As Boston attempts to emerge ever so slightly from the deep freeze and record snowfall that has engulfed the city this winter, the EMBA 27 teams are gearing up to visit much warmer temperatures as we prepare for our international trip to Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru. Our class has a somewhat unique situation in that we have chosen to visit the same locations as our comrades in EMBA 26. This has proven quite helpful as we have had plenty of opportunities to converse with Alumni and gain critical insights into what is important, what is not, and establishing a strategy for the trip.
Preparation for this excursion has been as charged as any other portion of the program. In the few weeks after our third, and final team of the program was established, we were obligated to create a team charter, perform in-depth analysis on different countries, provide multiple comprehensive yet succinct presentations of our findings, and work together to begin forming a concept for our international trip and Capstone project. Our team quickly embraced efficiency!
Establishing industry meetings in our host countries has proven a daunting task. Now just 10 days out and we are finding ourselves struggling to put firm meeting commitments on the schedule. With such a
significant number of great contacts, we thought we would be able to get on the map quickly. But with only two confirmed meetings and many irons in the fire, beads of sweat may begin taking shape on our foreheads soon… It is definitely heating up.
Meanwhile, back in our “real” lives, we are each preparing our organizations and families for our 8+ day excursion abroad. At the start of each team call we share accounts of preparing lists of things that must be done, training others to take on the extra work-load, working insane hours to complete as much as possible, and trying to figure out how to cram in a few extra hours of quality time with loved ones.
This is a nerve-wracking, yet exciting time for our team, and we are savoring every moment of it.
Marjorie Nelson is an EMBA 27 student and part of the healthcare team for the capstone project. Marjorie is the Director of Manufacturing at GeNO LLC in Cocoa Florida.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Preparing for the International Field Seminar: Chile and Peru
The Boston University EMBA 27 class will visit both Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru on their international trip beginning this Friday. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to participate in the following activities:
• Lectures and presentations, including discussion of cultural, legal and regulatory issues
• Site visits with businesses, government officials, and non-profit organizations
• Team assignments that engage students with local organizations
Students will be blogging throughout the trip, sharing their insights and lessons learned. Stay tuned for more posts from Chile and Peru!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Learn More about the Boston University Executive MBA Program this June
The busy summer season is happening here at the Boston University Executive MBA Program. EMBA 26 students are preparing for the final residence week focused Leadership and Change. EMBA 27 students are busily reading and preparing for their second residence week on Law & Ethics. Prospective EMBA 28 students are pulling together application materials in preparation for the first admissions deadline on June 15, 2014.
Have you been thinking about pursuing an executive MBA? The summer is the perfect time to begin the process. With opportunities to attend admissions events and class visits, the month of June is full of options. Start by attending an Information Session and Admissions Workshop on Tuesday, June 3. Attendees are encourage to bring their resume for pre-assessment and their applications in progress. Follow-up with breakfast with the current class and stay for a class session on Wednesday, June 25. For more information, visit the BU EMBA website.
Wondering what kinds of students make up the BU EMBA class? Our students come from a variety of industries and many different functional roles. From banking to biotech and engineering to entrepreneurship, our classes are filled with accomplished professionals. EMBA students share common goals – to broaden their general management perspective and advance their careers.
There are benefits to early application by June 15, 2014. June applicants that are accepted and enroll in the BU EMBA program are eligible to receive an early admission tuition benefit of $2,000. In addition to the early admissions benefit, the Boston University Executive MBA Program awards a limited number of scholarships for incoming EMBA students. Selection for these scholarships is highly competitive with preference given to those who are self-financing all or part of their Executive MBA education. The admissions application and scholarship application must be received by August 15, 2014 to be considered for a scholarship. Please see details here.
Join us in June to learn more about how you can be a part of the next Boston University Executive MBA Class and take your career to the next level. Session details can be found here.
Have you been thinking about pursuing an executive MBA? The summer is the perfect time to begin the process. With opportunities to attend admissions events and class visits, the month of June is full of options. Start by attending an Information Session and Admissions Workshop on Tuesday, June 3. Attendees are encourage to bring their resume for pre-assessment and their applications in progress. Follow-up with breakfast with the current class and stay for a class session on Wednesday, June 25. For more information, visit the BU EMBA website.
Wondering what kinds of students make up the BU EMBA class? Our students come from a variety of industries and many different functional roles. From banking to biotech and engineering to entrepreneurship, our classes are filled with accomplished professionals. EMBA students share common goals – to broaden their general management perspective and advance their careers.
There are benefits to early application by June 15, 2014. June applicants that are accepted and enroll in the BU EMBA program are eligible to receive an early admission tuition benefit of $2,000. In addition to the early admissions benefit, the Boston University Executive MBA Program awards a limited number of scholarships for incoming EMBA students. Selection for these scholarships is highly competitive with preference given to those who are self-financing all or part of their Executive MBA education. The admissions application and scholarship application must be received by August 15, 2014 to be considered for a scholarship. Please see details here.
Join us in June to learn more about how you can be a part of the next Boston University Executive MBA Class and take your career to the next level. Session details can be found here.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Lima, Peru: High Tech Team Visits
Just as in Santiago, Chile we had a mix of interesting site visits in Lima with business leaders, academics, government officials and subject matter experts.
