Ten Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAPs) teams sponsored by WDI have spread out across the country and around the world to conduct their work. The projects, in conjunction with the Ross School of Business, allow MBA students to work full-time with international organizations to create new business models, research new directions, and strategize for the future.
WDI identifies and develops the project with the host organization. The Institute also provides financial and faculty support. On some projects, WDI may also provide logistical and administrative support.
WDI organized eight MAPs in 2007.
Here is a brief synopsis of each of this year’s projects.
Genpact – Students will develop growth and go-to-market strategies in some re-engineering sectors. The students will consider factors such as product offering, pricing, location advantages and regulatory issues. They will also identify and profile potential business acquisition targets in order to support growth targets. Students will travel to Danbury, Conn. and New York City.
Clinton Foundation/Hagar Soya Ltd. – For this project, students will perform a market assessment for nutrition products that are manufactured in Cambodia’s Mekong region. The student team will profile the market in terms of the type of producers, their marketing schemes, the consumer base, distribution channels and other market elements.
Virika Hospital – Students will develop a financial reporting and tracking model for the hospital in Fort Portal, Uganda. This is one in a series of projects involving MBA students and students from the University of Michigan Medical School to help the hospital become self-sustaining. For this project, the student MBA team will identify gaps in the current checks and balances. They will then recommend changes that will facilitate the transparency and comfort level of the accounting procedures.
Aravind Eye Care System – The eye care system, with 8 hospitals across India, is frequently approached to partner with other institutions. And for Aravind to grow, the pace of partnerships has to increase. For this project, the student team will provide a blueprint for a separate group within Aravind whose sole function is to start up managed care (partnering) operations.
Business for Social Responsibility – The MBA team will conduct fieldwork and interviews in major manufacturing regions of China to prioritize critical water issues, scan current resources in China, understand the leverage of global brands, and benchmark factory water management. The students will put a set of recommendations into a report for 3,000 corporate practitioners in the Business for Social Responsibility membership.
Acumen Fund – For this project, the students will assess the potential for agricultural sector investments in Tanzania and identify potential investments for Acumen. The report by the students will help Acumen as it begins to explore how market-based solutions can support small-scale farmers in Africa. The nonprofit, based in New York, thinks strategic investments in the agriculture sector can yield huge social impacts across Africa.
Acumen Fund – For this second Acumen project, the student team will study the disposal process of old computers in India that could be used in rural kiosks as part of an Acumen-funded for-profit company. The students also will find sustainable sources of computer hardware at the best price and work out a distribution strategy to the rural areas. Finally, the team will develop a servicing strategy for these computers.
Academy for Educational Development – The goal of this MAP project is to improve the distribution of insecticide treated bed nets to the base of the pyramid, particularly in rural areas. The students, who will travel to Ghana, will recommend operational improvements in terms of support and distribution. They will also develop recommendations on specific partnerships or innovative distribution models that local partners might employ in order to extend their reach into rural areas on a commercial basis.
Scojo Foundation – There are three goals for this project. The MAP team will help Scojo, which provides affordable reading glasses in developing countries, understand the market for eyeglass distribution and primary eye care in rural India. The team also will refine and enhance the foundation’s strategy to refer customers in need of comprehensive eye care to local clinics. And the students will begin an initial analysis on expanding Scojo Foundation’s product line to include rural optical shops.
CARE Central America – The MAP team will work with two base of the pyramid ventures in the middle to late stages of incubation in rural Honduras. For each venture, team will evaluate its current status and make recommendations regarding the key next steps and the resources needed for these ventures to grow and flourish. The team also will evaluate what role CARE can play in facilitating future enterprise growth.