Archive for April, 2011

by Kamlesh Rishyur MBA ‘11

The CGI-U meet was a fantastic networking experience as I had never imagined I would get a chance to connect with a lot of like minded individuals from across the world with a passion to create a meaningful impact on the world through their brilliant ideas. I found some excellent insights to further my project on environmental sustainability from student partners and entrepreneurs who were already doing wonderful work in the area that I was working on.

The handshakes with Mr. Clinton made me feel that America is indeed a great land of opportunities and if you are talented, you will be rewarded and also engendered a sense of responsibility on my shoulders that I must do something big. My advice to all my fellow T-Birds is to think big, think global, and start taking some action, as merely having ideas is useless and most of all don’t be discouraged by others because it is your idea.

You will face lot of criticism, oppositions from many but guess what ….you are better than them! so protect your ideas and make a persuasive and a unique proposal to draw peoples attention to your project. Let your creative adrenalin flow and make a business case out of your imagination that would punctuate your MBA education and cross cultural learning at Thunderbird.

A sneak peak at my idea : Magic Cart…. Like it! share it! and I almost forgot ……….Start thinking about your idea!

Kamlesh Rishyur is a ‘11 MBA canidate at Thunderbird. His entrepreneurial venture is Magic Cart, which seeks to achieve massive reductions in global plastic bag usage. You can connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Military leaders and others have studied the art of war for centuries. Australian entrepreneur Steve Killelea thinks it is time to study peace. His organization, the Institute for Economics and Peace, measures the financial and social benefits that countries achieve when their citizens live without violence or fear of violence.

“If you look at the world today, you will find that there is a lot of study on violence but very little study on peace,” Killelea said April 12, 2011, during a visit to Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona. “We spend a lot of time understanding how much violence costs, but we don’t do enough on understanding the economic value and extra prosperity that can be associated with peace.”
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by Jennifer D. Billings, MBA ‘13

We’ve all heard the saying: ideas are a dime a dozen. How then do we breathe life into our ideas to impact the global community? Danielle Decatur ‘11, Sherrie Zollinger ‘12, Rodrigo Castillo ‘12 and myself compose the creative team behind Mejorando Juntos; a project that brings education programs to female factory workers in Tijuana, Mexico to benefit companies and communities.  This article explains how I maximized our team’s involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) conference to add value to our great idea.

Pre Conference

1) Just go for it

It’s true that you will never get anywhere if you never try, so when you see an opportunity, go for it. When I saw the Thunderbird International Development Association call for CGIU applications, I knew I had to apply right away. I went straight to the conference website and investigated the application process.

2) 1 + 1 = 11

My last project manager told me that good collaboration is when 1 + 1 = 11.  All good managers recognize the power of good team members. I contacted three individuals who I knew were passionate, hard working and who could each fulfill a specific function on my team: Sherrie, Danielle, and Rodrigo.  Their involvement created a multiplier effect for the success of our project. Whether attending a conference alone, or as a group, know who supports you.
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Conditions remain turbulent for many Afghan women nearly 10 years after U.S. and British troops launched Taliban air strikes, but 2005 Project Artemis fellow Rangina Hamidi said new opportunities are emerging. “The doors of opportunity to education, to work and to do other things have definitely been opened for women in the past 10 years,” Hamidi said March 24, 2011, during a return visit to Thunderbird School of Global Management. “However, we still live in great uncertainty and insecurity in 2011, not knowing what the next day will bring.”

Hamidi is founder and president of Kandahar Treasure, the first private women’s enterprise based in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The company produces fine hand-embroidered products, which Hamidi sells in Afghanistan and other markets such as the United States.

Hamidi said the opportunity to work empowers her employs and benefits the entire community. “The source of income for them is a source of stability,” she said. “For 30-plus years, Afghan people in general — and especially Afghan women — have been promised many promises that unfortunately many times were not kept.” She said Kandahar Treasure provides women with a promise for a better future.

“Kandahar Treasure promises a tomorrow,” Hamidi said. “Kandahar Treasure promises that even in the midst of war, even if the international community leaves their country, the women will be able to continue creating a source of income for themselves by creating a beautiful product.” Learn more in the video below: