Akira Miyhara

Akira Miyhara, PhD, is a professor of communication studies at Seinan Gakuin University in Japan. He has earned his Ph. D. from the Pennsylvania State University in the US in 1983 and has taught at college level in both the US and Japan. His research interests have been in interpersonal communication across social situations in medical (doctor-patient, nurse-patient, etc.) contexts. Miyahara has argued that communication competence is best applied to and manifested in problem-solving situations such as social entrepreneurship. He also believes that communication reflects cultural norms and is interested in cross-cultural examination of competence between Estonia and Japan.

„Social Entrepreneurship as the Ultimate Fruition of Human Communication“

While communication is often identified as and associated with “speaking well,” it is more profoundly rooted in unique human behavior including the use of symbols, which separates human beings from other animals. I argue that social entrepreneurship is the most significant manifestation of human symbolic behavior, including curiosity, recognition of social problems, providing solutions, reflections, etc. I also question how, if at all, problem-solving communication affects and is influenced by the cultural features, e.g., Estonia and Japan.