The capstone course was very meaningful in enabling me to reflect on my skills and abilities and build attainable goals for my professional development. It provided a vehicle for this process and was an opportunity for me to flex my acquired knowledge as well as stretch my abilities in a "real-life" and tangible way. I was free to explore the impacts of business strategy in the music industry; this made the project more personal and meaningful. In my professional career I have leveraged our The Lilypad capstone project in interviews and it has proven a competitive advantage over other applicants and highlighted my strategic thinking skills.
Working on the HC consulting case gave me confidence to seek strategic partnerships in my own career. As a commercial real estate agent, I have used the skills learned from the case to form alliances with institutional real estate companies and investors. Working with foreign investors and international companies with an interest in US assets, I have found it very helpful to consider the frameworks discussed in the case when working with my clients.
Ali Choucri / HC Security and Investments” Case
The Consulting Case in my Capstone course ended up being relevant in ways I didn’t expect. Working through this case brought attention to a different way I want to look at my future. I have always felt that by not fully understanding what I want to do with my career, I wasn’t able to make strides until I figured it out. This project showed me there are far more aspects to success then a defined vision. I understand now that an emergent strategy can truly set me up for success through analyzing my core competencies like we did with the consulting case. In addition, our topic was very relevant to the industry I am going into. Working with a distribution company and analyzing supply chain efficiency in a company will be part of my career moving forward.
Jessi / “Brewery Distributing” Case
The case making journey was beneficial for me in terms of encouragement and thinking outside the box. I improved my strategic thinking by solving a real-life dilemma as well as by being a consultant to a small retail business. I learned to communicate and convince my client, a business owner, to discuss his business with me. I also learned to make my clients feel comfortable regarding the business information and its confidentiality.
Ishraka / “A Convenience Store’s Dilemma of Growth” Case
The case writing competition was a very rewarding experience, not just for me, but for those who were involved in the case itself. When we look at an organization on the outside, we actually have no clue of what devious behaviors may lurk on the inside from the perspective as an employee. As a future entrepreneur and CEO, I have learned to never dismiss my employees’ concerns. I believe that the "Making Your Case" experience with Dr. Ivy has allowed me to grow professionally and personally and has given me technical writing skills that will become sharper with time. From here, I will be starting my own corporation 4Q2015. I also want to become a business consultant to Disabled Veterans, like myself, who want to start and grow a business but don’t know how. I would also help existing businesses succeed by isolating organizational issues that may cause dysfunctional conflict.
Edward / “Genesis HealthCare LaPlata” Case
The case analysis of Cofem, S.A. to determine the next market for entry really provided the practical focus and basis to catapult my novice interest into a realistic venture. The whole process of implementing appropriate analysis and perspective really hit me as we worked towards the implementation method for the case. It became REAL! It was that moment that concepts became reality for me, which further increased my interest.What’s next?The dilemma is determining what the current need is, when to act, how to do it, but most importantly are you ready and can you fill the need. Realism is important. Growth and success aren’t guaranteed. But having the courage and resolve to dig deeper, self-reflect, practically analyze, and make an initial move is what it takes to start something special. If nothing else, I realize this initial exposure is a start but there is much more to learn, experiment and apply. I’ve got to put myself into organizations and situations that provide the avenues for continued exposure. Looking forward to continuing that journey.
Jeff / “Cofem, S.A.” Consulting Case
The most rewarding thing for me was proving to myself that I can do complicated research about the industry I knew nothing about. I was able to communicate with the company’s executives and provide my recommendations based on my theoretical knowledge.I've spent a lot of time researching the industry, the company, and it's a new technological tool to be able to discuss it during the interview and get details for my case. I also realized that I really like to do this kind of project.
Jane / “GrabCAD. Social Marketing Strategy” Case
My biggest takeaway from the BE-EDGE journey with Dr. Ivy was the experience of interacting with real corporate problems and finding the means to better answer my CEO’s dilemma. The emotion behind researching, interviewing, and feeling that I can add value made this experience so enriching.What is next? I am planning to implement the plan that I suggested, and the company is willing to sponsor my travel and put in place what was written
Mauricio Rey / “ZenithOptimedia, The Agency ROI” Case
Through the BE-EDGE method, I understood the importance of precisely define a long-term career objective and set steppingstones to make this vision comes true. Having this vision was critical to work on a valuable and interesting thesis project, but also helped me been more accurate when interacting with professionals. Thanks to the BE-EDGE method I have defined my aspirations, linked them to my skills and presented it in a way to connect with a large network of professionals. The method also gave me tools to select the right company and people that align with my career path. I was able to use my skills and knowledge in the best way possible and gain self-confidence to shape my space in the job market.
Alix / “Internationalization of Therapeutic Innovations: Entering a market of Ghana” Case
I have been using BE-EDGE to prepare for my interviews and I got my dream job! I use BE-EDGE to gain employers’ trust and enable them to picture themselves working with me in the future. Based on my personal experience and observation, people usually buy products that are emotionally related to them. It is the same rationale when hiring managers are making job offers. There are so many prospective job candidates who have the same degrees and the same years of experience as you do. This means that many people seem to be qualified for the job position.Through my own experience, I have found Employers are looking for employees who can solve challenges and support company’s current success and future development, so understanding your core values and the industry that you wish to devote yourself to is very important. Following the advice in the Crafting Your Edge for Today's Job Market, I do heavy research on company’s organizational culture, evaluate main issues, find root causes, and devise action plans to address problems. I implement my plans, monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the plans, and demonstrate the results to employers to solidify trusted relationships between us and achieve future goals. I have found that this strategy not only can be utilized when you are working, but also can be utilized when you are searching for a new job opportunity.