Students

Social & Sustainable Finance Research and Teaching: The Role of a Business School in Building an Inclusive and Responsible Society 

DATE & TIME

May 20, 2021

11:00 am–12:00 pm (EDT)

5:00pm – 6:00pm (CEST)

LOCATION

This event will be hosted on Zoom.

CONTACT

Emma Martens, emartens@gbsn.org

Register here

Montpellier Business School would happily present the Microfinance in Developed Countries Chair. The Chair Holder, Dr Anastasia Cozarenco, will share her experience, how the project arose, leading to the creation of this Chair in 2018. She will also explain why the chair recently broadened its scope, research and teaching activities to become the Social & Sustainable Finance Chair.

Building on the Chair’s activities, Montpellier Business School launched its Yunus Centre for Social Business and Financial Inclusion in 2019. Dr Elsa Kassardjian, the Development Manager, will talk about the challenges and opportunities of creating and maintaining such a Centre. She will present in particular a project funded by the European Commission, MBS’s Yunus Centre is involved in.

Speakers

Date

Thursday, May 20th, 2021

  • 11:00am Washington D.C.
  • 4:00pm London
  • 5:00pm Geneva
  • 8:30pm Mumbai
  • 11:00pm Singapore
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CEEMAN IQA Webinar – Relevant, Excellent and on the Move

Management education is quickly evolving as the world undergoes several major changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It must adapt to several different challenges, such as new customer needs and new competitors. This increases the need for stakeholders in management education to truly understand what the successful business schools of the future will look like.

This webinar will focus around the following ideas: relevance and excellence in both teaching and research and an institutional dynamic which continually moves the institution to the future through innovation and change. Attendees can expect to leave the webinar with a greater understanding of how to identify current gaps and the change processes that will have to be deployed to effect such changes.

Date

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

  • 8:00 a.m. Washington D.C.
  • 1:00 p.m. London
  • 2:00 p.m. Geneva
  • 3:00 p.m. Cape Town
  • 6:00 p.m. Mumbai
  • 9:00 p.m. Singapore

Register

This webinar is free of charge. Click the button below to register.

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2021 EFMD Middle East and Africa Conference

This conference tackles the specificities of both Africa and the Middle East regions in common plenary sessions and in separate tracks, specifically targeting relevant issues for both regions. The conference addresses topics such as ongoing trends and new developments in management education, inside, and outside of the two regions. It promotes an active debate between regional actors and participants from other regions of the world.

Business school professionals that attend the conference will develop higher levels of insights on how to approach challenges in the upcoming years, while also strengthen their networks across the regions.

Date

Tuesday, March 9 through Thursday, March 11, 2021

10:30 am – 2:45 pm CET

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Thriving in a New Era of Globalization: A Conversation with BCG’s Arindam Bhattacharya

How are organizations adapting to the disruptive forces transforming globalization, such as economic nationalism, technological transformation, environmental crisis—and, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic? For nearly two decades at BCG, Dr. Arindam Bhattacharya has worked closely with some of the world’s leading global companies, helping leaders to navigate the complex and rapidly changing environment. In this GBSN cross-border webinar, he talks with GBSN CEO, Dan LeClair, about that experience and his new book, Beyond Great, and offers insights into the future of business education as well as business.

Great performance in the 21st century is all about delivering consistently strong returns to shareholders—right? Wrong. That may have been true in the 20th century, when the rules of the business game were predictable, but not today. That world no longer exists. As BCG’s new book Beyond Great shows, the world has been transformed by three powerful, disruptive forces: social tension, economic nationalism, and technological revolution.

This event is designed for business school students, faculty, and administrators. 

To achieve business advantage, leaders will have to make bold changes on three major fronts.

Date

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

  • 6:30am Phoenix
  • 8:30am Washington D.C.
  • 1:30pm London
  • 2:30pm Lagos
  • 3:30pm Cape Town
  • 7:00pm Mumbai

Speakers

Registration

This webinar is free of charge. Click the button below to register.

Register

MIT Legatum Fellowship: 2021-2022

The Legatum Fellowship is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs studying at MIT. Each year the Legatum Center builds a cohort of 20-25 students dedicated to building and scaling ventures in the developing world and provides them with tuition funding, travel, and prototyping support, as well as access to mentors, special seminars, and other cross-campus resources. Current and incoming students are eligible to apply. The application deadline is March 12, 2021.

