Today MC welcomed 218 new recruits, including 175 regular employees and 43 business support staff. Their training officially got underway today, at the start of which MC President & CEO Ken Kobayashi welcomed them to the MC family with the following message. Following the president’s message is a breakdown of our newly hired university graduates’ academic backgrounds and statuses at MC.

 

 

【Environment Surrounding MC】

 

‐ Uncertainties remain in the external environment, and due to sluggish growth in advanced nations, economic confusion triggered by the European sovereign debt crisis, and other factors, the world economic situation is not expected to recover anytime soon. 

‐ On the other hand, some major changes are taking place in natural resources. In the US, full-scale development of shale gas and shale oil are now underway, and the rise of new oil and gas producing nations seems imminent. The US boasts advanced infrastructure and technologies, as well as a massive domestic market, all of which set it apart from traditional oil and gas producing nations. Looking forward, the manner in which US industry develops will likely reshape global industry as well.

‐ Meanwhile, Japan’s economic climate is also at a critical turning point. As evidenced by the recent Nikkei Stock Average, there are huge expectations of the second Abe Government, which took over at the end of last year. Optimists are hopeful that unified fiscal and monetary policy and so-called “Abenomics” are the answer to Japan’s deflationary woes. Having said that, our nation still faces considerable challenges, and our future direction is a topic of great interest around the world. How will the nuclear issue be resolved? How long will it be before we have fully recovered from the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011? Some 310,000 people are still living in temporary housing or evacuation centers. The year ahead will be crucial for Japan. During the next twelve months it will become clear whether or not our country can truly meet expectations, both at home and around the world.       

 

 

‐ For MC, 2013 is equally important as it marks the beginning of our new midterm management plan.

 

‐ Our previous plan, Midterm Corporate Strategy 2012, sought to raise our overall enterprise value by enhancing three separate but equally important values: Economic, Societal, and Environmental. The plan was unveiled in 2010, and I am pleased to say that we have largely met its objectives over the last three years.     

‐ I am presently formulating our next midterm plan, which I plan to announce sometime in May. Its theme will be “Maximizing Sogo Shosha Value”, or in other words, determining how best we can synergize our diverse strengths as a global integrated business enterprise to meet the needs of changing business environments, both here in Japan and around the world. I hope to use this new midterm plan to help Japanese and global markets understand exactly what a sogo shosha is and what separates it from other business entities.

 

‐ We are on the verge of announcing a barrage of new plans and policies here at MC, so your joining the company could not have been timed any better. Although you are newcomers, you will still be expected to learn all of this new information and familiarize yourselves with MC operations as soon as possible. Your professional careers begin today. It is time to switch gears and brace yourselves for the challenges ahead.  

 

【Expectations of New Employees】

 

‐ Have a Sense of Ownership

From now on, each of you will be a productive, working member of society, and as such there will be greater demands on your character and capabilities. Examinations are over; today the real test begins. You will be expected to earn the trust of others, and to do that you must be diligent in your work. No matter what task is assigned to you, it is your responsibility to give nothing less than your best and see it through to completion. When something needs to be done, never assume that someone else will take care of it. Working at MC demands a sense of ownership and personal accountability, regardless of the task at hand. You are out in the real world now, not the classroom, and it is in the real world where you will learn and be judged. Becoming a professional means becoming a productive member of society – it is a privilege and it comes with distinction, but it also comes with tremendous responsibility. Please do not forget this.

 

‐ Approach Work in a Straightforward Manner

Assuming a sense of ownership means that you always approach your work in a straightforward manner. This is part of our corporate culture here at MC. Clever schemes or flashy gimmicks can sometimes result in success, but such success is usually short lived, and failure will almost certainly bring regret. It is much more professional and ultimately beneficial to take a straightforward approach to business. This is what earns us the trust of our clients and partners, and it is the source of the MC Group’s value and assets, among the greatest of which are our people. Today I welcome all of you as our newest employees, and as such our newest assets. My first request is that you embrace a sense of ownership, but my second is that you always be upfront and straightforward in your work.

 

‐ Inherit our Corporate Philosophy

Our guiding philosophy at MC is the “Three Corporate Principles”. These principles were drawn up based on directives given by Koyata Iwasaki, the fourth of our founding fathers and the original Mitsubishi Shoji’s first president. In 1920, when Koyata gave these directives, Mitsubishi Shoji was in the midst of a financial crisis. He reminded his people of the values the company had been built on, and that the only way forward was to stay true to those values. Today they are embodied by the “Three Corporate Principles”, a management creed still shared by all members of the Mitsubishi group. “Corporate Responsibility to Society” states that we will strive to enrich society through our business activities. “Integrity and Fairness” states that we will maintain transparent and open business practices. And “Global Understanding Through Business” states that we will expand our operations based on an all-encompassing global perspective. Those of us at MC still rely on these principles to guide us, and they serve as a constant reminder of how we should conduct ourselves as respected and trustworthy professionals. My third request is that you always keep these principles in mind.

A company is a society in and of itself, and the MC Group is an exceptional society that was built on the hard work of our predecessors. They earned the trust of our customers and developed our businesses into what they are today. Internationally, the MC Group boasts over 200 offices and roughly 600 group companies. In fact, we have operations in approximately 90 countries all over the world, and a global workforce of around 60,000 professionals. All of you are now part of that workforce, and I am confident that you will do your best to help our society to grow even stronger.

The future of the MC Group rests on our shoulders. Together, let’s make sure it’s a bright one.

 

 

【Reference】

Regular Staff	Arts		Sciences
	Graduate	Undergraduate	Graduate	Undergraduate
	1（0）	135（25）	29（4）	10（0）
Total	136（25）		39（4）
Business Support Staff	43（43）
Total	218（72）

Number of female graduates in parentheses