Cultural competence is critical to gaining competitive advantage when conducting business in developing markets. That was a key message from business professionals who shared their expertise at the inaugural Business Across Borders Summit at UNC in February. “On the Ground in Emerging Economies” featured experts with intimate knowledge and recent practical experience conducting business in emerging markets around the globe. One participant said the message he took away could be applied to any economy, emerging or mature. “What I gained from the conference was the importance of substantively engaging with local cultures and understanding the way business is done in a given location,” said Michael Chasnow, a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA student who is also pursuing a master’s degree in city Read More
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Engaging Emerging Markets – Kenan Institute Leadership Fellows Create Winning Summit
Impact At Scale: An Interview with Joseph Joel Sherman and Sam Imende
A conversation between Sam Imende (MBA ’12) and Joseph Joel Sherman. Sam Imende was a 2007 Fellow at KIVA Microfund. Joseph Joel Sherman leads North Carolina for Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to fight poverty. Joseph Joel: What are you doing at the KIVA Microfund? Sam: We have a Kiva team for the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School that was set up in 2008. I have been promoting our team to get more people to join and using it as a platform to get students, faculty and staff more directly engaged in Social Enterprise and Base of the Pyramid markets. We just kicked off our Kiva Speakers Series with Ashok’s presentation on Belaku Eye Hospitals Read More
Business Solutions Complement Legislative Solutions
This week, UNC Pubic Policy major Betty Royster shares her belief that business solutions can complement legislation as means to advancing sustainability goals. The following is her statement of belief: I believe that business is better equipped than civil society or a governmental entity to forge a sustainable future. As a public policy major, I enrolled in Kenan-Flagler’s Sustainable Enterprise course believing that full-fledged governmental legislation would be the first and most important step to curb carbon emissions and improve America’s environmental outlook. Although I beleive it is still vital, legislation tends to be highly contentious and slow to pass. As President Bjorn Stigson from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development stated “[Governments] will not solve climate change without Read More