Japanese university plans huge 'manga' library

TOKYO — In a move to promote serious study of Japanese manga, a university in Tokyo plans to open a library with two million comic books, animation drawings, video games and other cartoon industry artifacts.

Tentatively named the Tokyo International Manga Library, it would open by early 2015 on the campus of the private Meiji University, and be available to researchers and fans from Japan and abroad.

"Manga has been taken lightly in the past and there has been no solid archive for serious study," said Susumi Shibao, a library official at the university told AFP by telephone.

"We want to help academic studies on manga as part of Japanese culture."

To give an early taste of its collection, the university will open the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subculture this October 31, featuring the late manga critic's collection of 140,000 comic books.

Some of the books date back to before World War II.

Japan, which grew rich on exporting cars and high-tech goods, has stepped up an official campaign to promote its cultural offerings, from Tokyo city wear to video games and award-winning animation films.

Japanese manga, ranging from classic Astro Boy and the Doraemon robot cat to the latest smash hit Naruto, a tale of a ninja boy, has charmed children and adults worldwide.

The former conservative government of Taro Aso, which was ousted in August elections, had earmarked 11.7 billion yen (128 million dollars) for a museum on Japanese cartoon art and pop culture to be built in Tokyo.

But the plan, part of wider stimulus measures, was axed by the new centre-left government, which criticised the construction as a "state-run manga cafe" that has nothing to do with boosting the economy।

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gJAzSuC3AOKkfxHPbRwOEBevmQKg

Asia moves up university league table

US and British universities dominate the top of a league table of universities worldwide published Thursday, but Asian seats of learning are moving up the global rankings.

Harvard remains in top spot in the Times Higher Education (THE) league table, followed by Britain's Cambridge University then Yale in third place, with London's University College and Imperial College in fourth and fifth.

Oxford has slipped one to joint fifth, but the next 10 places are occupied by US universities, most of them Ivy League like Princeton and Columbia, but also including Chicago University.

But Asian universities, while still struggling to break into the top 20, are moving upwards, with numbers in the top 200 growing in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia.

After the University of Tokyo in 22nd place come the University of Hong Kong in 24th, Japan's Kyoto University in 25th, and the National University of Singapore in 30th.

Philip Altbach of Boston University says the Asian improvement is due to a number of factors.

"These countries have invested heavily in higher education in recent years, and this is reflected in the improved quality in their top institutions," he told the Times education weekly.

"They have also attempted to internationalise their universities by hiring more faculty from overseas... this helps to improve their visibility globally," he added.

Japan has the most top-200-ranked universities at 11, one more than last year, followed by China with six; Hong Kong (up from four to five); South Korea (up from three to four); and Singapore and India, with two each.

Europe's top non-British university is Switzerland's Federal Institute of Technology in 20th spot, followed by France's Ecole Normale Superieure in 28th. The top German university is the Technical University of Munich, in 55th.

The top non-US and non-European universities are the Australian National University in 17th place, down one, and Canada's McGill University in 18th position, down two.

The league table, compiled by the THE in collaboration with the QS global career and education network, ranks universities according to a series of criteria including peer review, employers' views and student opinion surveys.

In Britain, Oxford University voiced surprise at the downgrading.

"League table rankings can vary as they often use different methods to measure success," said a spokesman for Oxford, one of the world's oldest universities which has a fierce rivalry with Cambridge.

"But Oxford University's position is surprising given that Oxford... has the highest research income of any UK university and has come first in every national league table," he added.

Here is a ranking of countries with the most universities in the top 200 of the THE/QS league table:

Country Region 2008 2009

United States North America 58 54

United Kingdom Europe 29 29

Canada North America 12 11

Japan Asia 10 11

Netherlands Europe 11 11

Germany Europe 11 10

Australia Australasia 9 9

Switzerland Europe 7 7

China Asia 6 6

Belgium Europe 5 5

Hong Kong Asia 4 5

Sweden Europe 4 5

France Europe 4 4

South Korea Asia 3 4

Denmark Europe 3 3

Israel Asia 3 3

New Zealand Australasia 3 3

India Asia 2 2

Ireland Europe 2 2

Norway Europe 1 2

Russia Europe 1 2

Singapore Asia 2 २

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hfjHdVEHOMBAY9e4I-DDKExDC59g

Kyoto Univ. cafeteria to start providing Islamic food

Kyoto University Co-op said Monday it will start providing food permissible under Islamic law at the university's cafeteria to meet the needs of the increasing number of Muslim students on campus.

The cafeteria will introduce a Halal food corner from Tuesday, avoiding pork and seasonings of pork origin, which Muslims are banned from eating. The new menus include chicken and croquettes made of broad beans, it said.

More than 1,000 Muslims live in the city of Kyoto, many of them said to be Kyoto University students and their families.

The rare introduction is aimed at supporting such Muslim students, whose population is expected to rise under the university's plans to increase the number of foreign students it accepts.

While the co-op said it had problems in arranging a cooking environment to avoid mixing pork and pork-related seasonings with Halal food, it has solved the issue by preparing the food at different hours।

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9B4T39G0&show_article=1

Tokyo universities set up first national/privately-funded grad school

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) and Waseda University will establish a joint graduate school next spring, school authorities announced Thursday।

The joint institution, which is scheduled to open in April next year, will be Japan's first-ever graduate school to be co-founded by national and private universities।

TUAT and Waseda, which are strong in agricultural science and engineering respectively, hope the school will become a leading institution in the area of health science, such as preventive medicine and food safety।

The school will offer a 3-year Ph।D. course in advanced health science, to be conferred under the name of both universities. A total of 10 seats will be available for the course, which will be taught by nine dedicated professors. Candidates are required to choose the university they would like to apply for, as well as their desired tutor. Up to six applicants will be admitted to TUAT and four to Waseda, all of whom will attend the common program at both universities.

