Driving Business in Thailand: Inquiring, Inspiring, and Innovating

After a four intensive days packed with industry speakers, academic lectures, group workshops, company visits, and much more--all bookended by two fabulous dinner parties--the Driving Business in Thailand program drew to a close this past Friday. Organized in cooperation with Thammasat Business School and Sasin School of Management, the tour provided a deep dive into the realities of business in a country known as much for its remarkable progress in social and economic development as it is for its picturesque beaches, golden palaces, and flavorful cuisine.

Over 55 students and alumni from our Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya campuses representing both Japanese and English programs came together to undertake an exploratory mission into the beating heart of Thai industry. Led by Prof. Khongphat "Mek" Prasarnthong for the Thammasat portion of the tour, participants familiarized themselves with the southeast Asian business landscape, reinforcing their classroom learnings with visits to the Amata Corporation, a leading private developer of industrial real estate sites, and True Digital Park, Southeast Asia's largest tech and startup hub.

Tasked with generating innovative business concepts in groups, participants drew upon their learning experiences and developed business models based on their understanding of the Thai business context. These proposals would be contrasted with further learnings on the final day of the program hosted by Sasin, which featured series of talks given by speakers representing Japanese companies' interests in Thailand, with presentations from JETRO, Shizen International, Hino Motors, and Sompo Holdings.

Valuable experiences overseas are a necessary part of a truly globalized management and business education. Through company visits, study tour programs, exchange opportunities, and, of course, case method lecture, practice-oriented learning provides experiences that impart more wisdom than knowledge, and develop instincts that engender critical insights. As a proud provider of such experiences, our institution looks forward to welcoming future students and introducing exciting new opportunities for networking and learning, year by year. Many thanks to the gracious organizers at our partner institutions and the companies that hosted us: ขอบคุณ!