Bloomington is once again preparing for the start of an academic year. The moving vans are clogging residential streets and new students, proudly wearing nametags, are exploring all that Bloomington has to offer. Here at the Kelley School, the first years have arrived and orientation activities are in full swing.
My fellow second years have begun to return as well, wrapping up their internships and enjoying a few days of rest before Academy Week begins. I, on the other hand, am leaving Bloomington tomorrow morning for Fiji. No, this is not a pleasure trip (although I expect the island to be stunning); I am actually traveling with four other GLOBASE leaders on a consulting trip.
The Kelley School is committed to supporting and developing social entrepreneurship through business both within our school and around the world. Our project in Fiji and the Marshall Islands is just one piece of this wider vision. Over the next ten days, we will be conducting a market analysis of the Marshall Islands for the South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) microfinance group. We will talk to the men and women that these microfinance offerings will touch: sitting with them in their roadside stands and listening to their needs. In our final proposal to SPBD, we will recommend which products to offer in the Marshall Islands as well as highlight potential challenges and competitors within the market.
The Fiji trip is just one more example of the dynamic, singular opportunities that Kelley offers MBA students. The GLOBASE leaders are excited to build upon this experience as we craft the 2012 GLOBASE programs.
