- WDI’s First 24-Hour Competition Yields Energetic Results
WDI’s First 24-Hour Competition Yields Energetic Results
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Bakulu Power is a young company focused on building a renewable energy “mini grid” for residents of Lubya Island in Uganda’s Lake Victoria. The company has promising technology, has completed fund-raising rounds, has garnered interest from customers and has the support of the Ugandan government. But Bakulu Power still… - Entrepreneurship Leader Featured as Next Global Impact Speaker
Entrepreneurship Leader Featured as Next Global Impact Speaker
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Juan Carlos Thomas, Director of Entrepreneurship at TechnoServe, a nonprofit organization focused on harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty, will be the next WDI Global Impact Speaker. TechnoServe was recently rated the No. 1 nonprofit for reducing poverty by ImpactMatters.… - WDI Faculty Affiliate Driven to Strengthen Entrepreneurship Ed.
WDI Faculty Affiliate Driven to Strengthen Entrepreneurship Ed.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Julie Felker is a WDI faculty affiliate and senior consultant. She has worked with WDI in Papua New Guinea to assess entrepreneurship education at four universities in order to understand their needs and priorities in the context of local economic conditions. - Perspective: Is Vertical Integration Good or Bad for Off-Grid Energy Access?
Perspective: Is Vertical Integration Good or Bad for Off-Grid Energy Access?
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
By Paul Clyde and Colm Fay Pay as you go (PAYG) off-grid energy access business models are often vertically integrated, in that they include elements of manufacturing, distribution, consumer financing, payment collection and after-sales service. A topic of some debate within the PAYG sector is whether unbundling these business models,… - WDI’s 2019 Year In Review
WDI’s 2019 Year In Review
Friday, December 20, 2019
WDI collaborated with global partners and faculty and students from across the U-M campus on dozens of projects around the world. Read our 2019 Year in Review. - Q&A: Faculty Affiliate Looks for Real World Applications
Q&A: Faculty Affiliate Looks for Real World Applications
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
WDI Research Fellow Andy Grogan-Kaylor sits down for a Q&A on his work and why he likes collaborating with WDI's PMI team. - In Photos and Words: Refugee Food Entrepreneurs in Turkey
In Photos and Words: Refugee Food Entrepreneurs in Turkey
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
There are currently about 26 million refugees globally, the highest number on record. Turkey hosts more refugees than any country in the world, including 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Like refugees in other countries, Syrians in Turkey must find work in order to support themselves and their families in a new… - WDI Debuts Unique Cross-Cultural Course
WDI Debuts Unique Cross-Cultural Course
Friday, November 15, 2019
Virtual Exchange Class Pairs U-M Students with Peers in three Middle East Countries Cross-cultural relationships in business can be challenging, but students adept at navigating them are far more likely to excel in business— not to mention a host of other global professions and fields. A unique course, offered at… - Doing Business in MENA Region Focus of Case Competition
Doing Business in MENA Region Focus of Case Competition
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Cash prizes include $5,000 for the winning case study WDI Publishing is organizing a new competition for case studies focusing on the unique advantages and challenges of doing business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)… - Info Session for Healthcare Delivery Class Planned
Info Session for Healthcare Delivery Class Planned
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
An information session for students interested in enrolling in BA685: Healthcare Delivery in Emerging Markets will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 at the Ross School of Business, Blau Hall Room 1210. The class is offered by Michigan Ross and is organized and primarily funded by WDI. … - Development Sector Career Began With WDI Internship
Development Sector Career Began With WDI Internship
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Note: This is one in an ongoing series of articles profiling past WDI interns and Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) team members and their career paths. Additional profiles in the series may be found here. Puneet Goenka always wanted a career in which he could improve people’s lives. As an undergrad at… - Estimating Revenue from Increased Taxes on ‘Bads’