Program Elements

This Fellowship is intensely action-oriented and suits the student who is fully committed to becoming a principled leader and improving the lives of others through entrepreneurship.

  • Curriculum: Through our customized educational experience, students develop practical skills for navigating complex business environments, making principled business decisions, setting and reaching venture milestones, and building and leading teams globally.
  • Mentorship: We have an Entrepreneur-in-Residence dedicated to helping our Fellows navigate their entrepreneurial journey at MIT. We have also built a network of domain experts and mentors to provide guidance, encouragement, and specialized advice as needed.
  • Community: MIT has a rich entrepreneurial ecosystem comprised of faculty, investors, potential partners, new technologies, and both aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs. The Legatum Center serves as a community hub, helping students navigate the pockets of MIT to secure the precise expertise and resources you’ll need to optimize your entrepreneurial journey.

Financial Support: Each Fellow receives funding that can be used to support their school tuition and stipend. Students in their graduating year can access up to $50,000 for tuition; other students can access up to $25,000 with the opportunity for follow on funding in subsequent years. Fellows also receive grants to support travel to emerging markets during the summer and winter breaks in order to build professional relationships, conduct primary market research, test prototypes, or run pilot studies.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Fellowship, applicants must either be:

  • A current MIT Student who will still be enrolled for the year-long duration of the fellowship
    OR
  • Admitted to begin a (full-time) degree program at MIT in the fall semester of the coming academic year

Expectations

Legatum Fellows are expected to be fully engaged participants in the Legatum Center community. Expectations include:

  • Completion of a for-credit management seminar that focuses specifically on the challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs in the developing world
  • Completion of one additional MIT course related to entrepreneurial leadership development
  • At least one trip to the intended country of implementation to either conduct primary market research, test a prototype, or pilot the business model
  • Participation in peer-to-peer training sessions
  • Demonstrated willingness to learn and adapt the venture as necessary
  • Participation in pitch events at the end of each semester
  • Regular check-in meetings with the Legatum Center staff
  • Participation in MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through student-organized clubs and conferences
  • Commitment to being an entrepreneurial leader in a developing country post-graduation

The Applicant

We are looking for principled, innovative leaders who have a track record for driving change and can demonstrate a commitment to improving lives in the developing world. The ideal candidate will bring a deep level of know-how to his or her venture (whether related to a technical field, geographic area and/or industry sector) and thus have a competitive edge to lead their venture to success. Ultimately, we are looking for self-motivated visionaries who are also dedicated to experimenting, learning, and growing in order to maximize their entrepreneurial success and impact over the course of their career.

Venture Criteria

We evaluate ventures based on three key criteria:

Stage: Ideally, we are looking for ventures that are ready to be deployed on the ground. However, for students in their first year at MIT or enrolled in one-year programs, we also consider ventures at an earlier stage provided the applicant has identified a problem and developed a plan to test key hypotheses in preparation for launch. In other words, we want our Fellows to be beyond the “exploration phase,” theorizing about a problem or challenge they think exists. Fellows should understand their customers’ pain points and be confident in their ability to solve customer needs through their product or service. Considerable primary market research (PMR) and/or a pilot is highly desirable before applying. During the Fellowship, we will challenge students on their current business assumptions, requiring them test and adapt their business models, products, and team, so that they are ready to implement their ventures full-time upon graduation.

Impact: We are looking for emerging market ventures that improve lives. This will be achieved through the business’s innovative technology or service as well as through increased economic prosperity, local job creation, and improved ecosystem conditions. We have a preference for for-profit business models but are open to all venture concepts that have the potential for considerable scale, sustainability, and impact.

Innovation: We are looking for venture concepts that build competitive advantage through an innovative product, process, or business model. Innovation-driven entrepreneurs face great risk, but when they succeed, the payoff for both the entrepreneurs and the regions they serve are even greater as their scaling operations lead to exponential growth in revenue, jobs, and impact.

Evaluation Process

Applicants must complete all required fields in the online application form.

