Learning by practice is the essence of behavioral science
After Mr. Fujihashi graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, he joined the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Now he is working at an affiliated company.
“JR East Retail Net Co., Ltd., where I am currently employed, operates various company outlets inside train stations, starting with KIOSK station shops and NEWDAYS convenience stores. At present I supervise all 92 outlets in the Shinjuku area, including both kinds. My main job is to give each of them weekly feedback in the form of statistical data concerning sales, top selling products, and similar matters. Occasionally, I also get involved in promotion, managing digital signage advertising and commercials.”
JR East career development plan involves dividing new employees into rail personnel and managers and then assigning each of them to the group company that operates within the respective field. New workers can thus improve their skills by putting them into practice. Mr. Fujihashi will therefore spend three years at the JR East affiliate, similar to other people that entered the company at the same time.
“I started as a shop assistant, but now I have reached the position where I have to make the rounds through the shops, confer with the salespeople, and support them in their work. In other words, I am in charge of the overall optimization. The outcome is always unpredictable when you deal with people, whether those are customers or fellow employees, so it feels like I am elaborating on the basics of the behavioral science I studied at university. Every day yields valuable new knowledge.”
The appeal of this discipline is that it relies on mathematics even though it belongs to the humanities
Mr. Fujihashi recalls how in his high school years he dreamt, somewhat vaguely, of ‘becoming useful to people’.
“Inspired by Isaka Kōtarō’s novels, I wished to become a family court investigator. As a result, I tried to enter the Tohoku University School of Law as soon as I finished high school, but failed. In this way, I started my roaming days filled with despair, but I thought about my situation a lot while attending cram school and ultimately decided that even inconsequential things might be valuable. That was my new, positive approach.”
Mr. Fujihashi looks back to that period as “the crucial year when his mindset changed”. By the end of that fateful year he found his solution – the Faculty of Arts and Letters.
“I was mostly interested in psychology and related sciences, but I also took into account that the Faculty of Arts and Letters had twenty-five departments in total. I felt confident that there I would be able to extend my knowledge and broaden my outlook as a human being.”
After being accepted at the university, Mr. Fujihashi chose behavioral science as his major.
“Behavioral science takes a mathematical approach, relying on statistical data and other numbers – I found that methodology very convincing. Besides, I was attracted by the incongruity: to think that such a mathematical discipline would be studied at the Faculty of Arts and Letters!”.
“Station” as a means of improving local life
Even as Mr. Fujihashi studied behavioral science, he found numerous friends on the campus and was an enthusiastic participant in club activities. Those also were valuable experiences.
“I joined the Student Friendship Association Orienteering Club and became its president during my third year, when the club included up to eighty members. I took third place in the regular class during the national competition. At the same time, I got a chance to know people who competed in the elite class and thus study the behavior and mental attitude of those who aimed for the top. That, too, was an enlightening experience.”
Mr. Fujihashi sems to prossess a very objective self-image. The impression is that of a person guided by some firm idea.
“I have reached the conclusion that, after all is said and done, in order to become useful to people and contribute to the world at large, you must first and foremost broaden your outlook and improve your skills. The Faculty of Arts and Letters was a good place to do just that. If you intend to enter university but have no idea about what you want to do, I recommend choosing the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Studying here will not only affect your immediate future, but also increase your options in the years to come.”
A “station” is a customer attraction facility found all over the country. Mr. Fujihashi is set to use these tools in order to improve the life of local communities. We cannot wait to see what approach he will take.
FUJIHASHI Ryō藤橋 涼
Graduated from the Department of Behavioral Science, Undergraduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University, in March, 2016.
Employed by East Japan Railway Company.
Recently has been transferred on loan to JR East Retail Net Co., Ltd.
Title of the graduation thesis: “Kōen-nai no Kinshijikō no Zōkagen’in ni tsuite no Bunseki: Sendai-shinai no kōen o rei ni” / 「公園内の禁止事項の増加原因についての分析—仙台市内の公園を例に—」