Estimating Revenue from Increased Taxes on ‘Bads’
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Government health ministries in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have historically struggled to adequately fund healthcare services for their citizens. But as these countries transition away from donor funding over the next two decades, many will need to find new domestic revenue streams to finance these services. A new WDI… - Perspective: Why Health Care Firms in LMICs Will Challenge Market Leaders
Perspective: Why Health Care Firms in LMICs Will Challenge Market Leaders
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Note: The following post was originally published on NextBillion.net, which is managed by WDI. By Paul Clyde This past summer, Ghana was selected as the host country for the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a group of countries with a population of 1.3 billion and a combined income… - WDI Speaker To Discuss Risk Vs. Growth Dilemma
WDI Speaker To Discuss Risk Vs. Growth Dilemma
Monday, September 16, 2019
Multinational corporations grow around the world by hiring the best local talent and transferring their best practices between different regions. But the inaugural 2019-20 WDI Global Impact Speaker believes a more nuanced approach is needed to build profitable, sustainable and high-growth businesses in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ujjwal Kumar,… - WDI Plans To Expand Flagship Exec Ed Program
WDI Plans To Expand Flagship Exec Ed Program
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Building on successes in Latvia, Croatia and Slovakia, WDI’s Education Sector plans to bring its flagship executive education program, the 10-day Strategic Management Program (SMP), to managers in new markets. To accomplish this, WDI is seeking new university or training partners that can benefit from its expertise and with whom… - Using Innovation to Fight Poverty
Using Innovation to Fight Poverty
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
One of the authors of a book presenting a new framework for fighting poverty based on entrepreneurship and market-creating innovation will give an Oct. 11 talk co-sponsored by WDI and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. The talk by Efosa Ojomo, an author of “The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation… - New WDI Program Honors Dedicated Students
New WDI Program Honors Dedicated Students
Monday, July 29, 2019
Since its founding, WDI has played an important role in providing University of Michigan graduate students with international experiences by funding summer internships, sponsoring student MBA teams and organizing travel-study courses abroad. Over the years, some students have participated in multiple WDI programs and projects. To recognize this commitment by… - Q&A: Adapting Business Strategies for Better Healthcare Supply Chains
Q&A: Adapting Business Strategies for Better Healthcare Supply Chains
Monday, July 8, 2019
Q & A with Michael Krautmann Research Manager in WDI's Healthcare sector 1. What is the goal or focus of the supply chain work performed by WDI's Healthcare sector? Our team works to improve the quality and accessibility of financially sustainable healthcare for people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs),… - WDI Helps Launch New Student-Run International Investment Fund
WDI Helps Launch New Student-Run International Investment Fund
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
WDI is partnering with the Ross School of Business and Finance Professor Gautam Kaul to establish a curriculum-based, student-run international investment fund at the University of Michigan, believed to be the first of its kind at a U.S. university. The fund, called the International Investment Fund (IIF), will target small-… - Blog: Understanding – and Accelerating – the Success of Refugee Entrepreneurs
Blog: Understanding – and Accelerating – the Success of Refugee Entrepreneurs
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Note: The following post was originally published on NextBillion.net, which is managed by WDI. By Amy Gillett and Kristin Babbie Kelter There are currently 25.9 million refugees worldwide, as the world experiences the highest levels of displacement on record. These refugees fled their countries due to war, natural disaster or persecution, and were often… - Blog: Is Developmental Evaluation the Right Measurement Strategy?
Blog: Is Developmental Evaluation the Right Measurement Strategy?
