Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category

In my academic career, I have never been more proud!

For the first time, I’ve been able to really connect my research interests, my interest in working with women for economic development, and my teaching together in a worthwhile way. This summer, Thunderbird offered and conducted the first Emerging Market Women Entrepreneurs Business Plan Consulting course. This course connected Thunderbird MBA students (Rebecca Knowles, Reem Nassar, Italia Quitral, James Hammons, Nimin Chen, Kenji Fuma, and Kristi Judd) with three Afghan women entrepreneurs with high growth potential businesses. The purpose was for the students to learn the anatomy of a business plan, starting businesses in developing countries, and the difficulties facing women in war zones. The other purpose was to provide in-depth consulting to help these Afghan women entrepreneurs get these worthwhile businesses off the ground (a women’s hospital, an organic composter fertilizer, and a particleboard/cardboard manufacturer).

 Here’s how my students impressed me, even more than I hoped they would:

 I knew all along what kind of impact we would make through this course for the Afghan women. I also knew that each student would walk out of the course with a lot of new insights and skills. It didn’t occur to me what kind of impact the experience would have on their views of others in the world around them. For example, I have always stood in awe of these ladies. They face such discrimination and discouragement throughout their entire lives, and yet they persevere in the most astounding ways. They don’t fear negativity, they don’t fear failure, and they don’t let fear for their lives stop them. I am moved by learning that my business students are humbled by these women and have learned as much from them as they’ve given. Even more so, the students are aware of how fortunate their lives have been in comparison and they have a high level of respect for these underprivileged, yet amazing women. I will remember each student in this class better than previous classes because of the more intense working relationships we had on these projects. Here are some highlights of what they shared with me at the conclusion to the course:

 Aside from this being a course for practical purposes on business plans, it seems that while the students learned the mechanics of the business plan, they were more moved by the plight of Afghan women, and Afghan businesswomen in particular.

1. People in Afghanistan are much less supportive of women in business even though a thriving business could benefit the community, because their families fear for their security.
2. Lack of adequate funding and market research are huge hindrances. Those businesses that are too big for microloans are difficult to find funding for. The banks seem to be largely dysfunctional and much of the aid money coming in from the West is targeted toward political, community, and expat associations, rather than indigenous businesses.
3. The lack of business associations, education, infrastructure, and security can be crippling for the development of the private sector, and subsequently the economic development of the country.
4. When dealing with people in locations plagued with severe adversity, in developed countries we must be able to exercise patience and try to understand that operations in these places may not function as smoothly as we are used to, for a myriad of reasons.
5. Some have a passion for working more with women in developing countries after this course is over.
6. Some have more of a belief in their abilities (self-efficacy) as potential entrepreneurs in the future, now that they understand the anatomy of a business plan, or in their ability to adequately consult on others’ business plans.
7. There is a lot of room for philanthropy from other organizations in the form of talent development, rather than the traditional aid handouts.
8. The contribution they all made to these ladies is huge. Some of them received feedback from the ladies already, saying how helpful their ideas, questions, and recommendations were.

10.  They view the women less as victims after working with them these past weeks, and more as strong forces to be embraced and encouraged for the development of their countries. They are starting businesses not only for need, but because of a belief in their abilities and their resilience to grow from adversity. When the students try to put themselves in these ladies shoes and think of how determined they would be after roadblocks, closed doors, and failed attempts throughout their entire life, they have a new found respect for just how strong and resilient these ladies are. This seems to have left some of the students humbled by how fortunate they have been in their own upbringings.

11.  They were moved by how the women we worked with were not only motivated to generate an income for their own personal households, but they also quite passionately want to do what they can to change their whole country and other people’s lives through their businesses.

12.  What the students seemed to learn the most and benefit from as students was derived from having the opportunity to apply classroom material (outside readings and the textbook on how to write a business plan) to the real world through research and consulting for real women entrepreneurs’ businesses.

Each of these students should feel very proud of their work and dedication to this course and these ladies!

 Amanda Bullough Ph.D. is the Academic Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative and an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Management and Organizational Behavior at the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Dr. Bullough’s research focus is on women and their potential to be economic producers and business leaders in the developing world.

One Afghan woman dreams of opening a badly needed maternity hospital staffed entirely by women. Another wants to create manufacturing jobs for women at a particle board factory. Another wants to turn food waste into organic compost fertilizer to nourish Afghan crops.

All of the entrepreneurs are graduates of Thunderbird programs designed to help Afghan women launch or grow their businesses, but they need extra help implementing their plans.

“These are businesses that never launched because they were more complicated than your standard small business,” said Thunderbird Professor Amanda Bullough, Ph.D., academic director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women in Afghanistan.

Thunderbird operates the program in partnership with the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. Thunderbird also supports Afghan women through Project Artemis, a separate program that brings participants to Glendale, Arizona, for two weeks of business education.

