Shinji Ishikawa and Yokoyama Kenji
This paper utilizes a Japanese business school as an example to clarify the issues faced in applying American accreditation standards to the Japanese education system all while aiming to shed light on the root causes of these issues.
According to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International; hereinafter “AACSB”) standards, procedures for accreditation must be completed on the basis of mission. On the other hand, the concept of mission did not exist in Japan’s university management until recently. Mission-based organizations and activities are not an easy matter for business schools in countries where the concept of mission is not common.
When a Japanese university attempts to obtain accreditation from a non-Japanese entity such as AACSB, difficulties and challenges mainly result from the differences between the institutions and systems forged from marketoriented situations and those created without a consciousness of the market.
Historically, not many institutions of higher education in Japan issued doctoral degrees. More academically prone students tended to go straight into the business world with only a bachelor degree. Some of these students became university professors, but to this day, they do not hold doctoral degrees. Likewise, in the realm of business education, it remains difficult to secure qualified faculty in Japan who comply with the AACSB standards.
When a Japanese university attempts to obtain accreditation from a non-Japanese entity such as AACSB, difficulties and challenges mainly result from the differences between the institutions and systems forged from marketoriented situations and those created without a consciousness of the market. Now that some business schools in Japan find themselves compelled to compete in the global market, they are trying to take full advantage of international accreditation and the influence it holds. As we show in this paper, international accreditation is already starting to play an integral role in the transformation of business education in Japan, and going forward, it could be a driving force for reform in Japanese higher education as a whole.