  • The online application form will also require you to submit the following:
    • References: Please provide the names and contact information for 3-4 professional references. They should be able to speak to your potential as a principled entrepreneurial leader and/or your commitment to impacting change in the developing world. Legatum staff will only contact references if you are invited for an interview.
    • Resume/CV: We ask that you provide the most up-to-date version of your resume or CV (1 page max).
  • Applications will be reviewed by Legatum staff, as well as a committee of MIT faculty and industry experts. Evaluations will be based on the eligibility, applicant, and venture qualifications described above.
  • Applicants who make it to the final round will be called for an interview.
  • Interviews are by invitation only. Whenever possible, Fellowship finalists are interviewed in person. For those finalists based outside of the United States or unable to visit campus, interviews will be conducted by phone or Skype.

Open House Opportunity

We will be hosting an Open House event on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 5 PM EST where students can learn more about the program, meet current Fellows, and ask questions about the application process. Students can register to attend here:

Register for Open House

Important Dates/Deadlines

  • February 25, 2021 – Open House
  • March 12, 2021 – Application closes at 11:59 PM EST

If you have any questions regarding the Fellowship, please email legatum-fellowship@mit.edu.

Details, FAQs, and an application example can be found at https://legatum.mit.edu/resources/legatum-fellowships/

Apply Now

Gender-Smart Entrepreneurship Education and Training +

Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems to Support Underserved Entrepreneurs

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DATE & TIME

March 23, 2021
11:00 am–12:30 pm (EDT)

LOCATION

This roundtable will be hosted on Zoom.

CONTACT

Maddie Handler, mhandler@gbsn.org

This roundtable will showcase a multi-country project that mobilizes evidence-based insights in the development of entrepreneurship education and training as drivers of economic empowerment of girls, women and other disadvantaged groups (e.g., youth, informal workers). The GEET+ is the work of Telfer School of Management’s Professor Barbara Orser and Dr. Catherine Elliott. The tool has been selectively applied in Canada and the United States.  Led by the Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI) and funded by the International Development Research Centre (Canada), the pilot project is being launched in Peru, Mexico, Kenya, and Nigeria. 

Join this roundtable and learn how the WEI international team of collaborators and experts is working to: 

  • Strengthen pathways to build viable and bankable women-owned enterprises. 
  • Enhance the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and training within universities and community-based support organizations by addressing biases in solution design and sector knowledge about equity, diversity and inclusion.
  • Refine measurement and assessment criteria to support gender equality in entrepreneurship education and training. 
  • Facilitate knowledge sharing among academic, industry, non-governmental and government stakeholders, including the catalyzation of networks where they do not already exist.  

Attendees will leave the roundtable with an understanding of how entrepreneurship education and training can influence perceptions and better address systemic biases.     

Understand how entrepreneurship education and training can better address biases within course content, design and delivery.   

Share information about the Gender-Smart Education and Training Action Strategy (GEET+) as an assessment tool.

Grow from lessons shared about shifting perceptions in education, training and business communities to better support women entrepreneurs.

Women’s Economic Imperative (WEI) is a global, non-profit committed to promoting women’s economic empowerment (SDG 5) and inclusive economic growth for the benefit of all. Founded in 2018, WEI responds to the Call to Action of the United Nations Secretary-General’s (UNSG) High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. WEI’s mission is to catalyze and advance women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and advocacy. WEI’s work is supported by a global network of experts, influencers, partners, researchers, and stakeholders.

The Telfer School of Management is committed to driving the design and delivery of inclusive entrepreneurship education and training to enhance the UN Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. Telfer’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship scholars are informing research, practice and policy to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world.

Date

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

  • 11:00 am – 12:30pm ET
  • 8:00am Los Angeles
  • 4:00pm London
  • 5:00pm Lagos
  • 7:00pm Nairobi
  • 9:30pm Mumbai

Registration Information

This roundtable will be hosted on zoom. To participate, please complete the online registration form where you will be prompted to create a free account in order to complete. You will receive a zoom meeting link with your confirmation. Seats are limited, secure your spot today.

Register

Speakers

Presented by:

International Case Competition, AUC School of Business

Competition Overview

The AUC School of Business, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC) and Business Association (BA), are launching an online 24-hour International Case Competition (ICC).

The International Case Competition aims to empower innovative undergraduate students and university networks to raise their awareness of steps taken in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and engage in developing solutions to enhance the business operations of emerging startups facing the current challenges provided by the outbreak of COVID – 19.

This year the ICC would run on a virtual platform for 2 consecutive days on March 26 & 27, 2021. Students will come up with innovative solutions and creative breakthroughs to ensure providing a unique experience not just to participating teams but also to the startup. The ICC 2021 case tells the story of a recently established startup. The startup’s concept mixes tradition with technology to improve the quality of life of city dwellers.

You will have the chance to win a monetary prize!!

Details on Eligibility

Please note:
1. Participating teams should consist of 3-4 undergraduate students.

2. You cannot register as an individual you have to be in teams.

Further details will be communicated to the teams through email.

Application Information

To apply, visit: http://bit.ly/2NiDpks

Key Deadlines and Dates

– Registration Deadline: Monday, March 22, 2021 at 11:59PM (Cairo local time)
– Opening Ceremony and Introduction: Friday, March 26, 2021
– Competition day: Saturday, March 27, 2021
– Case presentations and closing ceremony: Saturday, March 27, 2021

More Information

Experiential Learning: A Vehicle to Promote Collaboration and Develop Problem Solving Skills

Learning by doing has become a powerful methodology in management education to develop in students’ competencies to adapt and make decisions in a changing context, as well as fostering innovation skills and responsible business practices.

Working towards becoming a third-generation university, Universidad de La Sabana has concentrated its efforts on working closely with companies, as well as government and private R&D, to help resolve managerial challenges and encourage the development of joint solutions. This is the case of MUUHACK, an open innovation and experiential learning exercise in which participants created solutions to contribute to the development of the value chain of the dairy sector in Colombia. This activity was organized in alliance with Asoleche, the national dairy industry association; and INNpulsa Colombia, the innovation and entrepreneurship Government Agency.

Date

Thursday, April 8, 2021

  • 6:00am Phoenix
  • 9:00am Washington D.C.
  • 2:00pm London
  • 2:00pm Lagos
  • 3:00pm Cape Town
  • 6:30pm Mumbai

Speakers

Registration

This webinar is free of charge. Click the button below to register.

Register

SEED Awards 2021

Overview

The SEED Awards is an awards scheme designed to celebrate the most innovative and promising locally led enterprises in sustainable development. Each year, multiple award categories are offered, ranging from country- or region-specific topics. This year there are two (2) categories: SEED Low Carbon Awards and SEED Climate Adaptation Awards. SEED Award Winners and Runners-up are eligible for participation in our Accelerator and Catalyser programmes, respectively. Winners receive a matching grant up to 15,000 EUR and a 12-month support package.

The SEED Awards support established eco-inclusive enterprises that have proven market transactions (you have started selling your products/services). Applications should present a clear business case and feasible financial sustainability for its current/future revenue model. Applications that have potential to scale and can be replicated in order to maximise impact will be highly favoured.

This year there are two SEED Awards categories. Depending on your eco-inclusive enterprise and where it is operational, you may apply for only one of the categories:

  • SEED Low Carbon Awards: Ghana, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand & Uganda
    • SEED Low Carbon Awards are open for eco-inclusive enterprises whose key activities, products and services contribute to a low carbon reality, climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation. The enterprises in the sectors of biodiversity, clean energy, green technologies, sustainable agriculture, waste management and resource efficiency as well as water, sanitation & health are all eligible in this Awards Scheme.
  • SEED Climate Adaptation Awards: Botswana, Malawi, Zambia
    • SEED Climate Adaptation Awards are open for eco-inclusive enterprises that prevent or minimise damages caused by global warming and fluctuating weather patterns. In other words, SEED Climate Change Adaptation Awards look for enterprises that provide solutions to respond to effects of climate change or prepare for future impacts. Examples include supporting efficient use of scarce water resources; developing drought-tolerant crops; food insecurity prevention; coastal management, natural disasters management and warning system etc.

When selecting SEED Award recipients, we look for enterprises that 1) demonstrate entrepreneurship and innovation; 2) deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits; 3) have the potential to scale-up and/or be replicated in other contexts; 4) are at early to growth stages; 5) have the intention and potential to become financially stable; 6) are in partnerships with different stakeholder groups; 7) are locally founded or locally led and 8) meet country and/or sector requirements.

Eligibility

The SEED Awards 2021 are open to eco-inclusive enterprises from Botswana, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia.

All eco-inclusive enterprises from eligible countries of each award category are welcome to apply.

Regardless of the entity’s legal status, eco inclusive enterprises refer to enterprises that contribute to sustainable development. They are market-driven entities that provide solutions to social and environmental problems.

