Tying it Together

First Hand Experience: Tying it Together

By Brian Price (MBA '11)



Brian Price (MBA '11) speaks during the advanced business seminar in Mangua, Nicaragua



Today is my favorite day of the Project Nicaragua trip.  It’s the day that really makes the whole trip worth it.  This is day 2 of the two-day seminar, and we have a chance to tie everything together for the business owners who participate in these seminars.  This trip is also the first in which we teach a case we all learned in business school – Allison Glass Works.  We typically offer a series of mini cases that may be a paragraph or two long in order to explain several concepts like accounting, pricing, and marketing.  But past feedback has told us the seminar participants want a bigger challenge.  So we gave the business owners the case to look at last night so that we could discuss it today.  We were very anxious to see how everyone would meet the challenge.

We were entirely blown away.

Business owners listen and engage in discussion about the advanced seminar business case study.



The participants were more engaged than I had ever seen.  They understood the material at least as well as any business student who had taken the case.  And they had less than 24 hours to analyze it.  We were all very impressed.  And the participants couldn’t have appreciated this change more – it really showed how to apply these business concepts in a real-world situation.  At the end of the day, we awarded certificates to the participants for completing the seminars.  It’s a learning experience on both parts, and I can’t wait to come back in March.

Seminar Graduation Day

Global Business Outreach seminar participants received their certificates on Dec. 16, 2010

Business Consulting, Embassy Visit and Nica Hope

Firsthand Experience: Business Consulting, Embassy Visit and Nica Hope

by Bridget Wilson (MBA '12)

Today we conducted two business visits, a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, and a tour of Nica Hope – an organization that hosts after school learning activities for underprivileged children in Managua.

Samples of Cereales Dona Zeneyda products

Workers prepare the cereal for packaging

The first business was Cereales Dona Zeneyda where the owner, Iveth Cerda, makes a breakfast drink powder, similar to a protein or meal shake, in the back of her house and sells her product to various stores in and around Managua. 

Iveth Cerda shows the smaller package to the group.

  

Iveth’s business has been growing and she has been looking at creating different size packages to break into a smaller, convenience store, market of daily drinkers looking for single servings.  Our group discussed some ways to reach this market and will work on developing a plan that also helps Iveth develop a distribution strategy and more precise costing for the smaller product.

The second business was a sewing and embroidery shop owned by Sofia Velasquez that focuses mainly on tailor made uniforms.  Sofia’s customer base is mostly government contracts for uniforms, and she stands out from her competition by making tailor made uniforms for each individual. 

 

                                                            

Seamstress works on a custom uniform











Over the past year Sofia has changed locations and also the name of her business.  One of the on-site recommendations we were able to provide today was to create a letter to her customers stating her new location and name in order to ensure she does not lose business from this move. 

Our group is also going to work on deliverables aimed towards helping Sofia attain other uniform contracts and network with other businesses and contacts to grow her customer base.

Following our two business visits we spent an hour at the U.S. Embassy getting a big picture understanding of the issues Nicarauga is facing as well as a better understanding of how the country operates. 

Our day ended at Nica Hope where we had the opportunity to tour the facilities used by children in the local community to study for school and raise money through jewelry and craft sales.  The children at Nica Hope design, create, and sell jewelry across Managua and overseas.  The money made by the children supplements their learning materials and facilities upgrade while also allowing the children to make a small stipend.

Business Visits

First Hand Experience - Bridget Wilson (MBA '12) 

Today we conducted two business visits, a trip to the embassy, and a tour of Nica Hope – an organization that hosts after school learning activities for underprivileged children in Managua.

The first business was Cereales Dona Zeneyda where the owner, Iveth Cerda, makes a breakfast drink powder, similar to a protein or meal shake, in the back of her house and sells her product to various stores in and around Managua.  Iveth’s business has been growing and she has been looking at creating different size packages to break into a smaller, convenience store, market of daily drinkers looking for single servings.  Our group discussed some ways to reach this market and will work on developing a plan that also helps Iveth develop a distribution strategy and more precise costing for the smaller product.

The second business was a sewing and embroidery shop owned by Sofia Velasquez that focuses mainly on tailor made uniforms.  Sofia’s customer base is mostly government contracts for uniforms, and she stands out from her competition by making tailor made uniforms for each individual.  Over the past year Sofia has changed locations and also the name of her business.  One of the on-site recommendations we were able to provide today was to create a letter to her customers stating her new location and name in order to ensure she does not lose business from this move.  Our group is also going to work on deliverables aimed towards helping Sofia attain other uniform contracts and network with other businesses and contacts to grow her customer base.

Following our two business visits we spent an hour at the US Embassy getting a big picture understanding of the issues Nicarauga is facing as well as a better understanding of how the country operates.  Our day ended at Nica Hope where we had the opportunity to tour the facilities used by children in the local community to study for school and raise money through jewelry and craft sales.  The children at Nica Hope design, create, and sell jewelry across Managua and overseas.  The money made by the children supplements their learning materials and facilities upgrade while also allowing the children to make a small stipend.

December 2010 - Day 1

Our first day in Nicaragua was one filled with excitement and cultural experiences.  We went on a tour of Managua, Masaya and Granada. 
We learned about the problems with heavy pollution in the Lake Managua and saw the potential of this natural resource if it can be cleaned up.  In the National Museum of Nicaragua, we saw both old and new works of art.
In Masaya, we went to Nicaragua's first National Park and got to stand on the edge of an active volcano.  We shopped at the Masaya market and had a chance to see goods sold by local business owners. 
The beauty of the colonial architecture in Granada was breathtaking...literally.  One by one we walked up a narrow staircase to go up into a bell tower and look out over the city.      
The day ended with a dinner in which many of us tried Nica food for the first time.  We ordered a wide assortment of grilled meats, vegetables, rice and beans for a "family style" feast.  Nobody went to bed hungry.

Cultural Experiences: Day 1

Our first day in Nicaragua was one filled with excitement and cultural experiences.  We went on a tour of Managua, Masaya and Granada.





One of our first stops was Lake Managua.  We learned about the serious pollution problem due to years of sewage flowing into the lake and noticed the potential of this natural resource if it can be cleaned up.  We also went to the Plaza of the Revolution where we saw the Old Cathedral of Managua, Rubén Dario National Theater, National Palace of Culture and Tiscapa Lagoon.   In Masaya, we went to Nicaragua's first National Park and got to stand on the edge of an active volcano. We shopped at the Masaya market and had a chance to see goods sold by local business owners.  The beauty of the colonial architecture in Granada was breathtaking...literally.  One by one we walked up a narrow staircase to go up into a bell tower and look out over the city.  After that, we headed to Wake Forest's property in Managua to see construction finishing up on a training and conference center made possible by Thomas A. Dingledine (MBA ’78) and his wife, Karyn.


The day ended with a dinner in which many of us tried Nica food for the first time. We ordered a wide assortment of grilled meats, vegetables, rice and beans for a "family style" feast. Nobody went to bed hungry.