Posted

Friday, May 04, 2012

Global Business School Network Announces Winners of 2^ndAnnual MBA Challenge Video Contest

A team from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth wins 1^stPrize in GBSN’s Annual MBA Challenge Video Contest, which asked business school students to answer the question: “Can an MBA Change the World?”

April 30, 2012, WASHINGTON, DC – The Global Business School Network (GBSN) today announced that a group of five students from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, led by student Nitin Sharma, is the winner of the 2012 MBA Challenge Video Contest, which asked the question “Can an MBA Change the World?”

The winning video,“$300 House Project,”describes the MBA students’ work applying business school skills in a real-world environment addressing the need for low-cost housing in Haiti.For 18 months, the students worked with Tuck faculty members, Haitian government leaders, industry veterans, investors, students, and local Haitians to provide low-income housing solutions in Haiti.The video captures their efforts and gives a view into the rationale for student involvement and their passion to make a difference.

The team wins the opportunity to send a representative on an all expenses paid trip to the GBSN Annual Conference June 12 - 14 in New Delhi, India to present their video and receive their award.

“I congratulate all the MBA students who worked hard on really interesting projects in developing countries, and commend the leadership of their business schools for offering such opportunities,” said Guy Pfeffermann, CEO and founder of GBSN.“Tuck School of Business’ winning video demonstrates how MBA skills backed up by the formidable intellectual resources of a leading business school can change the way people approach intractable development issues such as low-cost housing in rural Haiti.All of our finalists show the real impact a team or an individual student can have where motivation, organization and skills are brought to bear.”

Coming in 2^nd place was a team from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, led by Annie Evans,with their video “UNC Kenan-Flagler Impact” about their work in eastern Africa doing consulting projects that focused on sustainability.

Third place went to a Ilaha Eli Omar, a student at Thunderbird School of Global Management who submitted “An Afghan in Africa”, detailing her experience in a slum in Nairobi helping to improve drainage and helping to establish a sewing business for local women.

About the MBA Challenge Video Contest

Through their volunteer work, student projects, new enterprises and blossoming careers, many MBAs are making a difference in developing countries.GBSN’s MBA Challenge Video Contest celebrates and rewards those efforts.

The MBA Challenge Video Contest invited current and recently graduated (in the past 5 years) MBA students to make an innovative and powerful video of no more than 6 minutes, demonstrating how they are applying their business skills to impact lives in the developing world.

Over 15,000 online votes submitted from April 1^st–15^thdetermined the five finalists out of the dozen videos submitted from MBAs from four continents.A selection committee of leaders in business education, development and industry determined the winners based on their innovation, impact, creativity and demonstration of the use of their business education in a developing country.

The selection committee included:

G. Anand Anandalingam, Dean,Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Della Bradshaw, Business Education Editor,Financial Times

Ken Lee, Senior Alliance Advisor, Office of Development Partners/Private Sector Alliance Div.,USAID

Marika McCauly-Sine, International Public Affairs Director,The Coca-Cola Company

Enase Okonedo, Dean, Lagos Business School/Director,Association of African Business Schools

Dan Parker, Engagement Manager,L.E.K Consulting/Member 2011 MBA Challenge Winning Team

Ron Sibert, Director of Business Development, Africa,GMAC

More information about the contest, judges and selection criteria is available at www.gbsnonline.org/mbachallenge

About Global Business School Network

The Global Business School Network was established in 2003 on the principle that skilled management is critical to effective international development.GBSN builds management education capacity for the developing world.Harnessing the power of an active network of leading business schools, GBSN fosters partnerships and knowledge sharing, advancing management education that delivers international best practice with local relevance.More information is available at http://www.gbsnonline.org.

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