They create impact in marginalised communities, and contribute to eliminating poverty through pioneer business models based on sustainability and the creation of responsible products, services and value chains. These enterprises are ideally located within communities and generate lasting social and economic opportunities. They employ and incorporate low-income or vulnerable populations, including women and unemployed youth, in their value chains as suppliers, distributors and consumers.

Application Process

Entries for the SEED Awards 2021 opened on 1st Feb 2021. Applications are accepted on the SEED Platform at https://app.seed.uno/. New users will need to register for a new account to be able to access the application form. This provides secure access to all the information you will need to submit an application.

Registration is now open. We encourage you to register early to the platform to receive updated information about the SEED Awards.

Applications are only accepted on the SEED Platform. That said, we endeavour to support all applicants as much as possible. Please contact the SEED Awards team about your situation.

Applications must be completed in English. To support non-native English speakers, we also provide pdf versions of the application form in local languages on our platform, which applicants can download as a reference.

Awards

SEED Low Carbon Awards: Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, India, Indonesia, Thailand

  • 6 Winners receive 1 year SEED Accelerator support & 10,000 EUR matching grant each
  • 24 Runners-up receive 6 months SEED Catalyser support & 1,500 EUR grant each

SEED Climate Adaption Awards: Botswana, Malawi, Zambia

  • 3 Winners receive 1 year SEED Accelerator support & 15,000 EUR matching grant each
  • 15 Runners-up receive SEED Catalyser support & 1,500 EUR matching grant each

Winners and Runners-up will also receive Support Packages containing:

  • Business capacity building through SEED Catalyser or SEED Accelerator workshops
  • Expert advisory on business and financial planning
  • SEED Enterprise Toolkit for collaborating and hands-on design thinking methods for enterprise development
  • Global profiling at high-level Awards ceremony and SEED partner events
  • Networking opportunities through global SEED communication networks and via your own SEED enterprise profile

Registration Information

To register & apply visit app.seed.uno.

Key Deadlines and Dates

  • February 1st, 2021: Registration opens
  • March 22nd, 2021: Registration closes
  • June 2021: SEED Awards winners and runners-up announcement

Contact Information

Email: seedawards2021@seed.uno

Messenger: https://m.me/seed.uno

Download the Application Guide
Download the FAQs
Visit the SEED Awards Website

2021 International Challenge for Integrated Simulation and Decision Making in Economics

Competition Overview

The International Challenge for Data Analysis and Decision Making in Economics is an international economic event for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Teams need to pass the preliminary round before they can enter the final to compete for the top prize and have a chance to win a $10,000 cash prize.

The competition uses the Integrated Simulation Training Platform for Economics V2.2, the first part of which is Microeconomic Rational Decision Making. The business operations in this part, the vendor competition modules in the software, include cash management module, raw material and factor supply, market demand bidding, production/delivery/technology renovation, government supervision, etc. In this part the software automatically scores each group by comparing their final equity. Part two is macroeconomic regulation and forecasting. In this part each team runs for government every year, enacts macroeconomic policies, and regulates the economy to achieve desired goals. And the other non-elected groups can forecast economic indicators. The software will automatically score groups based on their achievement of macro goals or forecast accuracy.

Entry Requirements

There is no restriction on the amount of teams per university. No requirement for major, but the contestants should be postgraduate, undergraduate with relevant knowledge (each team should have at most one postgraduate). What is more, each team of 2-3 students must have 1-3 instructors, and 1 teacher can also instruct more than one team, but each student can only participate in one team.

Participating in the preliminaries need to reach 240 points through practice.

Registration Process

1. Enter the official website of the competition to register and submit your registration information online at: global.jiecl.com.
2. By June 7, 2021(China time), the tournament organizers will announce the successfully registered teams on the official website.
3. Costs: There are no registration or entry fees, but if you need certificates and medals, you will pay for them.

Training Schedule

Training will take place from April to May 2021 on Online Zoom and will feature learning videos (contains a series of competition tips videos) and quick entry strategy.

Registration Information

To register, visit http://global.jiecl.com/lan-en/index.aspx?competitionid=3872010358759755000

Key Deadlines and Dates

  • May 31st, 2021: Registration deadline (24:00 China time)
  • April – May 2021: Online training
  • June 2021: Preliminary contest time
  • June 7th, 2021: Announce successfully registered teams
  • September – October 2021: Final competition date
  • October 2021: Award ceremony (in-person COVID permitting)
Visit the International Challenge for Integrated Simulation and Decision Making in Economics website
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