Doctoral Corporate Business/R&D Strategy Planning Program

Academic unit or major

Entrepreneurship courses

Instructor(s)

Akira Izumi / Koji Wakayama / Kentaro Ito / Takuya Ito

Class Format

Exercise (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

Intensive

Class

-

Course Code

ENT.P642(LAC.P642)

Number of credits

010

Course offered

2024

Offered quarter

4Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 17, 2025

Language

Japanese

※ Courses with parentheses in the course number have different subject codes depending on the student's year of admission.

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

This course is an intensive course for all doctoral students in cooperation with a private company. This year, the course will be offered with a collaboration with Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. After having receive classes from the company's lecturers, students work in groups to set a topic based on the classes, have repeatedly discussions on it, and finally compile and present their results of their group works. The students will also receive comments and advice from lecturers and facilitators.

The course will be offered in three intensive classes (all of these are on Monday) in 4Q , and students are required to attend all three lectures to take the course. Venues are scheduled to be its Senju Site (Minami-senju, Arakawa-ward) and Yokohama Laboratory (Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama City). However, depending on circumstances, classes may be conducted at Tokyo Tech or online.
Students are required to be able to attend all three intensive classes.
Due to doing group works, Japanese language skill enough to understand daily conversations and substantially contribute group works is required.

The maximum number of students enrolled in the course is limited to 25 for group discussions. Please note that no student will be able to take the course after the number of students who had already registered for the course reaches 25 on a first-come, first-served basis.

The aim of this course is for students to learn directly from lecturers who are active on the front lines of business about actual business and R&D, issues, and solutions, and to expand their own ideas and perspectives through group discussions, compilation, and presentations by a group of doctoral students with different knowledge and ideas.

Tokyo Gas is generally recognized as a city gas supplier. However, after the full deregulation of electricity retailing in 2016, the company launched its residential electricity business. Furthermore, the company is also active in the sale of electricity-related equipment such as solar power generation and storage batteries, as well as in providing solutions utilizing electricity and gas facilities. Two years ago, the company significantly changed its group management philosophy to “Standing by every person and dedicating ourselves to the society, we shall be the energy that weaves the future." Based on the new management philosophy, the company is currently working to develop solutions by considering how to support customers and create the future.

In this course, after understanding the current initiatives of Tokyo Gas, such as the compatibility of stable energy supply and decarbonization, and the full-scale development of solutions, students work in groups to consider and propose new business solutions that are tailored to customers, mainly general households.

Course description and aims

By taking this course, students acquire the followings;
1)Through lectures by corporate lecturers, students gain a real sense of corporate R&D and business, as well as a deeper understanding of how to identify issues, approaches to finding solutions, values, and perspectives within the company.
2)In a group consisting of members with different backgrounds, students collectively assert your own opinions on the topic set based on the lectures, listen to the opinions of other students, make corrections, and reach a conclusion, receiving comments and advices from the lecturers and the facilitators. By acting as a team, students deepen their understanding of the topic and gain hands-on experience of generating results through group activities.

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

The lecturers will give lectures based on their practical experience in their company. Based on which the students will set topics n groups, discuss them, and finally make presentations on the results of the group activities. The lecturers and facilitators provide comments and advices to them, based on their working experience.

Keywords

PBL (Problem-based Learning), group work, business, R&D, collaboration with industry, interactions with students from other fields

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

This course is offered in three intensive classes in 4Q.

December 9, Monday 13:00-16:30 Tokyo Gas Senju Site (Minami-senju, Arakawa-ward)
December 23, Monday 10:00-16:30 Tokyo Gas Yokohama Laboratory (Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama City)
January 20, Monday 13:00-16:30 Tokyo Gas Senju Site (Minami-senju, Arakawa-ward)

However, depending on the infection status of COVID-19 and other factors, lectures may be conducted at Tokyo Tech or changed to online.

Lecturer: ITO Kentaro, Chief Manager, Facility Solutions Technology Sect., Facility Solutions Business Dept., Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
ITO Takuya, Living Technology Team, Facility Solutions Technology Sect., Facility Solutions Business Dept., Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Evaluation methods and criteria

Content of reports required to be submitted after each class (50%)
Contributions in group discussions and presentations, comments and remarks on other groups' presentations(50%)

Related courses

• ENT.C601(LAC.C601) ： Doctoral Career Design

Prerequisites

Students are required to be able to attend all three intensive classes.

Due to doing group works, Japanese language skill enough to understand daily conversations and substantially contribute group works required.

Other

The corresponding GA for this course is GA1D.

The maximum number of students enrolled in the course is limited to 25 for group discussions. Please note that no student will be able to take the course after the number of students who have already registered for the course reaches 25 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Prior to starting of the course, students are required to agree by signature to the contents of "Agreement on Doctoral Corporate Business/R&D Strategy Planning Program" jointly signed between the cooperating company and Tokyo Tech. The contents of the agreement mainly are related to non-disclosure agreement and intellectual property rights.

For students who currently belong to a company or an organization, the name of the company or the organization will be disclosed to the company prior to starting of the course.

For inquiries regarding Entrepreneurship Courses (for students enrolled in AY2024) ,and Career Development Courses (for students enrolled in or before AY2023), please contact us at: Center for Entrepreneurship Education (CEE) (e-mail: cee.info@jim.titech.ac.jp )