To help Afghan women navigate the barriers they encounter after completing the Thunderbird programs, Bullough has launched a new course for full-time students called Women Entrepreneurs Business Plan Consulting. Teams of MBA students who enroll in the course work side-by-side with Afghan women entrepreneurs to help them refine and implement their complex plans.

“This is very real, hands-on interaction at a micro level between the women entrepreneurs and our T-bird students,” Bullough says. “Our students are learning about entrepreneurship in a war zone, the ins and outs of being a businesswoman in Afghanistan and the anatomy of a business plan and how to stimulate entrepreneurial activity in emerging economies.”

Seven students in the pilot program provided more than 525 consulting hours for three Afghan businesswomen in summer 2011. They communicated with their clients through e-mail and other online services such as Skype.

“The T-bird students are helping their clients revise the business plans they wrote,” Bullough says. “They also are writing mini cases on each of the women, highlighting each personal story.”

Students in the pilot program included Nimin Chen ’12 from China, Kenji Fuma ’11 from Japan, Reem Nasser ’11 from Jordan, Italia Quitral ’11 from Chile and James Hammons ’12, Kristi Judd ’11 and Rebecca Knowles ’12 from the United States.

The Case of the Women of Afghanistan

By: Amanda Bullough, Ph.D.

Thunderbird has been involved in numerous women entrepreneurs training programs, yet until recently little was known about what drives entrepreneurial decisions in a war zone. New research coming out of Thunderbird is showing that cognitive ability matters greatly for the pursuit of entrepreneurial intentions. Findings from a study in Afghanistan indicate that women entrepreneurs rely heavily on their ability to engage in entrepreneurial activity and their sense of resilience in the face of adversity. This suggests that business development training and mentoring are critical contributing factors that need to accompany efforts aimed at boosting entrepreneurship for the purposes of economic advancement, peace-building, and independence for the country.

The Importance of Women’s Participation in Entrepreneurship for Economic Development

Ongoing entrepreneurial activity − that is, the generation of new businesses, goods, services, and jobs − has long been respected as crucial for sustainable economic development. The role of women in the economy has increasingly gained the attention of world leaders − and rightly so. As typically the family’s primary caregiver, women are recognized for their efforts at utilizing economic earnings for household needs and healthier children. Women who own and operate their own businesses quickly become leaders in their communities. Establishing an environment that is hospitable to women in business becomes a priority for society’s leaders in the public and private sector.

Operating Businesses in Dangerous Contexts

Terrorism and war often repel private investment and negatively affect the economic development of a society. In Afghanistan, women who want to start businesses deal with poverty and unemployment, corruption, fear of kidnapping of themselves and their family members, bombs, shootings, unfair arrest, and numerous other fears caused by desperate insurgents, the Taliban, or even the local police or army. A negative environment can compromise entrepreneurial pursuits, especially by Afghan women who face added cultural limitations that require limited movement outside the home without a male family member.

So, What Do We Do to Promote Women’s Participation in Entrepreneurship?

If including women in the economic development process is important for peace-building, then what do we do to encourage the participation of women in the economy?

Since women are essential to economic and family-oriented health initiatives, then activities targeted specifically toward women need to continue, and in fact be increased. One way to do this is through business development training, which is necessary to boost a woman’s belief in her ability to perform the tasks necessary to successfully become an entrepreneur. Women who have access to education and training, either to start new businesses or grow existing enterprises, have been found to emerge with unshakable beliefs in their ability to do things no one ever expected of them before. Solid accounting and finance tools combined with a foundation in management and leadership skills can make the difference between daydreaming about greater things, and taking action to be a powerful economic force.

Another way to build belief in one’s abilities and resilience in the face of challenging circumstances is through mentoring. Other women who have steered through adversity and launched businesses anyway have been shown to be powerful motivators for other women. Programs designed to showcase such women and match mentors with aspiring businesswomen are worthwhile techniques to sponsor mentorship. In addition, women coming out of business training programs and who have previously benefitted from mentoring are inclined to give back and provide additional training and mentorship to other women, creating a reciprocal effect – a pay-it-forward type of mentoring system.

Amanda Bullough Ph.D. is the Academic Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative and an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and Management and Organizational Behavior at the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Dr. Bullough’s research focus is on women and their potential to be economic producers and business leaders in the developing world.

By Amanda Bullough, Ph.D.

Thunderbird has carved out a niche expertise in educating women entrepreneurs in developing countries.  I have specifically been working with our women entrepreneurs programs in Afghanistan and Peru.  We recently had over 20 Afghan women on campus here in Glendale, Arizona for two weeks and I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with the ladies.  Not only am I the Academic Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women programs in these countries, but I am also doing research on women entrepreneurs operating in adverse conditions. 

