UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

A Latina in Business School: On Being the Bridge

By Amanda Sol Peralta (’20)

National Hispanic Heritage Month always prompts me to reflect on the community that I unwittingly joined when I moved to the U.S. 25 years ago. This fall, as I begin business school at UCLA Anderson, it’s made me recommit to how this community has enriched my experience as an American.

Among activist circles I have often heard that it shouldn’t be the burden of marginalized peoples to explain their experiences or educate others. This is a perspective I understand and respect, but one that differs deeply from my experiences in underrepresented groups (Latinos, first-generation Americans and college graduates, LGBTQ for context). Perhaps this makes sense, considering I have a tendency to pay attention to how I am different. What may equally affect my perspective is the fact that as a Chilean immigrant, I have rarely been in social or professional settings where even one other person shared my background.

Field Study Team Assessing Feasibility of Blockchain Technology as Key to Sustaining Guyana’s Indigenous Communities Earns Inaugural Impact Award

A quintet of UCLA Anderson students was commissioned by Conservation International Guyana to assess the feasibility of blockchain technology to solve a major challenge in the implementation and scaling of the Community Development Plan (CDP) in Guyana. The work was conducted in the group’s Applied Management Research (AMR) project, the field study assignment that serves as the capstone of Anderson’s full-time MBA experience. The team, comprising Class of 2018’s Miriam Leah Feygenson, Yuhei Iwasaki, Vasiya Krishnan, Anubhav Mishra and Harshita Mishra, was awarded the inaugural Impact Alumni AMR Award and received a $5,000 prize.

The Impact Alumni AMR Award recognizes the MBA student team that has excelled at making the greatest impact on their mission-driven client’s project through the course of the AMR program.

Earlier this year, the team published a story about their experience on the UCLA Anderson blog.

Alumni judges selected the winning team for the inaugural Impact Alumni AMR Award. Pictured left to right: Dave Gallon (’03), Nurit Katz (’08), Laura Ferretti (’95), faculty moderator Gayle Northrop (’96), Wendy Spinner (’89), Harshita Mishra (’18), Vasiya Krishnan (’18), Anubhav Mishra (’18), Miriam Feygenson (’18), Yuhei Iwasaki (’18)

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“This award was established to highlight and appreciate the specialized skills and abilities needed to work with a mission-driven organization’s unique need to balance financial and social impact returns,” says Bhavna Sivanand (’14), executive director of the school’s Impact@Anderson initiative. “An important objective for Impact@Anderson is to integrate impact into the core competency of the MBA program, so that all MBA graduates seek out opportunities such as social impact AMRs to be able to positively contribute to society during their time here and beyond.”

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UCLA Anderson Forecast Partners with Cathay Bank on New Series of Reports Detailing U.S.-China Economic Relations

“China presents to the world an economic model that’s been fairly successful and has lifted millions and millions of people out of poverty. It’s a very different economic model than the U.S. economic model,” says UCLA Anderson Forecast Director Jerry Nickelsburg. “People are looking at both economic models and trying to understand what might be a good model for their country. Economists focus on two things: the role of economic incentives in human behavior and the allocation of scarce resources and these two models have different ways of doing that. It’s really interesting to see how these will play out and what the implications of these are.”

Going forward, Nickelsburg and his fellow economists with the UCLA Anderson Forecast will continue to explore these implications in depth, the result of a new partnership with Cathay Bank. With support from Cathay, the Forecast intends to produce an annual report on the economic relationships between the U.S. and China in addition to three quarterly updates.

The Entrepreneur’s Origin Story – Fritz Demopoulos (’97)

 

China is where Fritz Demopoulos (’97) decided to launch his career and make his life after b-school. Turning down a lucrative ― and stable ― offer in Europe, Demopoulos trusted his instinct for opportunity and headed for Asia.

The decision paid off.

Fritz Demopoulos and UCLA Anderson Interim Dean Al Osborne

Demopoulos founded Qunar, China’s biggest online travel company, and Shawei, its largest web-based sports portal. He’s held senior positions at Net Ease and The News Corporation and worked as an executive in the Chinese media, internet and wireless industries. An entrepreneur and investor, he is a founding partner of venture capital firm Queen’s Road Capital, which focuses on entrepreneurial investments across Asia.

Demopoulos launched his first business as a youngster — partnering with a cousin to pass out advertisments for a nickel per flier — and the feeling of freedom and independence still thrills him, he says. Before earning his MBA, he worked in aerospace but didn’t take to the institutional vibe. “At Anderson, it was the first time I was genuinely exhilarated,” Demopoulos says, crediting the school with helping him make a profound decision: “To take control of what I’m doing in life.”

That process was energizing. Anderson’s location proved crucial as well. “You need to be in a major economic center to get an amazing education,” he says. “If you’re in Manhattan, L.A. or the Bay Area you’re just in the middle of all sorts of cool stuff.”

Then there are the connections he formed. Demopoulos says he built “amazing relationships” while in business school, including the lifelong friendships he forged with Professors Bill Cockrum and Al Osborne (now Anderson’s interim dean). Demopoulos found Osborne especially inspiring, often asking himself “What would Al be doing?”

Students Develop International Strategy for UCLA Center for World Health to Drive Sustainable Health Care and Education in Southeast Asia

The student consultants traveled to Bangkok to meet with doctors and administrators on the Siriraj Hospital International Relations team. Pictured left to right: Anita (Pei-Yu) Ho; Larry (Wen-Yan) Chang; John Hamilton, special assistant in the UCLA Vice Chancellor’s Office; Dr. Vitoon Chinswangwatanakul; Dr. Thawatchai Akaraviputh; Dr. Thawornchai Limjindaporn; Xiao Hu; Em (Kornrawich) Limpokaiyakul; Chalotorn Olanprasert, Siriraj Hospital International Relations.

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UCLA Anderson MBA students conduct Applied Management Research (AMR) projects in lieu of a thesis. The nation’s first business school field study program, AMR partners students with top organizations to solve a key strategic problem. The Center for Global Management sponsored UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 teams to collaborate with established NGOs seeking sustainable solutions for global economies, health delivery systems and environmentally sensitive parts of the world. UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 AMR students made their final presentations on March 9.

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By Larry (Wen-Yan) Chang, Anita (Pei-Yu) Ho, Xiao Hu, Kornrawich Limpokaiyakul, Andrew Thai (Class of 2018)

Our field study team collaborated with UCLA Center for World Health (CWH), which coordinates the resources of UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health to explore international business development. The team and CWH evaluated opportunities for UCLA to establish a more deliberate presence in Thailand and Southeast Asia, in the form of a hub focusing on distance and on-site learning in various fields, including medicine.

During the first five weeks of the 2017 fall quarter, the team conducted more than 20 primary interviews with stakeholders in different areas, including the management of UCLA Health, UCLA professors in different research areas, researchers and students who have experience in Thailand and Southeast Asia. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the needs and explore potential benefits of UCLA’s presence in Thailand.

Mission to Myanmar, Part 2: Reflections on Working in Yangon

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By Michael Eister (’17)

While still a student at UCLA Anderson, I accepted an internship with a CEO whom I met on a visit to Yangon, Myanmar, one of the several global immersion trips organized by UCLA Anderson’s Center for Global Management. My primary task was to investigate an opportunity to invest in a media organization that the company was considering buying. I quickly determined that the deal they had been working on was poorly structured.

When that project disintegrated, I transferred to the company’s energy team and spent 11 weeks working on complex unit-conversion puzzles, such as converting a million cubic feet per day of natural gas into megawatt output from combined-cycle gas turbines. I taught myself how to calculate the storage capacity of floating storage/re-gasification units and developed strategies to sell gas to the energy-hungry Thai market. Concurrently, we worked on projects focused more on local needs within Myanmar, including efforts to bring natural gas into commercial hospitality and large-scale residential developments.

A UCLA Anderson Field Study Team Finds the “Lynk” for Kenyan Workers and Communities

Ryan Dumlao, Melody Akbari and Varun Chalupadi at the Lynk booth at Mum’s Village, a convention in Nairobi

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UCLA Anderson MBA students conduct Applied Management Research (AMR) projects in lieu of a thesis. The nation’s first business school field study program, AMR partners students with top organizations to solve a key strategic problem. The Center for Global Management sponsored UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 teams to collaborate with established NGOs seeking sustainable solutions for global economies, health delivery systems and environmentally sensitive parts of the world. UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 AMR students made their final presentations on March 9.

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By Melody Nazaneen Akbari, Varun Chalupadi, Adrienne Chang, Ryan Christopher Dumlao, Blake Matthew Rauba (Class of 2018)

Jambo! We would love to take you on a journey with us to Nairobi, Kenya, to tell you more about our team’s field study experience.