Both universities will offer a 600,000 yen per year scholarship to make up for a 200,000-yen difference in tuition and admission fees in the first year।

"TUAT is strong in biotechnology and drug discovery। Our collaboration will bring about results that we can be proud of," said Waseda president Katsuhiko Shirai. TUAT head Hidefumi Kobatake added: "The fact that Waseda University is affiliated with Tokyo Women's Medical University is also very attractive for us."
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20091003p2a00m0na018000c.html

More foreign students than ever

The Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education recently convened over a government proposal to increase the number of foreign students in Japan to 300,000 by 2020। That plan is positive not only for students, schools and teachers, but also for Japan as a whole. This increased opening of Japanese education to foreign students is better late than never. The benefits are immense.

Japan was flooded with foreigners in the '80s and '90s। Many came on false documents and overstayed their visas. Those problems with foreign students are largely in the past. Nowadays, schools and immigration are better at managing the application process and focusing more on students in higher-level programs. Students these days have often already studied the Japanese language back home. While they might eventually also want to find work in Japan, they know the value of studying first. The programs and courses of study have improved tremendously in recent years.

Japanese schools are already well into a process of internationalizing, as more and more students from abroad arrive on campuses। These academic exchanges and casual contacts help to transform traditional mind-sets and outdated ways of thinking. However, the important counterpart to foreign students coming here is Japanese students going overseas. The number of students studying abroad has fallen in recent years, so high schools, universities and exchange programs need to encourage students more.

Many of the students who come to Japan are likely to stay and work in Japan, or find work that makes use of their Japanese-language, social and cultural skills। This, too, will be a tremendous benefit all around. After studying and experiencing Japanese culture firsthand, those who choose to stay will be quite different from the last generation that took hard physical labor jobs in factories. The exchange between foreign and Japanese students will prepare them for a future of internationalized workplaces and complex tasks.

Japan should welcome this plan and work toward its full realization। Its positive effects extend far beyond helping just individual students and school budgets. These ongoing educational exchanges can potentially establish a very different worldview for the next generation.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20090920a1.html

Vietnam strives for comprehensive education reform

The first conference of Vietnamese and Japanese university rectors took place in Hanoi on September 17, attracting more than 300 delegates from over 100 educational institutions in the two countries.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training-cum-Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said Vietnam gives top priority to the development of high-quality human resources. The country has sought many ways to renovate its education sector, improve the quality of teaching, and link training with social demand, he said.

The sector has adopted national programmes to train thousands of doctoral degree holders and apply more than 1,500 electronic course books to tertiary teaching. It has also given preferential credit to poor students and higher autonomy to universities and colleges.

Vietnam is endeavouring to have five of its universities ranked among the world’s top 200 universities by 2020, and to this end, it needs, the minister stressed, assistance from advanced countries, including Japan.

Shigeharu Kato, a representative of the Japanese Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, told the conference that his country is willing to share its experience and to cooperate with Vietnam in tertiary education. It will also create incentives for Vietnamese students and postgraduates to study in Japan.

The Japanese government has so far helped Vietnam build 256 primary schools in remote areas and raise the level of training and research at more than 100 Vietnamese colleges and universities.

In March 2008, the two countries’ Ministries of Education and Training signed a memorandum-of-understanding under which Japan will help Vietnam train 1,000 doctoral degree holders at Japanese universities from 2008-2010।
http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Vietnam-strives-for-comprehensive-education-reform/20099/107930.vov

Japan's Waseda University opens bioscience institute in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Sept। 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Waseda University opened the Waseda Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore (WAIBOS) on Monday.

The WABIOS marks the first time that Waseda University is setting up research operations overseas independently।

WABIOS will focus its research in the areas of bio-imaging, bioengineering, biophysics and nano-biotechnology। It will also further develop the neuroscience, focused research findings derived from the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute, a joint initiative between Waseda University and Olympus Corporation from 2004 to 2009, according to a statement by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

WABIOS has committed 2 million Singapore dollars (1।4 million U.S. dollars) for its research activities here and will start with a few researchers from both Japan and Singapore.

President of Waseda University Katsuhiko Shirai and Chairman of A*STAR Lim Chuan Poh also signed on Monday a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) here at the opening of WABIOS।

The agreement aims to facilitate research collaborations between scientists from the two organizations through joint symposia and workshops as well as enable graduate students from Waseda University to spend up to 2 years at A*STAR research institutes during the course of their PhD studies under A*STAR's Research Attachment Program।
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/14/content_12049112.htm

Crisis puts universities on steep learning curve

The financial turmoil that originated in the United States last fall jolted educational institutions here across the Pacific, shaking the financial health of some universities and dashing the dreams of any number of parents.

In July, Keio University decided to postpone the opening of a new elementary and junior high school in Yokohama, to the dismay of parents who wished to enroll their children.

Enrollment in the affiliate school, slated to open in April 2011, was seen as a path for children into the prestigious university free from tough entrance examinations.

For the private university based in Tokyo, the addition of a new affiliate school was a key project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1858. No new schedule has been set.

Keio was forced to halt the commemorative project after its investment portfolio--like that of many other private universities--was hit hard by the financial crisis.

