Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Internship for the TUFS students studying in Russia was held on March 20 by and eight students studying in Moscow participated in this opportunity at Mitsubishi Electric (Russia) LLC .
Mitsubishi Electric (Russia) started business in Russia from 1997, and has gradually increased the number of branches in major cities across the country. Its employees grew from 4 to 130 today. It offers an extensive array of products in Russia, including air conditioning systems, industrial automation, semiconductors, refrigerators, and large size displays. With the exception of consumer products such as refrigerators and room air conditioners, its products are sold to government organizations and major companies through bidding.
The internship program started with a presentation by Ms. Olga Smirnova, the General Manager of the Corporate Management Division, on the history and the company profile. Ms. Smirnova joined the company as a receptionist 17 years ago soon after the company started its business, and worked up the corporate ladder to her present position as the company grew. She emphasized how on-the job-training after joining the company was important to her career. She explained that compliance is one of the major responsibilities of the Corporate Management Division today, including checking strict observance to avoid handling products that may conflict with economic sanctions against Russia or those that may lead to the production of NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) weapons. The students took keen interest in this explanation. Ms. Waka Taniguchi, a locally-hired Japanese employee, proficient in both English and Russian, is currently responsible for this task. Ms. Taniguchi also attended the presentation.
Mitsubishi Electric is also committed to corporate social responsibility, and supports orphanages, marathon events, exhibitions of Japan-related works at the State Museum of Oriental Arts, etc. in Russia.
The next presenter was Mr. Sergey Yurkov, the General Manager of the Strategic Development Division, who spoke on the theme “How to establish and develop efficient business of the Japanese companies in Russia”. The Strategy Development Division is responsible for future-oriented marketing; based on the historical data the division analyzes and makes projections on how the head office, customers and markets will change in the next 25 years, and, how the company should achieve success. Mr. Yurkov mentioned that Japanese companies are now experiencing difficulties competing with Korean and Chinese companies, and the important key for the future will be on how to communicate the strengths of Japanese products and services, and, on investing in future markets while creating demand. He touched on the important attitudes for those working in this field, such as skills to identify trustful and necessary information in today’s information society and building a professional network. His advises for the students included participating in various events for networking while they are in Russia, not just focusing on their studies.
Next, the students went on an office tour of the company. After the tour, General Director Hiroshi Furuta spoke about his experiences working outside of Japan. Mr. Furuta chose to join a manufacturing company rather than a bank or a trading company, because he considered it would provide him with more opportunities for international assignments. After working in the accounting division, he was assigned to the division that dealt with automobile components that he became an expert of. Although Mr. Furuta initially wished for an opportunity to work in a Spanish-speaking business, he never got a chance until now. His presentation was very helpful for the students to think about their future careers. Mr. Furuta pointed out that the key elements to a successful international assignment are good cross-cultural communication, ability to build a lasting relationship based on trust, fairness, logical thinking and transparency. His advice was that what ultimately matter is building attractive personality. The students were impressed by his speech based on his long-career and experiences. He added that he made a habit of always studying the local language wherever he was assigned, and is currently studying Russian. According to Mr. Furuta, this posting to Russia was like an unexpected gift from Mitsubishi Electric now that he is approaching the age of mandatory-retirement. One of the students commented that Mr. Furuta’s positive attitude is a source of inspiration, since he taught them a lesson that one should always enjoy cross-cultural communication in all types of environment.
Outline of Internship
| Time: | 10:00-14:00, Tuesday, March 20, 2018 |
| Venue: | Mitsubishi Electric (Russia) LLC (2, bid. 1 Letnikovskaya Str., 5th Floor, Moscow) |
| Participants from Mitsubishi Electric (Russia) LLC: | Mr. Hiroshi Furuta, General Director (Graduate of Department of Spanish Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) Ms. Olga Smirnova, General Manager, Corporate Management Division Mr. Sergey Yurkov, General Manager, Strategic Development Division Ms. Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Leading HR Specialist, Corporate Management Division Ms. Waka Taniguchi, Administrative Specialist, Corporate Management Division |
| Participants from TUFS: | 8 students |
| Schedule: | 10:00-11:00 “History and Outline of the Company” presented by Ms. Olga Smirnova 11:00-12:00 “Strategic Development” presented by Mr. Sergey Yurkov 12:00-12:10 Office tour guided by Ms. Olga Preobrazhenskaya 13:45-14:00 Speech about overseas assignment by General Director Furuta |