Since I was a kid, all the Airtek employees know me and see me growing up as “the daughter of the owner,” which made highly challenging for me to change the way how the Airtek employees and my parents see me and establish myself as a future company’s executive. Through the BE-EDGE process of my capstone project for Masters in International Management, I conducted research, analyzation and consultation for the Airtek case. I was able to nurture my skills, sharpen my voice and views, and show Airtek managers my expertise in international management. This project provided me with the opportunity to show a different dimension of me that they had not have a chance to see before.
Sherry / “How Could Airtek Win Shanghai’s Market?” 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 process of crafting a personal strategy helped me to gain clarity about the future goals,aspirations, and the steps needed to achieve them. It gave me a clear sense of direction and purpose, which was empowering.”
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
Prior to this capstone course, I was still under a suffocating impression that to work on international growth projects (expansion via market-entry or via m&a), it involved a heavily financial-focused process that would eventually exclude me from opportunities to see the character of projects I would like to. The final project — a real-life consulting case for a company’s dilemma of which European market to choose for a further extension — changed my perspective.
I referred to this consulting project in my interviews and proved that I was able to connect with a client and add value to the company. I got the job of my dream!
I felt that after this project I had a new confidence and a new respect for the qualitative analyses required to work internationally at any individual or enterprise level. I gained a much more firm understanding of strategy frameworks we had breezed over in previous coursework as well as some entirely new ones. Together, they added up to a complex toolbox that could be used in a number of settings throughout my career ahead. I found it stimulating and was very appreciative to had had the opportunity to take this as my very last MBA course. I felt more confident going into interviews and it closed the program as a holistic learning experience with the project for a company that actually mattered.
Sarah / “WAYFAIR Consulting Project: European Expansion”
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 think it was a wonderful idea of Dr. Ivy to let us choose a consulting case to work on for the master course, especially in biotech. The industry isn’t clear on how someone could move from a site to a corporate position and with an MBA that’s where students really want to be. The professional capital perspective, this case helped me outline my biopharma trajectory. It also helped me improve in my love for solving problems and collaboration to learn different perspectives.
On the social capital investment, I find people’s stories to be fascinating and working with four wonderful people who I would never have had the opportunity to work with otherwise was very interesting. I feel that when working on a project, if you can understand where someone is coming from or how they are looking at the same problem, then we can solve the issues of the problem more efficiently than if we were just strong-arming our own perspective.
What’s next?
I think I’m going to use this case in interviews when I move on from my current role. It covers a variety of situations from the PESTEL model that affect a drug going into market or a company building a facility in a country. Understanding social implications also help when being audited by different regulating countries while being a US manufacturer. Being aware of their values, norms, and beliefs will allow me to not make an error that could be seen as unprofessional.
Jenn / “Novo Nordisk” Consulting Case
The consulting case was an opportunity for me to “test drive” my personal vision, mission, and self-analysis. It was a chance for me to evaluate whether my expected life path makes sense based on my capabilities. Working with management and having full control over the project with my group members helped me find my personal focus on the project and voice in the report. The experience of working on such a report has improved my understanding of the process, it has added to my portfolio, and I would feel comfortable reaching to our company contacts for references.
Andrew / “Cook Lumber” Case
AYUDA is an organization I care deeply about. I think it is a necessary resource for diabetes communities who have limited access to knowledge about how to live with the condition and how to manage their life in a healthy way. I really feel strongly about wanting to enact positive change in the world, and I feel as though this organization works to do just that. Working on the case for this organization gave me the opportunity to get an inside look on how nonprofits operate as well as the challenges they face in their work. I learned a lot about the industry they operate in and if I choose to work in the non-profit sphere, this information will be extremely valuable.
What’s next?
I feel that this project was an important part of my journey in becoming a global manager. Having the skills to create a consultancy report such as the one we worked this semester is essential for understanding how to analyze different markets around the world while simultaneously understanding each area’s unique culture and customs. I learned so much about my organization as well as the two markets we studied extensively and will bring this knowledge with me into my future career. I am happy to have learned these various frameworks that I can use to breakdown various organizations and markets, and feel that these elements are some of the most important topics I have learned this entire semester
Hannah / “AYUDA” Consulting Case
Regarding the semester market entry consulting project, I found the experience to be quite unique because I have never been required to conduct a research project before, no less one that involves working with a real company and providing genuine recommendations for its operations and business model.
Besides the fact that I was able to apply information that I learned in the class and gained an understanding of how grueling collaboration can be at times in the workplace, I also enhanced my social and professional capital by learning how to apply my acquired knowledge to a realistic business setting, communicate effectively in a business context, and present a convincing analysis for a dilemma faced by a business.
What’s next?
I plan to utilize this capital by fostering relationships with as many people as possible in a working environment, communicating consistently with those in command, and offering a critical global-minded perspective when dealing with large-scale issues. I hope to implement these skills in my repertoire in order to pursue a successful career in the business sector, and I plan to further investigate world business affairs as well as experiment with my newly acquired competencies in future courses at Northeastern that require realistic evaluations rather than hypothetical solutions.
Joshua / “Threshold.world” Consulting Case