 While they were here, I invited the Afghan businesswomen to focus groups interviews of 6 to 7 people each so that we could begin to better understand what makes them tick. Why?  Because, the idea of entrepreneurship as vital for development efforts and for peace-building is a large focus for learning institutions and governmental and nongovernmental communities.  In particular, research on entrepreneurship in adverse conditions is relatively scarce and necessary if we are to be useful as educators and policy makers and increase our understanding of entrepreneurship.

By speaking with these women, I wanted to better understand why they choose to buck the established social norms and start and lead business when it’s so dangerous do so.  Interestingly, in an obvious display of humility and respect for their fellow Afghan women, who have all endured tremendous hardship and challenges, none of the women would acknowledge themselves as special.  However, we know they are, because not all Afghan women do indeed engage in the economy or in leadership. We are in the process of uncovering that these ladies have a unique sense of determination, drive, passion, and a thirst for making their communities and countries better for other Afghan women and for their children.  I stand in awe of them and they have my respect and admiration for their strength. 

The next research question to tackle will be, are Afghan businesswomen actually stronger than women in other countries, because of the hardships they’ve endured?

 In addition to what I learned from these powerful ladies, I will also comment on their demeanor while in our country these weeks, many for the first time.  They carried themselves with the utmost dignity and respect.  They worked together to absorb the business training they were getting from their mentors and the Thunderbird faculty.  They were appreciative and thankful, sweet, inspiring, and all-around positive forces to be around.  These strong and wilful ladies brought smiles to the faces of Thunderbird faculty, staff, and students all over campus, and pride to the whole community when they held their heads high at graduation.  We are a proud community here at Thunderbird to be able to both educate and learn from these remarkable ladies.  

 Amanda Bullough Ph.D. is the Academic Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative and an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship and  Management and Organizational Behavior at the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Dr. Bullough’s research focus is on women and their potential to be economic producers and business leaders in the developing world.

By Steven Stralser, Ph.D.

When most of us think of entrepreneurial challenges one of the things that usually pops up is the notion of risk… The founder is assessing the risk of whether “the dogs will eat the dog food”…the investor is assessing the financial risk/ return calculus to determine whether to take the entrepreneurial bet…the employee of the startup is assessing the risk that the venture will succeed and so the employee will get their paycheck and possibly some upside stock option gain if the venture succeeds.

But all of these risk scenarios pale compared to the risk of being a woman entrepreneur in Afghanistan, where being a woman with an independent means of economic destiny bears another level of risk, a risk of personal safety and security.

For the past two weeks, 19 courageous Afghan women have spent time in Thunderbird classrooms, learning from Thunderbird faculty and sharing their entrepreneurial vision with Thunderbird student volunteers and with a matched-up mentor who will stay connected to Thunderbird Project Artemis “Fellows” after they return to their businesses and entrepreneurial futures in Afghanistan.

When they return to their country, they will certainly tackle “traditional” entrepreneurial risks, and more, and inspire us with their determination to forge their own economic destiny.

Photo:  An Woman entrepreneur, from Afghanistan at the White House speaking to Ginger Lew, Senior Advisor to the White House National Economic Council at the White House and the SBA Administrator  and Tina Tchen, Executive Director of the White House Council on Women.

Steven Stralser Ph.D. is a clinical professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  He teaches courses in Innovation, Business Planning and Global Entrepreneurship.  Dr. Stralser has been the Academic Director of Project Artemis since its inception.

Jordanian interior designer Rima Qunsol came to Thunderbird Oct. 16 with dreams of launching her own furniture line in Amman. She left two weeks later with even bigger plans after meeting a U.S. mentor assigned to her through SEEDS, a business education and mentorship program for Jordanian women entrepreneurs. “My experience at Thunderbird for the last two weeks is something,” Qunsol said Oct. 29 after spending a day with her new mentor. “But the last 24 hours is something else. It’s been an eye opener in so many ways.”
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Women had few career options in the ancient Afghan city where Masooma Habibi labored in her youth as a carpet weaver. So she pressed forward, working 12 hours a day for up to three years to finish one carpet. Her hands cracked and bled on a daily basis from the job, but she could not stop because she needed the money to survive and take care of her family.
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By Katherine Hutton, Walker Center managing director

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Tammy Myatt. She is the new program manager for the Thunderbird women’s entrepreneurship program in Kabul, Afghanistan, funded by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program. Tammy spent her time at the Walker Center on the Glendale campus meeting with a wide host of faculty and staff learning about Thunderbird and our programs in Afghanistan. 

Tammy related to me when she saw the job opening she saw it as a gift, a calling, rather than a job. She is very excited about living in Kabul and working with the courageous women who participate in the program. A native of Canada, and coming from Halifax, Nova Scocia, she is prepared for the climatic extremes of Afghanistan.

With a background in organizational management and business administration, Tammy possesses a strong talent base for managing the program. Additionally, her work experience in Saudi Arabia speaks to her cultural adaptability. Tammy will be on the ground in Kabul within the month!