Archive for November, 2010

By Kate Robertson ’10, full-time MBA student

As our bus approached the Natura headquarters somewhere between the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there was a lot of discussion of Natura’s position as a leader in sustainability and as a role model to South American corporations. My thoughts turned to the passion fruit perfume that I had ordered six years earlier from a Natura catalogue as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Peru. Before living in Peru, I had never heard of Natura and didn’t think much of it besides that I liked the look of the catalog.

However, after touring Natura’s headquarters during the 2010 Brazil Winterim course, Sustainable Business in Practice, it is no surprise that Natura products have come to represent South America cosmetics.

The visit to Natura is one of the highlights of the Brazil course and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. No, this is not because we were able to try all of Natura’s natural products in the campus store (though it was definitely an added bonus). In fact, it was fascinating to learn about Natura’s sustainable supply chain and focus on ethical sourcing to support communities in the Amazonian regions of Brazil.

If you don’t have the chance to visit Natura in person, you must watch this short video and see why Natura is at the forefront of innovation and sustainability in Brazil. In addition, you will understand why, after leaving the company, almost all 20 of us wanted to work at Natura!

By Kate Robertson ’10, full-time MBA student

OK, for all you inductive and linear thinkers out there, listen as Professor John Zerio outlines the four goals of the Brazilian Winterim course, Sustainable Development in Practice:

– Students gain a sensitivity of doing business in an emerging economy.

– Students strengthen the Thunderbird commitment to creating sustainable prosperity worldwide.

– Students understand the importance of the Amazon Rainforest, which makes up one-third of Brazil.

– Students are given the opportunity to experience the richness of the Brazilian culture.

Is there something else you’d like to learn about Brazil? E-mail Professor Zerio and ask him.

By Kate Robertson ’10, full-time MBA student

As a strict vegetarian, five weeks in Brazil with limited Portuguese skills proved to be quite challenging. If it weren’t for the delicious acai berry smoothies, I’m not sure what I would have done!

Lately, we’ve heard about acai as the newest “superfood.” I definitely jumped on the craze wagon and have started buying acai in Arizona. Not surprisingly, upon acceptance to the Brazil Winterim, “Sustainable Business in Practice,” I was eager to get my hands on some more acai berry. It wasn’t long before I realized that the Brazilian acai is definitely the real deal, the purest form out there.

As good as it may or may not taste, and as healthy or unhealthy as it may be, the production of acai has brought additional work to Brazilian farmers.

The New York Times article from February 2010, Açaí, a Global Super Fruit, Is Dinner in the Amazon?, discusses some of the benefits the surge in acai berry has had on  producer communities in Para, Brazil.

By Kate Robertson ’10, full-time MBA student

Rumor has it the Brazil Winterim course is a wonderful experience for Thunderbird students.  Having lived the experience in January 2010, I can say this isn’t just a rumor, it is FACT! If you don’t believe me, well, I’ve brought you further evidence from two other participants. For additional testimonials, see my blog post from Aug. 31.

Adam Steinbrunner ’10 (United States)

The Brazil Winterim was a unique opportunity for me to learn more about new technologies as well as the business culture of a Latin American country. I had previous opportunities to travel throughout Latin America, including Brazil, but never had the experience of learning the strategies and motivations of native businesses. It was exciting to be introduced to sustainable businesses in a high-growth environment because it provides an appreciation that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of other key stakeholders, such as local communities and the environment. Local firms are meeting regional needs through innovative and eco-friendly processes, while international firms are partnering with an emerging world market to find expansion opportunities.
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By Ryan Conway, Thunderbird Full Time MBA

In my Operations Management class the other day we were talking about the concept of process flow, which my professor likened to the feeling that runners get when everything is functioning on all four cylinders and they feel as if they could go on forever.Now that my trimester is halfway over I feel as if I have hit that groove. The last month has been non-stop, including an external job fair in Chicago, an internal job fair here at Thunderbird, prepping for numerous interviews, and oh yeah, midterms.