Keio President Atsushi Seike said when he assumed the top post in May that he would "review all projects." The commemorative project was no exception.

As most major private universities released their financial data for the fiscal year that ended March 31, it was clear they were weighed down by heavy investment losses.

They are not just reviewing their means of asset management but curtailing or postponing projects, or dropping them altogether.

According to Keio's financial report, it suffered latent losses in stocks and other securities totaling 53.5 billion yen as of the end of fiscal 2008; of the total, it wrote off 16.9 billion yen as losses.

Its consumption statement of revenue and expenditure, which shows a school entity's financial conditions in a single year, showed a deficit of 26.9 billion yen for the fiscal year.

Latent losses not written off came to 36.5 billion yen, including 22.8 billion yen from investment trusts and 3.6 billion yen from derivatives. The total was up sharply from 22.5 billion yen at the end of fiscal 2007.

Criticism of such asset management has been smoldering within Keio.

Masahiko Shimizu, a vice president who took charge of financial affairs and accounting in late May, said the school will change its means of asset management.

"We must seriously reflect on our failure to cope with the (market) moves last year," Shimizu said.

"We will review our portfolio and management regulations in the direction of reducing the ratio of high-risk financial products."

Sophia University in Tokyo similarly reported latent losses of 11.8 billion yen, of which it wrote off 8 billion yen as appraisal losses. Its fiscal 2008 deficit was 8.4 billion yen, bringing the accumulated deficit to 9.4 billion yen.

Komazawa University's debacle in derivatives trading, which made headlines late last year by incurring 15.4 billion yen in losses, underlines the extent of the blow from the financial crisis.

Having other investment losses as well, the Buddhist university in Tokyo wrote off appraisal losses totaling 6.5 billion yen and reported a deficit of 22.9 billion yen for fiscal 2008.

Its accumulated deficit came to 31.1 billion yen.

The balance sheet showed the school's assets fell by 7.6 billion yen from a year ago, while debts rose by 12.2 billion yen as a result of borrowing to help cover the losses.

Its net assets, or assets minus debts, came to 51.9 billion yen, a drop of 19.9 billion yen from the previous year.

According to Komazawa's internal documents, it refinanced 12.4 billion yen in loans for longer terms. Of the total, 7 billion yen was extended by Mizuho Bank, with the repayment dates set for 2015 to 2018. Its outstanding debt was 19.8 billion yen as of the end of March.

"It will likely face considerable funding difficulties given the burden of repayment each year," said an investment advisory analyst.

"Unless it takes drastic reform measures, such as selling assets, it may be difficult to rebuild school facilities or carry out new projects," the analyst said.

Seijiro Kobayashi, the university's general affairs chief, acknowledges the management difficulties it faces.

"We are studying how we will repay (the debts)," he said. "First, we will curtail costs."

An investigative panel compiled a report on what went wrong late last year. The university dismissed its chief director, and also made other officials in charge of accounting resign.

Its new president has pledged a re-examination of the problems; a new report by an external panel is due soon.

Many other private universities reported latent losses in the fiscal year.

Kenji Uno, chief senior analyst at the Daiwa Institute of Research's public policy research department, says those schools should have been more cautious.

"Even at a regional bank, 20 to 30 people are engaged in asset management activities, but private universities assign only several people, who have other duties as well," Uno said.

"Despite that, they expect high returns.

"Asset management by private universities, whose funds come from tuition and subsidies, must be done on a steady basis as a basic rule."

The education ministry in January sent notices to all educational corporations calling for caution in the management of their assets.

The ministry also called on them to draw up internal rules on types of financial products and ceilings for investment as well as a system to keep tabs on their portfolio conditions.

Public accountants and other experts also point to the need for university entities to have better information disclosure about their financial conditions.

An education ministry survey last fall found only 72 percent of the entities release business reports separately from their financial results.

Keio and a small number of other universities make public the types of securities they hold, but they are exceptions.

According to the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a survey of the fiscal 2006 business reports released by 296 entities showed 46 percent stopped short of reporting details of their financial results.

In February, the institute released a model for university business reports to encourage education entities to have better disclosure.

The model gives a wide range of examples of detailed reports, from market values of securities and debts to yearly changes of accounting ratios, which show the entities' financial strength.

"University corporations, which are of a highly public nature, must fulfill accountability to the society," said Keiko Sano, an executive board member of the institute.

"They should pursue better information disclosure by, for example, setting unified standards (for financial reports)," she said।(IHT/Asahi: September 2,2009)

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200909020043.html

Todai still beckons nation's best, brightest but goals diversifying

For more than 130 years, the University of Tokyo has been unrivaled as the gateway to elite careers for thousands of hopeful candidates who pass the exam to get in.

Established by the Meiji government, the university commonly called Todai was established as the nation's first national university। Its mandate was to produce great minds to enable Japan to catch with the West. Graduates of law, in particular, have traditionally gone on to hold key positions in government.

But recently, observers say the school is losing its hitherto uncontested prestige as employers look for qualitative skills in employees and its graduates branch out into careers other than the bureaucracy।

Following are some questions and answers about the University of Tokyo:

What is the University of Tokyo's reputation in Japan?

The school was originally bent on churning out elite-track bureaucrats to lead Japan's development and catch up with the Western powers. Todai graduates have filled top bureaucratic positions since the Meiji Era, particularly those from its law school.
"The shining brand of a Tokyo law graduate was the magic key to opening the door to the powerful elite," journalist Yo Mizuki writes in his book "University of Tokyo Law Department."
Climbing to the top of the bureaucratic ladder without Todai law credentials has been difficult, he writes। In fact, about a quarter of Japan's 59 prime ministers studied law at the university.