Monday, June 3, 2019
Note: The following post was originally published on NextBillion.net, which is managed by WDI. By Rebecca Baylor In emerging economies, businesses and other organizations engage in work that can be really messy and staggeringly complex. They know it’s important to measure the social impact of their work, but they often struggle… - MAP Project Impact Through Photos and Words
MAP Project Impact Through Photos and Words
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
In winter 2019, WDI sponsored 11 Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) teams that worked for organizations around the world. Each team was comprised of four MBA students from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. One team—Lauren Baum, Nadia Kapper, Paul Mancheski, Jason Yu—spent three weeks in Rwanda working for… - New Video Features M2GATE Program
New Video Features M2GATE Program
Monday, May 20, 2019
WDI has produced a new video that highlights its work on the successful M²GATE program that connected more than 400 students from five Michigan college campuses and their peers in four Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries through virtual exchange. The video, titled “WDI's M²GATE Program: Virtual Learning, Real… - WDI Faculty Affiliate Likes Learning, Building
WDI Faculty Affiliate Likes Learning, Building
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Q & A with Ari Shwayder 1. What are your favorite types of projects to work on? There are a bunch of different things I look for in a project, and so my favorite ones are those that combine at least some element from a few of these categories: Learning… - A Global Perspective on Healthcare Delivery
A Global Perspective on Healthcare Delivery
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Studying for her master’s degree in public health, Alison Granger was interested in a course at the University of Michigan that would let her take the lessons from her textbooks and classroom lectures and put it into practice. That’s why she enrolled in BA685: Healthcare Delivery in Emerging Markets, a… - WDI Wins Stevens Initiative Grant to Connect U.S., MENA Students
WDI Wins Stevens Initiative Grant to Connect U.S., MENA Students
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Grantees will create opportunities for U.S. and international students to build global competencies and career readiness skills through virtual exchange. Ann Arbor and Washington, D.C., April 24, 2019 – Today, the Stevens Initiative announced funding for Business & Culture: A Virtual Practicum implemented by the William Davidson Institute… - Former WDI Intern Remembers “Gem Experiences”
Former WDI Intern Remembers “Gem Experiences”
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Although it has been six years since her WDI summer internship in Vietnam and Cambodia, Tae-Hwa Eo still remembers how those three months working for a nonprofit, global health organization made an impression on her. Before she began her MBA studies, she had worked for a for-profit food company… - WDI Helps PNG University Launch Entrepreneurship Major
WDI Helps PNG University Launch Entrepreneurship Major
Monday, April 8, 2019
When leaders at Pacific Adventist University (PAU), based in Papua New Guinea, wanted to add more entrepreneurship undergraduate courses last year, it turned to WDI’s Education team and its Entrepreneurship Development Center for help developing and evaluating the new curriculum. A month ago, PAU debuted its new double major… - Blog: From Counting Women to Valuing Women
Blog: From Counting Women to Valuing Women
Monday, March 25, 2019
By Rebecca Baylor In my work as a research associate on WDI’s Performance Measurement and Improvement team, evaluation of impact is paramount. We work with leaders from businesses and nonprofits to measure their impacts and help them continuously improve on a variety of outcomes – from understanding their employees’ quality… - WDI-Sponsored MAP Teams Aim for Impact
WDI-Sponsored MAP Teams Aim for Impact
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Carrie Boyle, a MBA student at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, hopes to work in philanthropy somewhere in the U.S. after graduation. But for a couple of weeks in March, she is excited to be traveling to India as part of the school’s annual Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP). “Working in… - WDI’s Virtual Exchange Program Focus of Impact Report
WDI’s Virtual Exchange Program Focus of Impact Report
Thursday, March 14, 2019
WDI designed an innovative virtual exchange program using modern technologies to give students an exciting real-world learning experience. The latest WDI Impact Report, “Building Bridges Through Virtual Collaboration,” chronicles how WDI utilized the latest virtual learning tools to bridge the gap between countries, communities and cultures and bring students… - Medicines360 Executive Discusses Unique Business Model
Medicines360 Executive Discusses Unique Business Model
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Sally Stephens, the Feb. 12 WDI Global Impact Speaker and chief business officer of Medicines360, the only nonprofit pharmaceutical company with a marketed product in the U.S., sat down for a one-on-one interview while on campus. (Watch the interview below.) Stephens was interviewed by Andrea Bare, senior advisor with WDI’s… - WDI Discussions: Video Q&A with Tami Kesselman
