The connections between Mississippi and Japan will come into focus Thursday [August 19] when Mississippi State University hosts Yoshiki Matsui, a professor of operations management at Yokohama National University.
Matsui's public presentation will begin at 3 p.m. in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library.
According to MSU business professor J. P. Shim, the presentation will cover Japanese business practices, culture, information technology and Matsui's international joint research into high performance manufacturing. Of note, Mississippi is home to a pair of Japanese auto assembly plants: the Nissan facility in Madison County and the Toyota plant under construction at Blue Springs in North Mississippi.
"In our global society with the ever-changing speed of technology, there is a growing emphasis on cross-cultural understanding to achieve trust and cooperation," Shim said.
The event is part of Shim's recent research project and grant, "A Colloquia: Understanding more about Japanese Culture, Business, and Information Technology," funded by the Japan Foundation.
Additionally, several Mississippi State students who traveled to Japan over the summer will share their experiences during the session.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Shim at 662-325-1994 or jshim@cobilan.msstate.edu.