Todai law graduates have also traditionally dominated the business world, Mizuki writes, noting they have often filled the presidency of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
Todai graduates outnumber those from other schools in passing the notoriously competitive civil service examinations and legal examinations, according to the "2010 University rankings," published by the Asahi Shimbun।

Last year saw 224 Todai graduates pass the civil service tests in administration, law and finance, compared with 67 from prestigious Waseda University, which is also in Tokyo।

Last year, 200 Todai graduates passed the bar examination, outclassing their closest competitors from Tokyo's Chuo University, who numbered 196।

Why do some say Todai is losing its sheen?

In recent years it appears some of the best and brightest are electing to go to other schools, and graduates from other institutions are making inroads into leadership positions in government and politics।

In 1993, then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa ordered government ministries to employ fewer Todai graduates in an effort to diversify the backgrounds of bureaucrats to create a government that could cope more flexibly with quickly changing economic and international situations।

The 1990s also saw a raft of corruption scandals embroiling elite bureaucrats, severely damaging their social reputation, and they were also targeted by various deregulatory measures to dilute their power।

With the bureaucracy's long-lasting cache on the wane, Todai graduates began to pursue other avenues for elite careers, including the fields of law and finance।

According to the university, more than 27 percent of its law students who graduated in March 2008 joined the finance and insurance sectors, while fewer than a quarter pursued the civil service।

Of all the 2008 graduates, only 14 percent chose the civil service, fewer than those who went into manufacturing or information technology and communications, while 25 percent were employed at financial or insurance firms।

Journalist Yo Mizuki said this is because jobs in law and finance enjoy relative independence from the system, and foreign firms have a less vertical organizational structures and pay higher salaries।

How does Todai stack up with top universities overseas?

According to the Times Higher Education, a London magazine noted for its annual rankings of the world's universities, Todai came in 19th last year। The rest of the top 20 was dominated by U.S. and U.K. schools. Todai has maintained its position in the top 20 for the last few years, creeping into the top 10 in engineering and IT in subject-specific lists.

The ranking measures the international esteem of each school's research as well as academic peer reviews, employers' ratings of graduates, staff-to-student ratio and quota of international staff and students।

By comparison, Kyoto University ranked 25th and Osaka University 44th. The University of Hong Kong is the highest ranking Asian institution outside Japan, at 26th place।

What about the reputation of Todai graduates among employers in the private sector?

Todai graduates may not be the most sought after by Japanese employers in the private sector, according to a 2006 survey by Shukan Diamond magazine।

The survey ranked Todai's science department sixth। Its literature department came in even lower, at 20th, based on an evaluation of "useful" graduates.

Waseda's departments in these fields, meanwhile, ranked highest in the survey of 563 human resources managers who responded to a poll sent to 4,500 major companies।

Keio's literature department ranked third।

According to Shukan Diamond, what employers look for most in workers are qualities such as positiveness and cheerfulness as well as fundamental academic ability, activeness and communications skills।

How did Todai start, how has it changed and what is the current makeup of its student body?
Established by the Meiji government in 1877 on the former estate of an Edo Period feudal family, the university was the result of merging two governmental schools, specializing in Western studies and medicine। The purpose of Todai's founding was to produce top minds to modernize Japan.

Initially named the University of Tokyo, the school was renamed Imperial University near the end of the 19th century, then quickly afterward Tokyo Imperial University। After the war, it reverted to its original name.

In the years after World War II, coeducation was introduced as well as the present undergraduate and graduate systems।

Todai students were at the heart of the peace activist movement in the 1960s।

Todai now has a student body of 30,000, including graduate students, attending classes at its three campuses in Komaba, Meguro Ward, Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, and Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture।

Females constitute 20 percent of the undergraduates, numbering between 2,700 and 2,800 each year for the last decade।

In recent years, there have been roughly three or four applicants per one undergraduate opening।

What is the foreign representation like at Todai?

International students have been increasing steadily in recent years, from 1,924 in 1999 to 2,444 in 2008, accounting for about 15 percent of the roster. In comparison, Harvard University has 3,800 international students।

Chinese account for almost 30 percent of Todai's foreign students, followed by South Koreans at 23 percent। Europeans constitute 9 percent and North Americans 3 percent.

According to Hiroshi Komiyama, the university's president until last March, Todai needs to attract more Indian and Chinese students।

"The weapons are lesson fee exemption, distribution of scholarships and improvement of student lodgings," he writes in his book "I will tell you about the University of Tokyo."
Although Japan has overtaken the U.S. in recent years in the number of Chinese students, now around 80,000, "we are still losing against the U.S. in terms of quality," Komiyama said.
The U।S. attracts around 50,000 Chinese students each year, he added.

Who are key Todai alumni?

Graduates include writer Yukio Mishima and Nobel Prize in literature laureates Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe।

Other Nobel laureates include the late Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and physicist Yoichiro Nambu।

Todai graduates among leading politicians include Yukio Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan and the likely candidate to be the next prime minister, and his brother Kunio, former justice and internal affairs ministers, as well as labor and welfare minister Yoichi Masuzoe।

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, singer Tokiko Kato and theater director Hideki Noda are also graduates of the University of टोकियो
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090811i1.html

Nearly 40% of privately run universities in the red

Nearly 40 percent of privately run colleges and universities across Japan operated in the red in the academic year to last March, a more than fourfold increase from around a decade ago, a survey showed Friday।

The survey by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan found that 222 schools reported losses for the year, compared with 48 in a similar survey for 1997 and 194 for 2007। The latest survey by the organization covered 589 schools, of which 569 responded.