WDI Discussions: Video Q&A with Tami Kesselman
Monday, February 25, 2019
It’s a new era when it comes to cooperation between some of the world’s largest corporations, governments and nonprofit organizations working together to address some of the most pressing social and environmental challenges. So argued Tami Kesselman, an expert in impact investing and WDI’s Global Impact Speaker in January. Kesselman… - Perspective: Importance of Entrepreneurship in Promoting Human Dignity
Perspective: Importance of Entrepreneurship in Promoting Human Dignity
Monday, February 11, 2019
My grandfather was a farmer from Farley, Iowa, but in many ways he was also an entrepreneur. He experimented with innovative farming techniques, calculated and assumed financial risks in unpredictable environments and, most importantly, created value-added products for his customers. Like any effective executive, he managed multiple streams of revenue,… - WDI Speaker: Improving Global Access to Affordable Medicines for Women
WDI Speaker: Improving Global Access to Affordable Medicines for Women
Monday, February 4, 2019
Considering how innovative business models can improve access to quality medicines for women regardless of where they live, their insurance status, or whether they can pay will be the topic of the next WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. Sally Stephens, chief business officer of Medicines360, the only nonprofit pharmaceutical company… - Collaborative Investments and the SDGs Topic of WDI Talk
Collaborative Investments and the SDGs Topic of WDI Talk
Friday, January 18, 2019
This month’s WDI Global Impact speaker will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the business, government, philanthropic and investing communities overcame years of mistrust and misaligned priorities to begin a shift toward collaborative investments. Tami Kesselman, an expert in impact investing who works at the intersection of corporate, government, entrepreneurial… - WDI Works on Plan to Tackle Ethiopia’s Medical Waste Problem
WDI Works on Plan to Tackle Ethiopia’s Medical Waste Problem
Thursday, January 17, 2019
A group of business leaders are partnering with the William Davidson Institute to find both financially and ecologically sustainable solutions to Ethiopia’s medical waste problem. While Ethiopia has official directives that mandate the proper and timely disposal of medical waste, enforcement often has been challenging. This has resulted in warehouses… - WDI Works to Strengthen Tanzania’s Medical Supply Chain System
WDI Works to Strengthen Tanzania’s Medical Supply Chain System
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
The Global Health Supply Chain Technical Assistance (GHSC TA-TZ) project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to strengthen Tanzania’s health supply chain systems across different disease programs. Two research managers from WDI’s Healthcare focus area, Michael Krautmann and Ben Davis, conducted a midterm review of… - A Look Back: WDI Impact in 2018
A Look Back: WDI Impact in 2018
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Improving reproductive health supply chains to boost access to family planning products in Mozambique. Educating senior managers from around the Baltics. Helping both investors and enterprises they support better measure impact in Latin America. Creating new MBA-level curriculum for universities in Papua New Guinea. These partner projects are just a… - WaterEquity Director Discusses Global Water Crisis Efforts
WaterEquity Director Discusses Global Water Crisis Efforts
Monday, December 10, 2018
Tom Light, managing director of WaterEquity and a recent guest of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series, sat down for a one-on-one video interview while on campus. (Watch the discussion below.) Light, who was interviewed by Pascale Leroueil, vice president of WDI’s Healthcare initiative, talked about a number of aspects… - New Report Gives Advice To Those Partnering With USAID
New Report Gives Advice To Those Partnering With USAID
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative (PMI), along with two partners, have compiled a detailed guide for companies and other private sector partners working with USAID to help them meet project goals and generate value. The report, “Nine Questions Every Company Should Ask to Strengthen their Partnership with USAID,” focuses on how… - Perspective: Obstacles to Developing Private Markets for Contraceptives
Perspective: Obstacles to Developing Private Markets for Contraceptives
Friday, November 30, 2018
In sub-Saharan Africa, the private sector is a common provider of family planning solutions, used by almost 40 percent of women in the region. But this isn’t the case in Malawi. To find out why, we spent two weeks in-country this past September, exploring Malawi’s private sector landscape for family… - Pitch Competition Caps Successful M2GATE Program
Pitch Competition Caps Successful M2GATE Program
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
