You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2012.
Name: Varun Verma
Concentrations: Supply Chain and Marketing
Internship: I worked as a BUILD Intern at Sears Holdings, Chicago, IL
Future Plans: Short Term: To get a Job ; Long term: To become a Restaurateur
Why did you choose Smeal: I chose Smeal because of its Solid Alumni Base, Penn-State Brand and the Small Class Size
What has been your favorite Smeal MBA memory thus far: Performing with the Smeal Band on Diwali and Thanksgiving.
Name: Adrienne Darrah
Concentrations: Strategic Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Internship: Software Services Group Core Operations Intern at Intel
Why did you choose Smeal: Being a Penn State alumna, it was never a question of where I would pursue my graduate degrees. The high rankings and small class sizes were a definite plus.
What has been your favorite Smeal MBA memory thus far: At the end of each Mod, we come together as a class to celebrate the end of the Mod. It’s an amazing feeling to celebrate that accomplishment.
Participants: Ajantha Korukonda, Alina Pospelova, Sylvia Shank, Yordan Pankov
Organization: NutrAfrica
Ethiopia is widely considered to be the birthplace of coffee, yet the nation has not been able to make its mark in the world coffee market like Brazil and Colombia. Ethiopian coffee is of the Arabica type, which is very rich coffee that can get a good price anywhere in the world compared to other coffees. So the question remains, why has the country been unsuccessful in this market?
Our APEX project focusses on one of the primary issues within the Ethiopian coffee market – the little value the coffee farmer receives from the sale of their coffee. Currently, the farmer receives less that 1% of the price from the sale of a bag of coffee sold in the world market. As a team, are addressing this issue and are developing a viable solution to add value to the farmer. From our research so far, we have found that there is a significant amount of information asymmetry amongst the players in the value chain. Poverty and the lack of communication have led to the farmer being exploited by the middleman. In the coffee-making process, the roasting of the green coffee bean is a critical process. The few big players who source coffee in the world primarily control this process, sourcing green beans from all over the world.
Ethiopia is a country that relies heavily on coffee, forming 50-60% of its exports. The Ethiopian government has made steady efforts to protect the farmer and in turn their export revenue. The Ethiopian Commodities Exchange now regulates the sale of green beans for export in an effort to stabilize prices. Since the farmers need a means to sell their coffee beans, the aggregators take advantage of their despondent situations and exploit them by paying the farmer a low price. The farmer, unaware of the actual value of the coffee, and desperate to provide for their families sell their beans at very low prices.
Our project included two of our team members traveling to Ethiopia. On our trip to Ethiopia, we were able to see firsthand the challenges the Ethiopian coffee farmers are faced with and learn about other issues that we did not fully consider prior to our trip. We also had the opportunity to listen to many presentations addressing these issues at the East African Fine Coffee Association Conference. We visited the Sidama and Yirgacheffe coffee regions where we saw washing stations, a processing station where the dried coffee cherries were being pulped, processed, and bagged for shipment and coffee farmer co-operative unions. We observed just how remotely located the coffee farmers are and how easily they can be taken advantage of by the aggregators with coffee prices. This situation only exacerbates the cycle of poverty in which they live.
The lack of sufficient number of training centers makes it very difficult to educate the coffee farmers. The resounding message at the EAFCA conference was that the tools, technology, and knowledge are available; it is just difficult to get them to the coffee farmers. Due to these barriers, Ethiopia has the lowest productivity yields per hectare of coffee trees than any other country in Africa. We learned that many organizations have found successful platforms to disseminate tools, technology, and knowledge to coffee farmers in other countries; however these platforms will not easily or necessarily work in Ethiopia.
Through our trip and research, the team has developed a plan to address these challenging issues to bring more value to the Ethiopian coffee farmers. We look forward to the implementation of our business plan and the future result of the goals of NutrAfrica being realized.
Another Mod has passed by, and I’ve made it through ¾ of my first year at Smeal. Six months here has been enough for me to get used to the fast pace of 7-1-7 structure of MBA program, be comfortable with the academic environment and get acquainted with people around me. After each day, I feel more and more connected to this school, as if it is my home. I can stay all day long here, because everything is designed in order to support students’ requirements for studying. We have classrooms and team rooms fully equipped with projectors, white boards, and TV screens. I love the comfy chairs in commons area, where I can sit down and do homework, hang out with my fellows or gather to celebrate MBA events. The Blue Chip bistro cafeteria is a convenient place to enjoy lunch or just go grab a coffee before class. The glass atrium is perfect for career fairs and special events like Diwali or Lunar New Year celebrations.
However, if you think that comfort makes graduate school a two-year vacation in my career path, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Every day of MBA life is still a new challenge. In the busiest day, I can be at school from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and accomplish many different things during that time. First classes in the morning, then GA work and team work in the afternoon. Next I go to company information sessions to seek career opportunities; and finally I go to the library to get some homework finished. I go home tired, but satisfied with the feeling of completing so much work in a day. After I get home, I get myself prepared for another day full of activities. I can’t complain. This is the life I’m looking for, the path I have chosen, and I am happy.
Binh Nguyen
Name: Alex Rosenthal
Concentrations: Finance and Sustainability
Internship: Verizon Energy and Sustainability Intern
Future Plans: Renewable Energy and/or Sustainability Consulting
Why did you choose Smeal: I was attracted to the academic quality and academic reputation of Penn State. Also, the MBA program is a close knit community that works together to meet our goals. My classmates are extremely talented and we bring out the best in each other.
What has been your favorite Smeal MBA memory thus far: So many to choose from. I really enjoyed competing in the MBA games at Duke with my classmates, we won first place in the skit competition thanks to the memorable dancing skills of Biko Taylor.
Samuel Felix Ankrah
Location of Immersion: Marfo Children’s Home, Tema, Ghana (www.marfochildrencare.org)
Activities: Tutoring the children at the home after school. I spent three weeks assisting the children at the home with after school projects.
Name: Viswanathan Adinarayanan (Vish)
Concentrations: Supply Chain Management, Finance and Strategic Leadership
Internship: Project Management, Sears Holding Corporation
Future Plans: Challenging roles in Project Management in Supply Chain and Finance functions
Why did you choose Smeal: I think the admissions team did a fantastic job in making me feel that they wanted me to be successful even before I entered the portals of Smeal. The Alumni base of Penn State also contributed to my decision to be at Smeal apart from the distinguished faculty and small class size which meant it fostered a more collaborative environment. I wanted to be in a program that I could give to as much as take from it and Smeal has lived up to that expectation very well.
What has been your favorite Smeal MBA memory thus far: Michael Ryan Philips memorial scholarship nomination – I felt honored and it was a great validation that my peers valued my contributions in this program.
Name: Alina Pospelova
Concentrations: Supply Chain and Strategic Leadership
Internship: Sears Inventory Management
Future Plans: Plan to work in a Supply Chain or Project Management position
Why did you choose Smeal: Great reviews from current students, exceptional faculty and extensive alumni network
What has been your favorite Smeal MBA memory thus far: Duke MBA Games 2011. We went to participate in this Special Olympics event, and I can’t remember a better spent weekend, and learning a true notion of giving back