At the end of our first year at UCLA Anderson, we were matched with the Kenyan startup Lynk, a technology platform that connects customers with trusted domestic workers, called fundis, and skilled blue collar professionals. Around 80 percent of Kenya’s labor force comprises informal workers or contractors. Lynk was built in order to create a smarter way for households and businesses to get service throughout Nairobi. Lynk’s goal is to transform the informal worker industry by employing as many fundis as possible ― to date helping to direct $600,000 to workers.

Lynk, founded in 2015 by former Google product manager Adam Grunewald, currently has three product offerings: Requests, Projects and Discover. Our AMR project focused on Lynk Requests, a full-service solution whereby customers specify a job and Lynk matches them with a qualified worker. Lynk Requests has 1,300 vetted workers on the platform, with more than 6,000 jobs completed over 70 service categories that include plumbing, roofing, housekeeping, cooking, childcare and more.

Amid U.S.-China Trade Imbalances, Compromises Seem Likely

By Paul Feinberg

With daily headlines regarding U.S.-Sino trade relations as a backdrop, UCLA Anderson Forecast economist William Yu remains skeptical that the two nations will engage in a full-blown trade war, despite the public posturing of U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Global trade imbalances cause trade tensions,” Yu said. “President Trump has been complaining about trade deficits for decades. President Xi has talked about China’s willingness to deal and that’s very good news.” His remarks kicked off the day’s first panel at Anderson’s 2018 Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference. Yu’s panel included moderator Seamus Jiang, managing director and co-leader for China-U.S. cross-border deals at PwC, and Feng An, founder and executive director of the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation at U.S.-China Cleantech Center.

Sustaining Effective NCD Screening in a South Africa Community Requires an Ecosystem of Strategic Partners

HSRC staff in Sweetwaters, South Africa, with Angela Tseng and Erin Kelm (far right and third from right, respectively)

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UCLA Anderson MBA students conduct Applied Management Research (AMR) projects in lieu of a thesis. The nation’s first business school field study program, AMR partners students with top organizations to solve a key strategic problem. The Center for Global Management sponsored UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 teams to collaborate with established NGOs seeking sustainable solutions for global economies, health delivery systems and environmentally sensitive parts of the world. UCLA Anderson Class of 2018 AMR students made their final presentations on March 9.

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By Angela Tseng, Bahman Mirzaee, Colin Meade, Erin Kelm, Qingqing Wu (Class of 2018)

Our team collaborated with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa to identify sustainable business models for noncommunicable disease (NCD) screening in the peri-urban community of Sweetwaters. HSRC works to improve health outcomes and employment in the community. Our goal was to assess strategic partners across various industries who could aid in sustaining the NCD screening program in the long term.

We carried on the work of previous UCLA Anderson Global Access Program and AMR teams who developed the structure of the screening program. We selected this project in order to broaden our understanding of challenges faced in the global health and social impact realms, as well as capitalize on the opportunity to learn about a community and culture that is very different from our own. Our five members are deeply involved in the health care community on campus through the Healthcare Business Association and are passionate about making an impact on the global community beyond Anderson.

A Panama Community Trained This Peace Corps Volunteer to Have an Open, Unhurried Mind in the Workplace and Beyond

During Impact Week (April 9–13, 2018), whose theme is Purpose + Profit, UCLA Anderson is highlighting stories of mission-driven careers, companies and projects that fulfill unmet needs in sectors from entertainment to real estate. On April 16, Anderson presents the annual Energy Innovation Conference, which focuses on companies striving for energy resiliency through new technologies, robust policy and inventive business models.

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By Elizabeth Heredia (’19)

Bright-eyed and optimistic, college degree in hand, I was called by “the toughest job I’d ever love”: an environmental conservation assignment with the Peace Corps in a rural village in the mountains of Panama.

When I first arrived in Ojo de Agua, my job was to do nothing but pasear, which is to “walk around unhurried, stopping and chatting with townspeople.” I would often strike up a conversation right on neighbors’ porches, or perhaps at a grocery kiosk or even in the middle of the street. Niceties were exchanged, and town gossip, too.

In time, my community began to trust me and our conversations evolved. They began to share their stories and opinions. The porch visits were my favorite. As we swung back and forth on hammocks, I listened and absorbed, asked question after question, and slowly began to understand locals’ values as well as their aspirations.