WDI’s M²GATE program, which brought together more than 500 students from five Michigan university campuses and their peers in Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia to find entrepreneurial solutions to social challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, culminated Nov. 14 with three teams participating in a… - Nov. Speaker: Using ‘Liquid Assets’ to Solve Global Water Crisis
Nov. Speaker: Using ‘Liquid Assets’ to Solve Global Water Crisis
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Tom Light, managing director of WaterEquity, the first-ever impact investment management firm with an exclusive focus on ending the global water crisis, is scheduled to be the next guest for the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. Light’s talk, "Liquid Assets: Investing to End the Global Water Crisis," will begin at… - Perspective: Studying How Industries Grow Can Provide Future Insights
Perspective: Studying How Industries Grow Can Provide Future Insights
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
By Colm Fay In early September in Delhi, India, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, and Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University launched “Closing the Circuit: Accelerating Clean Energy Investment in India.” The event included round-table discussions with enterprises and investors on how they… - MENA Students to Travel to U-M for Pitch Event
MENA Students to Travel to U-M for Pitch Event
Monday, November 5, 2018
Before participating in WDI’s M²GATE Program, University of Michigan sophomore Jackie Spryshak said she had never met anyone from Egypt. Over eight weeks this summer, Spryshak worked with and got to know her teammates from Egypt as they collaborated on their winning social enterprise project as part of the… - WDI Aiding Budding Entrepreneurs in Macedonia
WDI Aiding Budding Entrepreneurs in Macedonia
Friday, October 19, 2018
WDI is partnering with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to enhance the curriculum for an entrepreneurship training program for recent university graduates in Macedonia. The program, first implemented in 2016 by the Youth Educational Forum (YEF) in… - Intern Blog: How a Cashew Enterprise Empowers Women in Rural Bali
Intern Blog: How a Cashew Enterprise Empowers Women in Rural Bali
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
This blog was written by 2018 WDI summer intern Nadia Putri, an MBA candidate at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. It originally appeared on NextBillion.net, an initiative of WDI. By Nadia Putri In 2012, Lasmini began working as a daily laborer at East Bali Cashews (EBC) and has worked… - Blog: Four Strategies on How to Build an Impact Industry
Blog: Four Strategies on How to Build an Impact Industry
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
By Colm Fay and Ted London Note: This article originally appeared on PYXERA Global. It is re-published here with permission. In 2017, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan collaborated with the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (the Alliance) to assess the lessons learned so far on the Alliance’s journey to accelerate the… - Blog: Answering the Call for Bold Change in Management Education
Blog: Answering the Call for Bold Change in Management Education
Monday, October 1, 2018
By Amy Gillett How we can best prepare people to do business in a world changing fast under globalization, technological advances and the continuous disruption of industries is what drives us at WDI’s Education Initiative. One way we accomplish this is by… - WDI Assists In Development Of Entrepreneurship Project For Refugees
WDI Assists In Development Of Entrepreneurship Project For Refugees
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
WDI’s Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC) recently lent support and expertise for a pilot project designed to boost entrepreneurial thinking and problem-solving skills among young refugees and local youth in Jakarta, Indonesia. EDC team members assisted by reviewing and providing input on 40 training modules to be used to teach… - Impact, Future of Data Innovations Topic of Talk
Impact, Future of Data Innovations Topic of Talk
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
How data shaped the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, how it is transforming local and global problem-solving, and the risks posed by a policy makers and a public increasingly skeptical of data will be the topic of a Oct. 1 talk… - Egyptian Student Credits WDI’s M2GATE Program For Recent Success
Egyptian Student Credits WDI’s M2GATE Program For Recent Success
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Abanoub Montaser Rodolf of Cairo recently was part of a winning team at a prestigious science competition in Indonesia. But he credits his success there to what he learned earlier in the spring from Ann Arbor. Rodolf was one of more than 500 students who participated in the WDI-organized program… - WDI’s PMI Team Monitoring, Evaluating AIDS Programs
WDI’s PMI Team Monitoring, Evaluating AIDS Programs
Monday, August 27, 2018
WDI has been commissioned by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world, to be a monitoring and evaluation partner for their BD-PEPFAR public-private partnership with the U.S. State Department’s Office of the… - New WDI Paper On Energy Access To Debut At India Event
