[Faculty of Business Administration] On Friday, January 24th, in the Marketing Research class, Toshimasa Watanabe, CEO of An Corporation, gave a critique of the group work presentations made in the second class.

The "Marketing Research" lecture by Assistant Professor Tonosaki Mizuyo of Faculty of Business Administration aimed to teach the importance of research and data analysis, which influence management decision-making and marketing direction. Students were divided into four groups and learned through 15 lectures, going through the process of formulating a hypothesis for a problem, researching, analyzing, and proposing solutions to the problem. To conclude the class, the students gave a presentation on the theme of "Specific Proposals for Adult Learning." At the time of the presentation, they received comments and advice from Watanabe Toshimasa, CEO of An Inc., which produces various media.
Each group made a presentation in the following order: setting a purpose and hypothesis, explaining the research method, analyzing the results, and proposing concrete measures based on the results. The hypotheses of each group were "How do we overcome setbacks and failures?" such as "Do past setbacks help us grow today?", "Isn't changing our mindset the key to overcoming failure?", "When adults hit a wall, instead of continuing to try, they step back and think from a broader perspective.", and "I think the way we perceive learning changes depending on the age group." To prove their hypotheses, each group put into practice the methods they learned in the lecture, such as using LINE open chat, QR codes, and other SNS, conducting surveys using Google Forms, and interviewing people around them. They then analyzed the collected data using word clouds and other methods, and made concrete proposals for the issues.
President Watanabe offered advice such as, "Instead of just accepting the survey results at face value, it is important to repeatedly ask yourself 'why did it happen?' in order to find what is behind them," "The overwhelming numerical results of a survey are not necessarily correct, and important information may be hidden in the answers of the minority, so don't overlook them," and "When surveying acquaintances, it is best to effectively utilize qualitative research (interviews) as well." Furthermore, he gave specific guidance to the groups that were unable to prove their hypothesis as a result of their survey, saying, "It is very important to honestly admit that you have not found an answer. This can happen in real marketing. You can get even better results by reviewing and reconsidering your hypothesis."
To conclude the lecture, President Watanabe gave some encouragement, saying, "When it comes to surveys (interviews/research), even if you ask 10 people, only one at most will agree to participate. It can be disheartening when one or two people keep refusing, but it will take you until you get to about the 11th person. Keep in mind that this is just how it is, and do your best."

(Source: Corporate Public Relations)