Practical Studies of Economy and Management

　The Department of Economics offers practical lectures by making use of the "Volunteer Professor System," in which the Okayama Association of Corporate Executives dispatches managers from its member companies to universities and the like as lecturers. These lectures are conducted in an omnibus format, primarily featuring six to seven corporate executives and the like from Okayama Prefecture, and cover the management philosophy and specific corporate activities of each corporation or organization. Topics include starting a business, developing new projects, overseas expansion, product development, diversification, and reform of financial affairs and human resources. The lectures offer students a chance to learn about the general state of corporate (organizational) management from the perspective of those running centers of economic activity. Furthermore, by comparing the content of the lectures with the theories, policies, and histories related to economics, management, and accounting learned in regular courses lectures offered by the Department of Economics, students gain a realistic understanding of these aspects in terms of meaning and application.

　We believe that this combination will provide students with the ability to think for themselves in terms of choosing the industry in which they would like to work, determining the kind of business model they would like their employer to follow, learning which abilities are needed to start a company, and what measures should be taken to attract clients or develop these companies.

Comments from the Okayama Association of Corporate Executives [Mitsunobu Kojima, Former Chairperson]

　We often hear that "a company is its people," and these human resources have never been as necessary as they are in management today. As computerization and globalization advance, the value of the yen rises and the industrial structure of the Japanese economy changes rapidly making it necessary to move toward industries that produce the highest added value. As such, what we need now are people who are highly creative, original, and ambitious. With the objective of cultivating such people, the Okayama Association of Corporate Executives has become a pioneer nationwide by establishing the "Volunteer Professor System." The Department of Economics at Okayama University has made use of this system since the 1996 school year, incorporating lectures by local managers. We hope that having managers speak frankly and passionately about the state of the economy, its issues, and their dreams in business will allow our students to get an accurate picture of the state of things.

Comments from Teachers [Takayuki Tsumori, Professor]

　The four direct goals of these lectures are as follows:
１) To teach students about the sites where economic activity occurs, particularly how these places operate from the perspective of management;
２) To have students think about the relationship between lectures at the university and actual economic activity, while being aware of the differences between these lectures and regular university lectures;
３) To teach students that managers perceive the sites of economic activity differently based on their specific industry and personal management style;
４) To make students aware of the diversity of actual economic phenomena (the diversity of problems and their solutions) through goals 1-3.

I believe that we have already achieved most of the goals above. It also goes without saying that these lectures have widened the range of educational services offered by the Department of Economics.

　The Department of Economics has positioned these lectures as a mechanism for bringing out students’ potential by helping them improve their abilities and develop new ones using different approaches from traditional university education methods. As such, moving forward, we plan to flexibly rearrange these lectures to meet social demands. Furthermore, these lectures are based on a trusting relationship between the Okayama University Department of Economics and the Okayama Association of Corporate Executives, and will serve as the foundation for stronger cooperation between the two in the future, as well as new opportunities for industry-academia partnerships.