The schools reported combined revenues of 3।2 trillion yen, of which 77 percent came from tuition and other fees from students and 11 percent came from state subsidies.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99TUV480&show_article=1

How to Build a Multilingual, Multicultural Customer Experience

Customer service experience can be a critical business differentiator। Many companies — from American Express to Zappos — have found business value in creating satisfying customer service experiences across channels. Now that markets are more and more global in nature, some companies are finding value in making customer service experiences multilingual and multicultural: delivered in the business and regulatory context of local markets and tailored to the language and culture of the customer.

While these multilingual, multicultural customer experiences (MMCE) are relatively common in face-to-face customer service, they are often ignored in contact center customer service। The following is a step-by-step approach for businesses to determine their needs for MMCE, and tips for implementing MMCE in the customer contact center.

1। Assess the importance of customer serviceBefore getting started, ask how important customer service is to your business strategy. For example, if the lynchpin of your business differentiation and branding is low prices, product excellence, or operating efficiencies, a focus on MMCE may not make sense.

2। Assess target marketsNext, you need to clearly understand what countries and customer segments constitute your target market. This will help assess the need for MMCE, and identify what languages to support in your MMCE strategy. In many cases, this will be obvious — English for the Unites States or the United Kingdom and French for France. In other cases, you may need demographic information contained in census data about the primary and secondary languages spoken in your target markets.

You can also find language preferences through primary customer surveys and in fact, you may find that customers may have different language preferences for different communication channels। For instance, English may be OK for email and chat but not for phone in many countries.

3। Assess the scope of customer queriesCustomer queries fall into broad categories of varying complexity and interaction depth: informational (What is my account balance?), transactional (Can you help fill out my online form), advice-seeking (What calling plan and phone model are suitable for my lifestyle?) and diagnostic (My printer does not work) as illustrated in the figure below:

The more complex the queries are, the higher the need is for MMCE। On average, transactional, diagnostic, and advice-seeking queries present more service differentiation opportunities through MMCE than informational ones.

4। Train agentsDespite the increasing use of self-service, agent-assisted customer service is here to stay. Due to globalization, cross-cultural communication has become a vital part of every agent's training more than ever before. Make sure to cover topics such as vocabulary, tone, and cultural etiquette. Clearly, this is more important in phone interactions than in other channels such as email due to its real-time, high-touch nature. This should be supplemented with voice modulation training and accent neutralization for offshore phone agents.

5। Adopt culturally-nuanced policies and practicesCustomer service policies and practices are often implemented with little or no consideration to cultural aspects. For example, think twice before implementing cross-selling or upselling. In some countries, it may not be polite to cross-sell even at the end of a successful customer service interaction. Likewise, a 48-hour response time for email queries may be acceptable in some cultures but tantamount to ignoring the customer in others. Another example is the use of informal salutation (i.e. addressing by first name) and communication tone in the United States versus the more formal salutation and tone that may be better suited for many other English-speaking countries.
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/07/how_to_build_a_multilingual_mu.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-TOPICEMAIL-_-AUG_2009-_-STRATEGY1

Enrollments in private rural colleges surge amid tough economic times

As the lingering economic downturn weighs heavily on household budgets, private colleges in rural areas are enjoying a surge in their number of enrollments, it's been learned।

Enrollments in private rural colleges have grown from last year, while private universities in large cities saw their student numbers decline, according to a survey released by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan (Shigaku-Jigyodan)।

Until now, prestigious private universities in urban areas had enjoyed advantages in the fierce competition for students; however, as the long recession casts a shadow over the household economy, more students and their parents are favoring nearby colleges over urban universities in an attempt to reduce expenses।

The survey was conducted on 570 private colleges in 21 districts across Japan, excluding correspondence colleges। The results indicated that colleges in rural areas including the Chugoku district and Tohoku district have boosted their student numbers, apart from those in large cities such as in Hiroshima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture.

On the other hand, universities in urban areas including Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture suffered a decline, with the number of new students dropping by 0।5 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

The competition rate for large-scale universities with a capacity of 3,000 students or over has also dropped for the first time in three years, while the number of applicants decreased by around 14,000।

"It is not clear whether the trend is temporary, or it will continue after the current economic slump is over," says a Shigaku-Jigyodan representative।

Among private colleges, 46।5 percent, or 265 schools, are under-enrolled, while 31 colleges have less than 50 percent of their student capacity।
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090731p2a00m0na004000c.html

Record 11,000 foreign students land jobs in Japan

A record 11,040 foreign students found jobs in Japan in 2008 after graduating from universities and other schools here, up 7.6 percent from the previous year, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said Tuesday. It was the sixth increase in as many years.
Asian students accounted for 96.6 percent of the successful job applicants. By nation, 7,651 came from China, 1,360 from South Korea, 303 from Taiwan, 189 from Vietnam and 164 from Bangladesh, according to the bureau.
It obtained the data by tallying the number of students who applied for changes in visa status, which is mandatory for employment.
The most common jobs were in translation and interpretation, engaged in by 33।7 percent of the former students, followed by sales at 16.2 percent and information processing at 11.2 percent.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090715a8.html

'Manga' grad course on horizon

Kyoto Seika University plans to offer a graduate course to foster comic book creators and researchers in fiscal 2010.
It will be the first academic course on "manga" offered by a graduate school at a Japanese university, the private school said.
Well-known manga creators, including Keiko Takemiya, Shuho Itahashi and Yukio Shinohara, who teach in the university's manga department, will give lectures as part of the graduate course.
About 840 students aiming to become comic book creators or animators are currently enrolled in the school's Faculty of Manga, which was established in 2006.
The university opened the manga department in 2000, the first of its kind in the country।

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090716b1.html

Japan students rush for English-language education

At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee.
The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard"।

Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West।

"In future I hope to become a doctor or a lawyer। I can't make up my mind," said one high school student on a recent study night, taking a short break between English grammar exercises and vocabulary drills.

