Building on the basic Benesse Group philosophy in aims of becoming a contributor to Chinese society

Every product and service is founded on feedback from actual customers

To ensure that the products and services we develop are suitable to the cultural and social norms of a different country, it is essential to consider carefully the needs of the local customers, and to earn their trust. Naturally, it is important to get a thorough and accurate understanding of the customer. Therefore, before Benesse Corporation launched Kodomo Challenge in China, we spent considerable time and effort listening to feedback and comments from potential customers — what sort of learning environment do parents and children in China experience, what challenges they face, what they need, what problems they have, and so on. After collecting extensive feedback on these issues, we developed a concept for what Kodomo Challenge could offer to parents and children in China. The basic concept underlying the Kodomo Challenge course is to provide learning experiences, cultivate a spirit of ambition, contemplation and problem solving, and to help children develop a well-rounded character. Using these basic concepts as a foundation, we have done our utmost to design a course that best suits Chinese parents, and lends them trusted support in educating their children.

Takashi Matsuhira President, International Education Business Division, Benesse Corporation

A partner that helps parents and children address challenges

A well-known Chinese saying — “Wang zi cheng long” — is often used to describe the Chinese parent’s approach to raising their children. Literally, it means “I hope my child will become (successful) like a dragon.” China’s “one child” policy may have intensified this attitude further, but the fact is that Chinese parents have always nourished a powerful desire to give their children the best education possible. Most of the existing learning materials and educational programs for young children in China consist of memorization drills, such as recognizing Chinese characters. Meanwhile, in today’s society it is almost a matter of course for both parents to work. Before they enter school, young children are usually left with their grandparents, or with a nanny, while their parents work. This leaves little time for interaction between parents and children. Many Chinese parents comment that they want to teach their child good behavior and learning skills, efficiently, in the little time they have to spend with them. But that they don’t know how. Together with our Chinese publishing partner, we have carefully pondered this comment, and have developed a Kodomo Challenge course that seeks to ease parental uncertainties about raising their children. The courses also aim to develop the sort of self-confidence and instincts for survival that can help the children get through a demanding memorization-driven educational regime that might otherwise stress them out and diminish their zest for life. The lessons are repeatedly tested and revised based on feedback from actual users. This process allows us to feel confident about the quality of the courses we offer.

Source: Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences and Parenting, “2010 Report on Children: Questionnaire Survey on Children’s Daily lives and Parent’s Child-rearing in Five East Asian Cities”

Expansion into new businesses may allow the Benesse Group to offer even more value to Chinese customers

While remaining committed to our original principles, we do our best at the Benesse Group to adapt all operations to suit the demands of the local market. We keep these principles in mind when selecting local business partners. In China, foreign-based companies are not allowed to establish local publishing operations, so it was necessary to locate a Chinese partner who shares the Benesse philosophy. After a careful search, we identified an ideal partner in the form of the China Welfare Institute — a company with a long history of addressing social welfare issues for women and children. We also adopted a similar approach in locating local distributors, printing companies, and manufacturers to produce children’s toys. Since each of these partners share our commitment and principles, we can be confident of providing quality services on a consistent, long-term basis.

Using these business ties as a foundation, the Group will be able to provide other products and services in addition to Kodomo Challenge courses. We are already exploring the possibilities for future expansion into extra-curricular education, as well as childbirth and nursing care businesses. In this way, we hope to make an even greater contribution to Chinese society in the years to come.

Source: Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences and Parenting, “A Report on the Survey of Fathers A Comparative Study of Fathers in Four Asian Cities: Ikumen in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Shanghai”