Base of the Pyramid and Sustainable Enterprise

[sagargubbi]

I am an applicant to Yale School of Management's full-time MBA program starting in 2007.

I am interested in sustainable enterprises which manufacture electronic products for the emerging markets and would like to explore more about them during my MBA. Since Yale has a strong focus on Social Enterprises, I was wondering if there is some focus on sustainable enterprises in emerging economies and base of the pyramid technology products/services.

My queries are:

1. Is there any research being conducted on mass-market electronic (or technology) product manufacturers and their sustainability, at Yale?

2. What kind of industry internship opportunities exist for students interested in sustainable electronic (technology) product development/management?

3. Is the school in touch with any companies or start-ups whose focus is on such products?

Hope to get a response soon!

[sagargubbi]

I am waiting for some response!!!
I found links to nextbillion.net and Aspen Institute's website on the Program on Social Enterprise (PSE)'s webpage. So I was wondering if the PSE (or the Yale SOM as such) has some interest in BOP!

[Austin]

Hello,

I am a third-year student (completing a joint degree with the environment school). I have a couple of thoughts related to your questions.

Overall: I think you'll find at Yale that no matter how specific your interests are, there will be people here thinking about the same to****, and maybe even working on significant research efforts.

The MBA curriculum by nature is a broad-based. In classes you learn management frameworks and analytical tools that can be applied in almost limitless ways.

You might, for example, find useful product development frameworks in marketing (e.g. through the course "Product Planning and Development") that help you think about the design and launch of new products.

As a student at SOM you have access to courses across the entire University. So you might find classes in the engineering department, for instance, that pertain directly to your interests in electronic products and emerging markets.

Now I will reply to your questions with some thoughts from my own experiences at Yale.

1. Is there any research being conducted on mass-market electronic (or technology) product manufacturers and their sustainability, at Yale?

Through the Center for Industrial Ecology (http://www.yale.edu/cie), which publishes the Journal of Industrial Ecology (an impressive publication if you haven't seen it), professors and students do a lot of work on product sustainability questions. Right now a professor named Marian Chertow is looking at electronics in emerging markets.

In addition to the CIE, there is exposure to entrepreneurial work through the Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES), a yearly class in entrepreneurial business planning, the Global Social Venture Competition, and other groups.

2. What kind of industry internship opportunities exist for students interested in sustainable electronic (technology) product development/management?

During my first summer I interned at a non-profit in California and worked on electronics sustainability issues. I found this internship through the Career Development Office. Students generally conduct their internship experiences on their own, using the extensive databases and career search manuals offered by the school. If you're interested in working in this area, you'll direct your internship search accordingly, contact the appropriate recruiters, attend networking events, meet alums, and be very well positioned to find something.

3. Is the school in touch with any companies or start-ups whose focus is on such products?

Contacts at the school happen in so many places it's hard to say. Professors consult with companies, the alumni list includes people from a wide array of companies, we're always getting different speakers on campus at SOM or other schools across Yale, and of course the Career Development Office is in touch each year with companies that are looking to hire SOM graduates. In any given year this list is a function of student's interests, among other things, so to the extent that you are interested in jobs in this area, the school's resources are definitely there for you.

I hope this helps.

Austin Whitman
Class of 2007

[sagargubbi]

Wow! Wow! I was disappointed that no one replied to my post.
Thank you so much for the info, Austin! I went through the JIE (so far only the free sections). And yes, it is really impressive. The CIE website has a lot of other information which was very impressive.
Your post has only strengthened my desire to attend Yale SOM. I interviewed for admission a couple of weeks ago and now I am waiting for the results.
Thanks again!
Regards,
Sagar

[atithpagdi@gmail.com]

Thanks Austin... your inputs are valuable indeed!

I have goals more or less along similar lines... just that I want to explore how technology and its benefits can be delivered in underprivileged areas through social enerprise on a mass scale to address education or healthcare needs.

And thanks Sagar, for bringing this up...

Best,
Atith

[Austin]

Atith,

Given your interests you may like to know about a course in Microfinance that is being taught this year. I am taking it now, and it deals with microfinance institutions in a range of developing countries. The professor makes a clear effort to take what we learn in "regular" business school (accounting, finance, marketing, vc) and show how all of the same principles are applied in microfinance settings, highlighting key differences, and so on. I'm enjoying it.

Austin

[sagargubbi]

Austin,
Thanks for the info again! I am interested in Microfinance too. I am actually involved in a Microfinance awareness program here in India and it is part of a community/market development at the BOP initiative. There is also a Microinsurance project in the offing.
Ian Wiesner, a current student at SOM, had given me some info about the Community Development Bank that is being developed in New Haven by Yale Law School Clinic. Are you involved in this too? Are there any other Microfinance/Microinsurance projects running at Yale currently?
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate your efforts!
Regards,
Sagar

[atithpagdi@gmail.com]

Thanks again Austin! I'll ape Sagar and do a single Wow! :-)

It's great that Yale is looking to include the study of developing economies, their needs, and their future in its management education curriculum. Given that the whole world is looking at this segment of nations for development, Yale's intentions come across as truly global ones.

Microfinance still has to find bigger applications in this part of the world. Agreed that Microfinance can be a powerful method to employ in developing economies... are there any other ways?

I think, for me, the critical differentiator Yale brings through its new curriculum is that it looks at studying management from a 'people' perspective. In my opinion, this is and even bigger clincher because then we will be able to people in different parts of the world. Although the basics of business may be the same everywhere, people aren't. That's why I believe that this new way of learning can be even more effective. This beautifully ties in with the the school's 'global outlook'. What are your thoughts on this?

I did read some reports on business ideas for the innovator course on the Yale website. There was one called the twin towers, and talked about how a particular community in India *buries* the dead in a very eco friendly way. Are there any specific India centric business opportunities being explored by students at Yale, more so in the fields of primary education and healthcare? I guess this is really a question for the whole Yale SOM community...

Best,
Atith