But one thing he is sure about: he wants to go to Yale University where he expects a more pro-active learning environment than in Japan, one that stresses lively debate and independent thinking।

"I don't like the Japanese education system of passively listening to lectures," he said.
More and more Japanese parents and students are thinking the same way, said Masanori Fujii, of the cram school company Benesse Corp, which offers customised "Route H" courses at an average of 2।5 million yen (28,000 dollars).

"Most of them are high school students and their parents, but some are parents of ninth graders, eighth graders or even sixth graders," he said।

While many families across Asia who could afford it have long sent their children abroad for an English-language education, Japan now lags behind India, China and South Korea in sending students to US universities, according to the US Institute of International Education।

But the tide is turning, said Fujii, with a new wave of students worried that a Japanese-only education will leave them ill-prepared in an increasingly globalised world।

"The recent trend is different from the past in that top students are hoping to leave Japan," he said।

Of the 10,000 top high school students who took a mock university entrance exam last year, five percent were also hoping to apply to prestigious US and British universities such as Yale, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, Fujii said।

Their number is set to rise in future as the government is planning to introduce English-language education at elementary schools from 2011।

While the percentage may not seem huge yet, it has ended the virtual monopoly Japan's universities once enjoyed over the best and brightest academic talent, putting some educational institutions on the defensive।

-- Competition should improve education at home --

In 2005, the elite University of Tokyo for the first time teamed up with other hallowed learning institutions for a national tour to recruit high school students in provincial cities।

The university wanted to remind young Japanese that "there are many Japanese colleges which offer education and research as good as that of foreign universities or better," the university said in a statement।

Tokyo University also said it would aim to strengthen education in English, "an international language in the academic world"।

"Japanese universities are under pressure to improve their quality of education in an increasingly globalised world," said Hideo Kageyama, professor of education at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto।

"It's also difficult for Japanese universities to attract smart students from Asian countries such as China and India। Japan should discuss how to improve education with the view that it is competing with other countries on the educational front."

Cultural purists worry about the rush for English and a Western education।

A "fervor for education in English without a national strategy is a recipe for the decline of Japanese," wrote novelist Minae Mizumura, who recently caused a stir with her essay "When the Japanese language goes extinct"।

"We already have a solid translation culture in which almost any kind of intellectual dialogue can be read and spoken in Japanese," she said।

"But if everyone tries to speak English, the richness of Japanese could be reduced to a local language in which no intellectual conversations take place।"

Yukio Otsu, a linguistics professor at Keio University, agreed that "not all Japanese have to speak English"।

But he added that "it's natural to choose a university in an English speaking country if a top school of your specialised field happens to be there। And one's mother tongue doesn't disappear that easily."

Masayasu Morita, executive supervisor of the "Route H" course, said exposing more Japanese students to foreign universities would enrich, not threaten, the educational environment at home।

"This kind of competition between colleges across borders could contribute to improving the quality of Japanese education," he said।
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_asia_afp/lifestylejapaneducationenglish_20090702055729

Panel eyes new schools for vocational education

A key government panel on education suggested Monday the establishment of a new category of school that will attach primary importance to practical vocational training for high school graduates।

The idea was suggested by the Central Council for Education as a measure to broaden the range of career choices for high school graduates and reduce the high rate of young people leaving employment।

The move reflects public concern over the increasing number of part-time job hoppers and NEETs, a term that refers to young people not in education, employment or training।

On Monday, a special committee of the panel to the education, science and technology minister compiled the draft of a report on the vocational independence of young people।

The report states that the new schools will create a new category of educational body in addition to universities and vocational colleges।

Under the current system, vocational colleges are given a considerable measure of freedom in devising their educational programs। But unlike these colleges, the envisaged schools are supposed to set up programs roughly in line with state-controlled standards.

The new schools would teach students a wide array of skills to prepare them to become full-fledged members of society and/or business professionals, allocating 40 to 50 percent of the curriculum to practical work and training। In addition, internships would be a mandatory part of the courses.

However, many issues still need to be discussed before the plans can be put into action।

For example, the panel has been indecisive about the duration of courses at the new schools, stating it should last from two to three years, or at least four years। Digital content creation and computer software-related engineering courses have been floated as ideas to be included in the new schools' curriculums.