New WDI Paper On Energy Access To Debut At India Event
Thursday, August 23, 2018
WDI and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University will mark the release of a new paper exploring what enterprises and investors have learned about energy access in India with… - WDI Summer Interns Blog About Work, Life Overseas
WDI Summer Interns Blog About Work, Life Overseas
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Over the years, WDI’s summer interns have faced unique challenges as they have conducted their work across the globe for the Institute and its partners. Impassable roads, extreme weather, the occasional wild animal. An active volcano can now be added… - NextBillion E-Book On Inclusive Finance Published
NextBillion E-Book On Inclusive Finance Published
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
A series of articles on the many successes and occasional setbacks in the inclusive finance space has been compiled into an e-book published by NextBillion Financial Health, a blog and news resource that is part of NextBillion, the WDI-affiliated platform focused… - Education Programs In Latvia Becoming More International
Education Programs In Latvia Becoming More International
Thursday, July 12, 2018
WDI’s executive education programs, delivered in partnership with the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) in Riga, are attracting more international participants, bringing diverse opinions to the classroom and thereby adding value to the programs. In past years, participants in the executive education offerings from WDI’s Education initiative at SSE Riga… - Articles Examine 25 Years of Progress on Global Topics
Articles Examine 25 Years of Progress on Global Topics
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
WDI has published a series of articles tracing the rapid development of healthcare delivery and health product supply chains in low- and middle-income countries as well as management education in Central and Eastern Europe over the past quarter century. The “25 Years of Market-Based Solutions” article series was… - Blog: From Local to Global – Questions SMEs Should Answer Before Exporting
Blog: From Local to Global – Questions SMEs Should Answer Before Exporting
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
The decision by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies to enter an international market is a key step in their maturation. For some SMEs, the move is necessary for survival in a competitive local economy, while for others it’s… - Winners Crowned in WDI 25th Anniversary Case Competition
Winners Crowned in WDI 25th Anniversary Case Competition
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
A case study by a Rutgers Business School professor about a start-up enterprise in Pakistan and its quest to be self-sustaining after 12 months has won first place in the WDI 25th Anniversary Case Competition. “Roshni Rides: Pricing Transportation for the… - Growing Impact Industries is the Focus of WDI Research in SSIR
Growing Impact Industries is the Focus of WDI Research in SSIR
Monday, June 4, 2018
An article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review website and written by two WDI researchers showcases a framework for accelerating impact industries, those made up of profit-seeking, scalable businesses that also seek to create substantial social and/or environmental impacts.… - Impact of Virtual Exchange Programs Topic of D.C. Panel
Impact of Virtual Exchange Programs Topic of D.C. Panel
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
A Washington, D.C. forum on the positive impacts virtual exchange programs can have on communities and young people worldwide included a panel discussion featuring Amy Gillett, vice president of WDI’s Education initiative. The forum, “Inspiriting Civic Engagement through Virtual Exchange,”… - WDI Global Impact Interns Begin Summer Projects
WDI Global Impact Interns Begin Summer Projects
Monday, May 14, 2018
When Rebecca Grossman-Kahn was in high school, she was a volunteer with Amigos de las Américas, a youth leadership and cultural exchange program that partners with Plan International, a global development and humanitarian organization. While an undergrad at Stanford University,… - Blog: Food Entrepreneurship is a Recipe for Understanding
Blog: Food Entrepreneurship is a Recipe for Understanding
Monday, May 14, 2018
Note: The following was originally published on NextBillion.net, which is managed by WDI. By Kristin Babbie Kelterborn and Amy Gillett An entrepreneur in São Paulo seeks to refine palates by introducing unfamiliar Syrian dishes to the city and showing the uniqueness of his country’s cuisine – differentiating it from common and broadly labeled… - WDI Speaker Interview: The Emerging Social Gastronomy Movement
WDI Speaker Interview: The Emerging Social Gastronomy Movement
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Johanna Mendelson Forman is a leading voice in the emerging movement of social gastronomy. She visited WDI and the University of Michigan in March to discuss how food can promote social good. She also leads the gastrodiplomacy programming for the U.S. State Department-funded project “Livelihoods Innovation through Food Entrepreneurship,” or LIFE project, implemented by a… - Grants Back Reproductive Health Supply Chain, Delivery Work
