Written on
February 21st, 2012
By Samantha M. Novick
The first day starts with a warning. “Welcome to FORAD,” Thunderbird Professor Michael Moffett, Ph.D., tells his students. “I want you to know that you don’t have to be here.” This is Multinational Corporate Finance, a capstone practicum that has tormented Thunderbird students for nearly three decades. At the heart of the curriculum is the FORAD simulation, a game that puts teams of students in charge of their own multinational companies. Through fall 2011, the basic software remained unchanged from when Thunderbird first licensed it in 1982. It ran on MS-DOS with bright Arial fonts on a colored screen with little mouse functionality and no windows. “It was old when we first used it in ’95,” says FORAD survivor Bruce Edlund ’96, who spent five years working in his free time, and for no compensation, to build the next generation of the FORAD simulation. From nearly the beginning, he has relied on the experience of alumna Veselina Dinova ’05 to help test and troubleshoot different iterations of the model, which debuted during the spring 2012 trimester. | Related Article: FORAD Survivors Show Off Their Battle Scars
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Written on
February 17th, 2012
Food tastes better for Visceta Meredith when the vegetables come from her own garden. The same principle applies when her income comes from the landscaping business she runs with her husband. “I always value something I have done myself,” she said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. “There are just lots of things I have learned within the two weeks,” Meredith said. “The most important thing is I am creating relationships. We’re all from all over the world, different parts of the world, but we seem to share the same difficulties we go through in business, and we share the same success at times.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Written on
February 17th, 2012
An organization’s tagline is an important driver of brand recognition. Just like those referenced in this image, a successful tagline resonates with consumers and is easy to remember.
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Written on
February 17th, 2012
Jobs were scarce when Jenny Lee finished college and returned to her native Malaysia. So the information technology professional decided to start her own company in 1998. “A few of my friends came to me and asked how to do certain things, and they asked for computer courses,” Lee said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “I love teaching, so I thought, ‘Yeah, I love teaching. Why don’t I have my own computer training center.’” Lee said one challenge has been balancing the needs of her family with the needs of her company. “During my working hours I just concentrate on working,” she said. “And after work I try not to think about my work. I try to balance my life.” She said the Global Cohort has taught her important skills in negotiation, strategy and marketing. Overall, the women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. “I have learned a lot,” she said. Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Written on
February 15th, 2012
Kiribati entrepreneur Tietie Cati reads books by and about successful businesswomen whenever she gets the chance. So she relished the opportunity to dine Jan. 29, 2012, at the home of bestselling author Sharon Lechtor, whose works include “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” “Three Feet from Gold” and other titles. “I really admire successful women in the world who have their own businesses, helping people,” Cati said during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors and guest lecturers such as Lechtor. Cati started her own journey as an entrepreneur in 2009, when she launched a wholesale food company that imports products to her South Pacific nation from overseas markets such as Australia and New Zealand. “I am really strong against the idea that I cannot make it,” Cati said. “I am a woman, and I can make it.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Written on
February 15th, 2012
As a child growing up in Uzbekistan, Gulnoza Kenjaeva admired the beautiful handicrafts that her mother made. “I followed her and was very interested in working with her,” Kenjaeva said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. Kenjaeva said the collapse of the former Soviet Union gave her opportunities that her mother never had. “It’s a great thing that we gained independence in 1991,” she said. “We stepped into a market economy.” Kenjaeva started by making handicrafts for her friends and then expanded her business as demand grew. “Being an entrepreneur is a great opportunity,” she said. “I can help other people by earning money and sharing what I have.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Written on
February 15th, 2012
Tajikistan is a tiny landlocked country easily lost in the shadow of China, its massive neighbor to the east. This creates market challenges for Nigina Boboeva, who sells high-end cosmetics from a small shop in her native Tajikistan. “Competition from China creates challenges,” Boboeva said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “My products are higher quality but also more expensive.” Boboeva participated in the Global Cohort to learn sustainable business strategies to help her compete. Overall, the women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. “I needed this program here,” Boboeva said. “I deepened my knowledge, I have mentorship by professors, and I have networking by participants from nine other countries.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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Written on
February 10th, 2012
By Christine Pearson, Ph.D.
Business leaders who follow trends know about globalization, hyper-competition and time compression. We are all trying to do more with less in a world growing smaller, flatter and more dynamic. Below the waterline, however, I see another set of trends that many leaders overlook and fail to act upon. These include the diversification at the domestic level, loss of trust between employers and employees, hyper-specialization, decline in workplace satisfaction, and the merging of leadership art and science. | Video: Thunderbird Global Business Dialogue leadership panel with Dr. Christine Pearson (1:08:29) | Podcast: Incivility defined: What it looks like (04:22)
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Written on
February 10th, 2012
Many foreigners who come to China on business read about the culture and think they understand, but they misapply key concepts such as Confucianism, guanxi and face. “They misunderstand what they read because they look at it through their own cultural lens, rather than trying to see it through a Chinese cultural lens,” said Frank Neville, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Neville, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. State Department and former spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, speaks Mandarin and continues to visit China on a regular basis. He shared insights on Confucianism, guanxi and face during new student orientation Jan. 17, 2012, in Glendale, Arizona. | Video: Understanding Confucianism (3:32) | Video: Understanding Guanxi (3:47) | Video: Understanding Face (4:04) | Podcast: Frank Neville on Understanding Chinese Culture (36:08)
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Written on
February 10th, 2012
Social entrepreneur Zhen Cui Zen loves watching young participants come alive in the team building projects she organizes through her nonprofit organization in Malaysia. “When a project finishes, you can see all the young people who were quiet and passive emerge with new confidence,” she said Feb. 2, 2012, during the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Partnership Global Cohort at Thunderbird School of Global Management. The women’s empowerment program brought 28 businesswomen from 10 countries to campus for a two-week management course taught by Thunderbird professors. Cui Zen said the Global Cohort’s investment in women will pay dividends throughout the world. “Women, at the end of the day, they will share,” she said. “By investing in women, the impact grows bigger. When you plant a seed there, it will flower.” Watch her story in this Thunderbird Knowledge Network video, or visit the Thunderbird for Good blog to learn more.
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