Connecting Academia and Practice: Research that Gives Back to Society

I am currently a member of Professor Hikaru Yamamoto's seminar, where I research brand communities in the B2B (business-to-business) field. While working in corporate marketing and community management as a professional, I became interested in theoretically clarifying the effects and significance of information exchange between customers, as well as the mechanisms of mutual interaction within communities. This led me to pursue a doctoral degree after completing my MBA.

Professor Hikaru Yamamoto is a top-tier researcher with extensive business experience. She provides kind and personal guidance on how to construct perspectives and theories, as well as approaches to empirical analysis, to transform my practice-rooted interests into academic research. Furthermore, the ability to refine my research while being exposed to diverse perspectives through discussions with fellow graduate students in seminars is a major attraction.

I am currently conducting my research alongside my work, with the goal of becoming a researcher in the future. Balancing research and work is by no means easy, but in an environment with well-equipped research infrastructure—such as grant systems and access to paper databases—I am able to use my time efficiently by utilizing online tools.

At the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, while my practical experience is respected, I am able to receive academically rigorous methodology and detailed feedback, which has greatly broadened my horizons. Both business and academia ultimately aim to contribute to society. This environment, which can connect the two, is an irreplaceable place of learning for me. Regardless of age or career stage, I encourage anyone with an inquisitive mind for scholarship to take on this challenge.