According to the education ministry, about 50,000 people who graduated from high school last academic year did not proceed to higher education or employment after graduating।

Meanwhile, a survey shows that 50 percent of people who started work after graduating resigned within three years।

According to educational experts, current vocational education at high schools is ineffective, which is one of the reasons for the increase of NEETs and part-time job-hoppers, widely known as freeters।

The government has been urged to improve vocational education at high schools to try to counter this trend।
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090701TDY02311.htm

Taiwan's working holiday program with Japan opens

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) urged young Taiwanese people yesterday to seize the chance of joining a reciprocal working holiday program with Japan that will come into effect tomorrow, warning that the openings will soon be snapped उप

"A working holiday is a perfect solution for young people who want to travel abroad but are financially constrained," Peter Tsai, secretary-general of the MOFA's Association of East Asian Relations, told reporters।

"Those who are interested in joining the Taiwan-Japan working holiday program should file their applications as soon as possible, as it is a long-anticipated program about which the Foreign Ministry and other related government agencies have received many inquiries from interested parties," he added।

According to Tsai, Taiwan and Japan will each offer 2,000 openings in the first year of the program and the Taipei-based Interchange Association, which represents Japanese interests in Taiwan in the absences of formal diplomatic ties, will accept applications June 1-5 and Nov. 2-6.
While applicants will not be required to be versed in Japanese, language ability might be factored into the review process if the number of applicants far exceeds the 2,000-per-year quota, he added।

Japan is the third country to sign working holiday agreements with Taiwan, which signed similar pacts with Australia and New Zealand in 2004।

From June 1, Taiwanese people aged 18-30 can apply to the Interchange Association for a working holiday visa that will allow them to work on a short-term basis while visiting Japan। The visas are valid for one year.

Japan has similar programs with 10 other countries and is expected to sign one with Hong Kong this year, according to the MOFA।

According to the Interchange Association, prospective Taiwanese applicants should file applications in person and submit supporting documents, including a valid Taiwanese passport, resume, return ticket, a clean bill of health, a clean criminal record, accident insurance and sufficient finances to cover the initial part of their stay।

Those who acquire visas under the working holiday program are barred from working at night clubs or any sex trade-related places, as well as taking any other controversial jobs, the agency added।

The Interchange Association is scheduled to announce the results of screening for those who file June applications July 3 and qualified applicants should pick up their visas July 6-17।

Taiwan and Japan maintain close relations despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties। The Japanese government granted visa-free privileges to Taiwanese citizens in 2007 and the two sides that same year also began recognizing each other's driver's licenses.

An average 2।5 million citizens travel between the two countries each year.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=963345&lang=eng_news&cate_img=35.jpg&cate_rss=news_Business

iPhone to replace register at Japan university

A Japanese university is giving away Apple Inc's trendy iPhone to students for free, but with a catch: the device will be used to check their attendance।

The project, which is being tested ahead of its formal launch in June, involves 550 first and second year students and some staff of a department at Aoyama Gakuin University, which is located just outside Tokyo in Sagamihara city।

The school's iPhones are meant to create a mobile information network between students and professors, but they are also a convenient way for the teachers to take attendance in class.
As students enter the room, instead of writing their name on a sheet, they simply type in their ID number and a specific class number into an iPhone application।

To prevent students from logging in from home or outside class, the application uses GPS location data and checks which router the students have logged in to।

"We don't want to use this to simply take attendance। Our hope is to use this to develop a classroom where students and teachers can discuss various topics," professor Yasuhiro Iijima told Reuters as he demonstrated the application.

University officials insist the project is not intended to infringe on students' privacy or track them down।

"With Japanese cellphones it's possible that the location data is automatically sent. However, with the iPhone, you must always confirm before the GPS data can be sent," Iijima said.
Many of the students testing the system said they were happy with it।

"Up until now, we've been using little slips of paper to take attendance। But with a cell phone, you don't have to spend time collecting all of those and so I think it's quite nice," 20-year-old student Yuki Maruya.

When the system goes fully online next month, the university also hopes to provide video podcasts of lectures to help students who missed classes, or just can't remember their lessons।
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE54R1NE20090528

Scholarships on offer for students wanting to study in Japan

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology will offer scholarships to international students who wish to study in Japan, at the Professional Training College, the College of Technology or in the university। According to a press release from the Consulate General of Japan, the scholarships are for three, four and five years, beginning April 2010. At the Professional Training College, the three-year scholarship courses offered are in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunication, Nutrition, Infant Education, Secretarial Studies, Hotel Management, Tourism, Photography, Fashion and Dressmaking. At the College of Technology, the courses, of four years duration, relate to Mechanical Engineering, Information Communication, Networking Engineering, Architecture and Civil Engineering. Undergraduate students can apply for the five-year scholarships available in Social Sciences and Humanities, Law, Politics, Pedagogy, Sociology, Literature, History, Japanese Language, Economics, and Business Administration and others, as well as in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chemical Engineering, Textile Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Biotechnology, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Food Sciences, Fisheries, Medicine and Dentistry। Applicants must have been born between 2 April 1988 and 1 April 1993 and completed a 12-year (plus-two or higher secondary) regular course of school education. The applicant must be willing to undergo a one-year intensive course in the Japanese language and other subjects in preparation for college and university. Applicants will have to appear for a written examination in July 2009 at the Consulate premises. This will be followed by an interview. Results will be intimated to candidates by February 2010. The prescribed application form along with the guidelines can be obtained from the Consulate-General of Japan (Culture and Information) 12/1, Cenotaph रोड
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Scholarships-on-offer-for-students-wanting-to-study-in-Japan/articleshow/4557627.cms

The Odds Favor Business Schools in China and India

Asian B-schools must go a long way to match Western ones, but they are fast making giant strides

Economic power is shifting rapidly from the West to the East—especially to China and India। China appears destined to become the world's largest economy by 2025. India, trailing China by about 12 years, will rank among the world's top three or four by then. By 2025, China and India will also likely account for well over 100 of the world's 500 largest companies, up from 36 today. Where will the corporate leaders of these new economies come from? Are the leading business schools in China and India up to the task, or will the grooming of tomorrow's global leaders be done primarily at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and INSEAD?