Grants Back Reproductive Health Supply Chain, Delivery Work
Thursday, April 26, 2018
WDI is part of two separate grants awarded by the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) Innovation Fund, the organization’s flagship initiative to spur and finance promising new ideas and strategies. The coalition, which is the largest network of reproductive health organizations, aims to ensure that a range of quality reproductive health… - Blog: How to Play Matchmaker to Social + Business Metrics
Blog: How to Play Matchmaker to Social + Business Metrics
Monday, April 9, 2018
Note: The following post was co-written by Rebecca Baylor, Heather Esper and Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi of WDI's Performance Measurement Initiative. It was originally published on NextBillion.net, which is managed by WDI. For many businesses and organizations, the idea of measuring their impacts is usually one of three things: scary, elusive or just… - Beyond Stories: Building Stronger Micro-Distributors the Focus of Impact Report
Beyond Stories: Building Stronger Micro-Distributors the Focus of Impact Report
Monday, April 2, 2018
Many organizations working with small businesses in low-income countries struggle with how to separate powerful, but anecdotal, stories from true social impact that can be replicated. The newly released WDI Impact Report, “Positive Change Through Actionable Metrics,” reviews the work of the Institute’s Performance Measurement Initiative (PMI) while pilot-testing… - Students to Share Healthcare Delivery Insights, Experiences
Students to Share Healthcare Delivery Insights, Experiences
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Qin Dong said the healthcare delivery course she took this semester taught her a lot about practices inside and outside the United States, including how healthcare organizations harnessed different business models to scale up and meet patient needs.But the biggest lesson for Dong from the weeks of classroom learning and… - WDI April Speaker Asks: ‘Can a Hamburger Build World Peace?’
WDI April Speaker Asks: ‘Can a Hamburger Build World Peace?’
Friday, March 23, 2018
Food can be a powerful means to a more peaceful world because it encourages conversation, cross-cultural engagement and understanding during troubled times, according to the next speaker for the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. Johanna Mendelson Forman, a leading voice in the emerging movement of gastrodiplomacy and social gastronomy,… - WDI-Backed MAP Teams Aim for Long-Term Impact
WDI-Backed MAP Teams Aim for Long-Term Impact
Thursday, March 15, 2018
WDI’s partnership with Aravind Eye Care System dates back to 1999. Over the years, the organization has utilized a combination of student MBA teams and other engagements with the Institute to explore new ideas for growing strategically and improving operations at its hospitals and clinics, which offer world-class eye… - Blog: Identifying Challenges for the ‘Missing Middle’ SMEs in West Africa
Blog: Identifying Challenges for the ‘Missing Middle’ SMEs in West Africa
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Note: The following interview was conducted by Ekta Jhaveri, senior research associate for the Healthcare and Financial Sector Development Initiatives at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. The article originally appeared on NextBillion, which is managed by WDI. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries face… - WDI Team to Share Impact Measurement Insights with Investors, Enterprises
WDI Team to Share Impact Measurement Insights with Investors, Enterprises
Monday, February 26, 2018
A new case study authored by WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative (PMI) that gives advice to impact investors and investees on new and emerging ways to strengthen their impact measurement practices will be released at two major, international conferences this week. The case, “Accelerating Measurement within Impact Investing: Five Critical… - What Makes Energy Firms Succeed? WDI Partners With Miller Center to Find Out
What Makes Energy Firms Succeed? WDI Partners With Miller Center to Find Out
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
WDI’s newly created Energy Initiative will examine the effectiveness of several enterprises in India that have been working to bring energy access to marginalized communities in the country for the past three years. The project, in conjunction with Miller Center at Santa Clara University and New Ventures India, will… - Blog: Why the Next Steve Jobs Could Be From Pakistan
Blog: Why the Next Steve Jobs Could Be From Pakistan
Friday, February 16, 2018
Note: This blog post also appeared on NextBillion.net, which is managed by the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. I recently had the opportunity to spend time with author and professor Elmira Bayrasli. I was truly inspired after reading her book “From the Other Side of the World: Extraordinary… - Undergrads Kickoff Social Entrepreneurship Virtual Exchange
Undergrads Kickoff Social Entrepreneurship Virtual Exchange
Friday, February 9, 2018
