professors as an advantage of studying at VJU, I would like to point out another advantage. For those students who have achieved outstanding academic results at MBA will have an opportunity to pursue Ph.D at YNU. Currently, there are three Ph.D students studying under my supervision and two of them are MBA VJU first intake students.

3. What makes VJU’s MBA different from the others being offered in Viet Nam?

Many management theories are developed in the Western context that are fundamentally different from the Asian context. Hence, they often do not apply in the Vietnamese industry. In this MBA course, students are able to learn management theories that are applied and modified in the Japanese context that have many aspects similar to Vietnam. In addition, there are many concepts in Japan in operations management arena such as kaizen, Kanban, Just-in-time, quality control circle, lean, TQM and TQC. You will have opportunities to learn these concepts using firsthand case studies from professors who have been working with Japanese industries.

4. What is the trend of MBA in the world in the next 5 years?

Based on the trend that we see in the US, there will be more short courses, online, and specialized MBA programs in the near future. Moreover, more courses will be provided dealing with digitalization and technology management.  

5. What are your impressions about Vietnamese students in general and VJU-MBA students you have been working with?

I have involved in VJU for four years and I have taught approximately 70 Vietnamese students. They tend to be hardworking, patient, friendly, active, and outgoing. Every time we visit Hanoi, current students and graduated students arrange dinners and field trips for us.