We had meetings with the American Chamber of Commerce, ESAN University, BTG Pactual (Investment Bank), Agroideas (Peruvian government entity responsible for assisting small farming coops), Technoserve (an NGO assisting small farmers become more effective at accessing the market) and VisaNet. Greg pulled in some extra effort and scheduled two additional meetings with Inter-American Development Bank and a food exporter and restaurant owner on the following Friday morning. We did still however manage to join our class for lunch and the awesome textile mill tour that Jason had helped schedule.
The meeting set up at ESAN University was a fascinating panel discussion with eminent agribusiness academics, entrepreneurs and consultants. We learned about the similar history Peruvian farmers experienced with their Chilean counterparts as it pertains to the agrarian reforms in the 1960s, and the government partitioning of land into small subsistence-based “mini-farms.” Peruvian farmers however faced more acute geographic isolation due to the poor road infrastructure in their areas, and inadequate access to government funded irrigation systems. As a result many of these farmers have resorted to illegal Coca farming in order to make ends meet.
One way for small farmers to enhance their wellbeing is to band together their lands and aggregate their production in the form of co-ops. Agroideas is a government entity that actively encourages this by offering government funding for equipment, technical know-how and other assistance. The catch however is that these co-ops have to actually produce business plans that prove their viability, sustainability and profitability. NGOs like Technoserve provide consultation services and advice to these co-op members on their business plan preparation and presentation. It seems that Peruvian co-ops have something in common with Executive MBA students who are about to start work on their capstone projects!
We had meetings with the American Chamber of Commerce, ESAN University, BTG Pactual (Investment Bank), Agroideas (Peruvian government entity responsible for assisting small farming coops), Technoserve (an NGO assisting small farmers become more effective at accessing the market) and VisaNet. Greg pulled in some extra effort and scheduled two additional meetings with Inter-American Development Bank and a food exporter and restaurant owner on the following Friday morning. We did still however manage to join our class for lunch and the awesome textile mill tour that Jason had helped schedule.
The meeting set up at ESAN University was a fascinating panel discussion with eminent agribusiness academics, entrepreneurs and consultants. We learned about the similar history Peruvian farmers experienced with their Chilean counterparts as it pertains to the agrarian reforms in the 1960s, and the government partitioning of land into small subsistence-based “mini-farms.” Peruvian farmers however faced more acute geographic isolation due to the poor road infrastructure in their areas, and inadequate access to government funded irrigation systems. As a result many of these farmers have resorted to illegal Coca farming in order to make ends meet.
One way for small farmers to enhance their wellbeing is to band together their lands and aggregate their production in the form of co-ops. Agroideas is a government entity that actively encourages this by offering government funding for equipment, technical know-how and other assistance. The catch however is that these co-ops have to actually produce business plans that prove their viability, sustainability and profitability. NGOs like Technoserve provide consultation services and advice to these co-op members on their business plan preparation and presentation. It seems that Peruvian co-ops have something in common with Executive MBA students who are about to start work on their capstone projects!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
EMBA 26 in Peru - Learning about Illegal Mining
Did you know that 60% of the GDP of Peru comes from illegal activities? That’s right, over 60% of the economy is under the radar and does not contribute to the common welfare of all Peruvians. The illegal economy is divided into three equal sectors of drugs, mining, and timber (mahogany).
Many Peruvian peasants with little education drift into illegal mining. These miners are not your average Joe with a pick and shovel in the hills. Rather these are smart entrepreneurs who run large scale operations. They convert equipment from other industries to mining and operate million dollar dredgers. They operate 40 km from the nearest roads in either the jungle or mountains. There is one mining village which is at 5800 M above sea level (the mine is at 6500 M above sea level). This village has widescreen plasma TVs, iPhone, iPads, and the latest technology. It however, has no running water or sewers. These miners exist on the edge of Peru, but cause large scale damage.
These low budget miners focus on getting the gold out of the ore as quickly and efficiently as possible. Hence they separate the gold with either mercury or cyanide. This is done is in makeshift huts and basins using human muscle to drive separation of the gold, silver, or platinum. Once this mineral is extracted the waste water and tillings are dumped either in local lakes, jungle, or nearby piles. This creates environmental destruction as watersheds and downstream drinking supplies are contaminated with mercury or cyanide. People, especially children, are effected and neurological symptoms are occurring in these makeshift villages. Yet still the illegal mining continues.
Why? The cold hard fact is that there is money in the land of Peru. A miner can spend $400/oz. in contribution cost and sell the gold for close to $1300/oz. netting close to $900/oz. profit. Gold is legal and can be sold in the open market. It requires none of the money to ensure protection like drug operations require. If you were a peasant with little education, then this is the ticket out of poverty. Many illegal miners pay for their children to attend private school and university while at the same time providing cars and apartments for their children.
Why is this tolerated? Corruption and bureaucracy. Many cyanide plants for mining are out in the open on the side of highways. Likewise, mercury is imported through the ports under government supervision. Bureaucracy is the other problem. The ministry, which oversees mining, does not write the environmental laws, and still another arm of the government enforces the laws.
In the end the people of Peru lose and the environment is destroyed. A long term solution is needed to provide a mechanism for miners which does not require the use of mercury or cyanide.
--Greg Montemurro
Greg was part of the mining team for the EMBA 26 Capstone Business Plan project. He currently works for Keurig, Inc. as Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations.
--Greg Montemurro
Greg was part of the mining team for the EMBA 26 Capstone Business Plan project. He currently works for Keurig, Inc. as Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations.
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