(born June 14, 1947) is the founder of the now-bankrupt GEOS Corporation, previously one of the major

eikaiwa or are English conversation schools, usually privately operated, in Japan. It is a combination of the word and or . Although the Japanese public education system mandates that English be taught as part of the curriculum from the fifth grade, ...

(private school for conversational English) providers in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

GEOS

Founding

In 1973, roommates Kiyoshi Aki and Tsuneo Kusunoki founded the company AMVIC, an acronym of the phrase, "AMbition and VICtory." The company would focus on foreign language studies. Later, AMVIC International would be split into two divisions. Aki became the head of , which provided foreign language training for students. Kusunoki would assume control of the , which specialized in English language education for non-native speakers. In 1989, Kusunoki's branch of AMVIC International entered negotiations with Warner Pacific College to assume control of 49% of its physical plant for $6 million, a 30-year lease on the schools facilities, and a seat as a regent of the school. Not long after, AMVIC International split into two separate companies, after the former partners developed differing visions of the company's future. Aki went on to create Aeon, focusing on language learning in Japan. Aki remains Aeon's President. Kusunoki created GEOS, focusing on global language learning with focus on English language education.

Financial crisis

Kusunoki was the company's long standing President and CEO until April 2010. Kusunoki, who has not been present at the press conferences, has said "the bankruptcy was filed by a member of the board and a small group of employees. It is not the will of the company." There has been some serious disagreement among the management at the company for some time. Specifically, those that filed the bankruptcy were board member Kazumi Sugihara and two employees. Normally filing for bankruptcy requires agreement among all the board members, but they filed under a special "semi-personal bankruptcy," something that according to GEOS' lawyer Nobuaki Kobayashi is perfectly legal and valid. Kusunoki's complaints may hold up the bankruptcy process significantly.http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20100422-00000079-mai-bus_all

External links

*http://www.japannewstoday.com/?tag=geos-bankruptcy *https://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=tsuneo+kusunoki+geos&aq=0&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=Tsuneo+Kusunoki&gs_rfai=&fp=b5e7b30361da4917

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kusunoki, Tsuneo 1947 births Living people People from Tokushima Prefecture English conversation schools in Japan Japanese businesspeople