5th periods, Wednesdays, 2025A Semester/2025年度Aセメスター水曜５限
Today’s world is marked by growing uncertainty—shaped by increasingly volatile macroeconomic conditions, rapidly evolving societal trends and consumer preferences, shifting geopolitical dynamics, intensifying impacts of climate change, and the accelerating advancement of disruptive technologies. In fact, between 2017 and 2022, business environment uncertainty has tripled. We now live in an era where “there are no clear right answers.”
Among these factors, the impact of disruptive technology is particularly striking. Services that were unknown yesterday can suddenly emerge and transform our lives. A prime example is the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, which has since sparked a wave of generative AI–powered services. By the time you start working, such tools will likely be so integrated into everyday life that it will be hard to imagine a world without them.
In a world without clear answers, even industry leading companies cannot guarantee the success of new products or services. According to Accenture research, when it comes to launching new businesses—especially those whose outcomes are uncertain until tried—only 6% of executives say they feel confident calling them a success.
So, what does it take to create successful new products and services? One key lies in identifying user-centric issues and insights—unmet or latent needs—and in building the capability to rapidly bring new offerings to market.
Accenture, one of the world’s leading consulting firms, has been helping companies across industries and around the globe bring new services to life. Drawing on this experience, this course is designed for beginners and aims to equip students with the fundamental techniques of creating new products and services—together with Accenture consultants.
Through the use of frameworks such as logical thinking and design thinking, students will identify and explore key challenges and insights, and generate ideas for the “future” that each wants. In the final presentation, students will use storytelling techniques—conveying business ideas as compelling narratives—to communicate their concepts.
・Consulting
・Logical Thinking
・Design Thinking
・Business Solution
・Story Telling
・Presentation
・From the lectures on various themes, understand the situations of the “companies” that you may interact daily. Learn new techniques to investigate the situation.
・Deepen your thinking through discussion with your teammates.
・Get trained to define your own “guiding questions” and find answers for each.
Examples of the “guiding questions”:
– How can I reduce the waiting time at a store I frequently visit?
– How can I encourage people who don’t usually go to the movies to want to visit theaters regularly?
– How can I make makeup more enjoyable and accessible for men?
– How can I express our reactions in Zoom meetings in a way that feels as natural as face-to-face conversations?
– How can I make crowded train commutes more enjoyable?
– How can I make the experience of waiting for trains at Komaba-Todaimae Station more comfortable, without reducing the number of users?
・Learn techniques to tell a convincing story to gain understanding from the audience.
・Understand skills and approaches required to accomplish the task when working as a team with diversity.
This course is divided into two main parts.
In the first half, students will attend lectures by guest speakers and engage in small group discussions based on the content of each lecture.
In the second half, each student will choose a topic of personal interest, formulate a guiding question, and explore potential solutions.
| Week | Date | Topics |
| 1 | 8-Oct | Guidance (Online) • Introduction of the course (Objective, Approach, Schedule, Evaluation) • Online team discussion based on short lecture |
■ Introduction and Consulting Basics
| 2 | 15-Oct | • Self-introductions of each member in the class • Lecture on “Consulting basics” with the techniques which shall be used throughout the course. |
■ Lectures and group discussions on Various Topics *Topics are subject to change
In Weeks 3 through 8, each class will include a brief lecture by a guest speaker on a specific theme. Following the lecture, students will engage in small-group discussions on a related topic and present their conclusions to the full class. Group members will be changed every week.
| 3 | 22-Oct | Winning with Data: How Analytics is Shaping the Future of Life, Work, and Innovation |
| 4 | 29-Oct | “From Tokyo to the World” – How Japanese brands built global love |
| 5 | 5-Nov | What you always wanted to know about supply chains and you never asked |
| 6 | 12-Nov | Building the Future: Contrasting Western Agility and Japanese Precision in Innovation |
| 7 | 19-Nov | Finding the business case for Tech Transformations |
| 8 | 3-Dec | Why Charisma Is Important in Business |
■ Preparation for the final presentation
| 9 | 10-Dec | Identify the “guiding question” you want to solve. |
| 10 | 17-Dec | Design solutions and validate. |
| 11 | 24-Dec | Prepare for the final presentation. |
■ Final Presentation
| 12 | 7-Jan | Final presentation (Group1) |
| 13 | 14-Jan | Final presentation (Group2) |
English
Lecture, Group Discussion, Presentation
Self-reflection form (80%)
・It is required to submit a filled form after the end of each lesson.
・You should reflect on what you learned each week. You may also share your questions or thoughts.
・Attendance of the lesson is only recognized if the form is submitted.
Final presentation (20%)
・Each student will make presentations on either Week 12 or 13.
・Each will identify a problem related to themselves that they wish to resolve.
・Lecturer (10%) and Accenture (10%) will determine the points.
＜Evaluation points＞
– Is the presentation following the standard format and including all the topics to be covered?
– Was the story logical and convincing?
– Is the time managed well?
– Were all the questions answered clearly?
・If you consider taking this course, please attend the guidance in Week 1 and submit the entry form as will be guided during the class.
・In case the requests exceed the capacity (20-30 students), we will make selection based on the entry form writings. Students accepted will receive an email before the class on Week 2.
・The class on Week 1 (Guidance) will be held online.
・The course is designed for the students who can attend the class every week.
・Speaking and listening in English is required, but native-level fluency is not necessary. We welcome students who are eager to engage with peers from diverse backgrounds and are open to sharing and exchanging ideas.
・（英語を母語としない方へ）英語でのコミュニケーションに不安がある方もいらっしゃると思います。この授業では講義やディスカッションを基本的に英語で行います。ただ、どうしてもわからないときや困ったときには、講師や周りの学生に日本語で話しても差し支えありません。初回ガイダンスで授業に参加できそうかをご判断いただいて構いません。また、質問がありましたらガイダンスで直接尋ねるか、メールにて講師にお問い合わせください。
Accenture Japan
Fumiko Takahashi
（Associate Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo）
takahashi[at]g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp（[at]を@に書き換えてください）
総合文化研究科 准教授 髙橋 史子