[Faculty of Business Administration] Lectures will be given by Ms. Chinami Sanada, former Senior Managing Director of Sanada Co., Ltd. (May 22nd (Fri), July 17th (Fri), July 24th (Fri))

In the "Product Planning Theory" course taught by Assistant Professor Mizuyo Toma of Faculty of Business Administration, the learning objective is to create product proposals for specific problems. To achieve this, we invite business professionals as guest speakers to deepen understanding by sharing concrete examples and firsthand accounts from those involved. Furthermore, students are given specific problems to create their own product proposals, which they then present as their final assignment. Here, we will describe the lecture process.
The theme of this lecture was "Opening the Future of Dried Foods." Sanada Co., Ltd., founded in 1904 (Meiji 37), is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. As a sustainable family business, aiming to become a 1000-year company, they manufacture and sell dried food products based in Kyoto. In the lecture, they enthusiastically explained the evolution of their business over the past 120 years, based on their founding principle that "the foundation of business lies with the producers," and the important principles and appeal of dried foods that they have valued in their management over the years, which has been led primarily by female managers. When a student asked a question about "how to think about failure," the answer, "Don't look back. The best idea you considered at that time is the best idea," resonated with the students. At the end of the lecture, they gave us the task of focusing specifically on dried foods and exploring "the possibilities of dried foods."
The students actively participated in the project, working individually and in pairs to research dried foods, conduct interviews, and perform surveys. The presentations in the 14th and 15th sessions included some that even impressed Ms. Sanada, and the classes concluded on a very lively note.

<Source: School Public Relations>