Additionally, my Business Intelligence project has now been assigned and I am happy to say I received my first choice.

Read the rest of this post on the Financial Times’ MBA blog.

Mobile post by Nadia Karim

Dr. Youngdahl takes students into Arizona sunshine and sets up a paper airplane assembly line to illustrate the benefits and issues of line balancing and quality control in a constant process.

By, Kelly Fuson, Traditional MBA ‘11

Many students often debate about what their top priorities should be here at Business School and the top two that are often debated are: class work vs. career search. On top of that, many students are highly involved and have committed themselves to one, if not more, leadership positions. In addition, many students are employed part-time as Teacher’s Assistants, Research Assistants, or some other on-campus position such as in the Admissions Office, or like myself, an employee of the Career Management Center. I don’t think I need to continue much further to prove the point that there are many responsibilities and obligations competing for our time.

As someone who appreciates the value in crunching numbers, I went ahead and took the liberty to create what I will refer to as a “Time Budget” with the hopes of proving what we all already know: there simply isn’t enough time in the day. Furthermore, I hope to stir up the debate regarding the power struggle between class work and career search. Because after all, as you will see, there simply isn’t enough time to effectively do both (I urge someone to prove me wrong).

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By Shally Sarawagi, MS-Global Management ‘11

Two weeks ago, 19 Afghan women entrepreneurs arrived at Thunderbird. Most of them did not speak fluent English, and had never visited the United States before. They were here to participate in Project Artemis, an intensive, two-week training program that teaches business skills, leadership and entrepreneurship. By the end of the program, they had become an integral part of the Thunderbird family.

Friday, October 29th was a day of bittersweet feelings for Thunderbird as well as for the Project Artemis graduating fellows. The ceremony was so touching, I found myself reaching out for the tissue in my purse, and I was not the only one! These women set an example for all women around the world with their courage and determination. They showed us that we can break free from social shackles and financial setbacks and really build a substantial career if we only believe in ourselves.

“Every graduating fellow is a role model for their community,” said Nasimgol Azizi at the graduation ceremony. I would say each one is a role model not just for their community but for each one of us. They are all entrepreneurs in a country where the economy has been crippled by decades of warfare. Entrepreneurs are the need of the hour in Afghanistan. By doing what they are doing, they are creating history in their country, paving the way for social reforms in uplifting the rights of women.

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By Kate Robertson ’10, full-time MBA student

As I wrote last week, the Brazil Winterim, “Sustainable Business in Practice,” has something for everyone! Though company visits were focused on teaching students about sustainable business practices, the not-for-profits, multinational corporations, financial institutions and government agencies with whom we met in January 2010 spanned various industries.

This diversity made for quite an interesting trip! See the photographs below for an “insiders view” into the course’s company visits to Dedini S.A. Industrias de Base Manufacturing Equipment, Deutsch Bank, Fibria Forest Products, Friends of the Earth, Fundacao Amazonas Sustentavel, Natura Cosmetics, Tecsis Wind Turbine, Vale do Rio Doce Mining Company and Wal-Mart.
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By Carly E. Brennan, MS in Global Management ‘11

Since Career Week was last week I thought it would be relevant to finally update blog followers who may have read my last post back in July. My previous post was about my summer internship and job search. The post basically describes my summer search, and left off at a point in time where I had interviewed twice with a company that works in consulting, financial strategy and financial analysis. That entry can be found here.

In case readers have not gotten a chance to read the above blog entry, I will describe my experience and “journey” I took while searching for a summer internship/job:

My first trimester at Thunderbird was last Fall 2009, which is when I began to feel out the job market. I applied to a few job postings on GlobalConnect, attended some on-campus company presentations, and participated in Career Week. Additionally, I started searching for and applying to internships and jobs on various corporate websites and job search engines. By the time Spring semester had passed, and a couple of months into Summer 2010, I had an excel sheet of over 70 jobs and internships that I had applied for, and I had no job.

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