Global MBA rankings would suggest that the die is already cast. According to the Financial Times' 2009 rankings, China and India account for only one school each among the top 100 MBA programs in the world, as contrasted with 56 from the U.S. Even these two (the China Europe International Business School and the Indian School of Business) are the products of Western alliances. None of the top two purely Indian MBA programs (IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore) or the top two purely Chinese MBA programs (Tsinghua University's School of Economics & Management and Beijing University's Guanghua School of Management) make it into the FT Global 100 list. And Indian B-schools are reporting disappointing job-placement numbers for their graduates as the global recession dampens demand from would-be employers.
Asian Strength
Notwithstanding the apparent dominance of Western—especially American—business schools, we argue that the odds favor the top business schools from within China and India. Here's why.
• First, student quality at the top Indian and Chinese business schools is superb and getting better। Sheer population numbers give these schools an advantage in the intellectual caliber of incoming students. Numbers dictate that it is harder to get into a top business school in India or China than into a similarly ranked school in the U.S. or Europe. Current Chinese MBA students, virtually all born after 1978, grew up in the reform era, have been learning English for years, and have been heavily exposed to the market economy. They are also much more willing to challenge the status quo, a requisite for becoming innovative.

Increasingly, Chinese students can also draw inspiration from domestic business heroes such as Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group। Faculty at U.S. business schools routinely acknowledge—but are hesitant to say so publicly—that the likelihood of MBA students transforming into stellar corporate leaders depends far more on their personal characteristics than on the caliber of the faculty, either as research scholars or in terms of pedagogical skills in the classroom.

• Second, domestic salaries received by graduates of the top MBA programs in both China and India are rising and becoming competitive with their counterparts in the West। At the top three MBA programs in both India and China, average starting salaries for domestic jobs range from $30,000 to $50,000. Adjusted for purchasing power parity, these salaries are on par with or higher than those earned by the graduates of the top Western MBA programs. As income levels in China and India continue to rise faster than in the West, it is likely that the salaries earned by the graduates of the top MBA programs will also move up at a faster pace. Attractive salaries and abundant job prospects would suggest that the indigenous MBA programs will become even more attractive to the top domestic applicants in the coming years.

Third, it is now virtually impossible for any school to maintain a competitive advantage based on the curriculum। Given the Internet, every school has real-time access to the curriculum being followed and course materials being used by every other school. Most of the top business schools in the world (including those in China and India) routinely monitor curricular innovations at other schools and revise their own curriculums every three to five years. Another factor driving toward parity in curriculum innovation is the growing number of Chinese and Indian PhD graduates who are returning to their homelands to take up faculty positions. Nearly half of the faculty at Tsinghua University's School of Economics & Management earned their PhDs from Western business schools.

• Fourth, context matters। Unlike in the U.S., state- and family-owned enterprises constitute the large majority of corporations in both China and India. In both economies, market realities too are radically different from those in the U.S. Average per capita income in China is about one-fifteenth and in India about one-fortieth of that in the U.S. Given vast rural populations, the market for almost every product or service in China and India is also far more diverse than that in the U.S.

Leading indigenous MBA programs are able to provide much greater exposure to these contextual realities than Harvard or Stanford ever could। One U.S.-trained partner at the Mumbai offices of one of the world's leading strategy consulting firms told us: "We have direct experience with MBAs from the top Indian schools as well as returnees with degrees from the top Western schools. American MBAs are better packaged. However, the Indian MBAs are much stronger analytically and have more in-depth understanding of the Indian business environment. On average, the latter tend to be more successful for us. The importance of context also shows up in that our Europe-educated MBAs tend to perform better in India than those from the U.S."

A Paucity of Diversity
Notwithstanding these advantages, even the top MBA programs in China and India suffer from two major weaknesses। One, their student body is much less diverse than at top MBA programs in the West. Harvard's annual intake of 900 students comes from over 70 countries. Stanford draws its annual pool of about 370 students from over 50 countries. Greater diversity fosters richer class discussions and a more global network of contacts. This is one area where the leading Western business schools will continue to sustain an enduring advantage.

Two, in terms of faculty research, even the best Chinese and Indian business schools pale in comparison with any of the top 25 Western business schools। Building the necessary research culture and assembling a critical mass of top scholars requires resources and even then can take years. Here too, top Western business schools are likely to sustain an enduring advantage. In terms of a business school's ability to train corporate leaders, however, the quality of faculty research may not be as critical as it may appear. Graduates of the Indian Institutes of Technology have been spectacularly successful at climbing the top rungs of Corporate America despite the fact that, until recently, the IITs have been primarily teaching rather than research institutions.

Looking ahead, it is clear that history is on the side of the top business schools from India and China। Their biggest challenge will be to turn superb teaching institutions into research powerhouses as well.

The rise of China and India also offers an opportunity to the leading Western business schools। They must commit to becoming insiders within China and India. Context matters, and the best way to develop a deeper understanding of China and India and to broaden the alumni network within these economies is to partner as well as compete with the dragons and tigers on their home turf. The fastest and most effective way to do so without running into capacity problems will be via nondegree executive education programs.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/may2009/gb2009057_658055_page_2.htm