Brett Ritter admitted to feeling a bit nervous at the kickoff event for WDI’s new M²GATE program where he would meet his international teammates for the first time. He worried that cultural differences and a language barrier might hinder his ability to work with his peers from the Middle… - London’s BoP Book Wins Research Award
London’s BoP Book Wins Research Award
Monday, January 29, 2018
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London has won the 2017 Inaugural IACMR Presidential Award for Responsible Research for his book, “The Base of the Pyramid Promise: Building Businesses with Impact and Scale.” The award was co-sponsored by the International Association for Chinese Management Research and the Community for Responsible Research… - Speaker Series Welcomes Entrepreneurship Expert Bayrasli
Speaker Series Welcomes Entrepreneurship Expert Bayrasli
Thursday, January 25, 2018
The WDI Global Impact Speaker Series will feature a professor and author who has worked with entrepreneurs around the world. She will talk about how entrepreneurship has transformed the economies of low- and middle-income countries and how these places will produce the next generation of Silicon Valley-style innovators. Elmira Bayrasli’s… - WDI Launches First M2GATE Group, EMU, WSU Students Invited to Apply
WDI Launches First M2GATE Group, EMU, WSU Students Invited to Apply
Friday, January 19, 2018
As the first cohort of Michigan students begin collaborating online with their peers in four North African countries, WDI is seeking interested undergraduate students at Eastern Michigan University, all three campuses of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University to join the next two groups of participants for… - PNG Schools, WDI Partner to Advance Business Degrees
PNG Schools, WDI Partner to Advance Business Degrees
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
WDI’s Education Initiative collaborated with a university in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to develop a curriculum for a new MBA-level specialization in entrepreneurship, one of three schools the Institute has worked with in the country on building new business courses. The administration at Divine Word University (DWU) recently approved the… - NextBillion’s Top Post of 2017 Probes Key Sector Debate
NextBillion’s Top Post of 2017 Probes Key Sector Debate
Thursday, January 4, 2018
In recent years, the off-grid energy business has been one of the hottest industries in low-income economies, particularly in East Africa. But a post written by an impact investing fund explaining why it was backing off investments in the sector after being active in the space was voted by… - WDI to Co-Host ‘Extreme by Design’ Film Screening, Discussion
WDI to Co-Host ‘Extreme by Design’ Film Screening, Discussion
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
WDI is co-sponsoring the screening of a documentary featuring college students introducing innovative products in emerging markets by applying design thinking and social entrepreneurship principles. At the screening, a WDI-managed program that offers a rare opportunity for international teamwork and entrepreneurship open to all undergraduates will also be discussed. The… - ZLI, WDI Launch ‘MADE’ Entrepreneurship Project
ZLI, WDI Launch ‘MADE’ Entrepreneurship Project
Thursday, December 7, 2017
The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, in partnership with the William Davidson Institute and Aparajitha Foundations, today announced the launch of the Michigan Academy for the Development of Entrepreneurs (MADE), a nonprofit institute that works with entrepreneurship development organizations (EDOs) in developing countries to give… - CURE Teams With WDI to Expand Clubfoot Treatment
CURE Teams With WDI to Expand Clubfoot Treatment
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
The head of WDI’s Healthcare Initiative recently spent a week in Ethiopia identifying and offering remedies for current challenges faced by the nonprofit charitable organization CURE International and its clubfoot program in that country. CURE operates clubfoot clinics in 17 countries around the world, each tasked with helping children and… - Speaker: Foreign Policy Impacts Entrepreneurs in Latin America
Speaker: Foreign Policy Impacts Entrepreneurs in Latin America
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The intersection of entrepreneurship, U.S. foreign policy, international development and Latin America will be the subject of a talk by a senior Defense Department official at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30 in Room 2240 at the Ross School of Business. The discussion, which is free and open to the public,… - WDI, Partners Launch MarketBookShelf.com
WDI, Partners Launch MarketBookShelf.com
Thursday, November 9, 2017
The William Davidson Institute (WDI) and two partner organizations have developed a new online collection of health market literature that provides immediate access to documents and related resources to increase awareness among global health workers and other stakeholders, and aid in their research and decision making. Market Bookshelf, created… - Interview: How USAID is Capitalizing on New Trends in Development Finance
Interview: How USAID is Capitalizing on New Trends in Development Finance
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Andrea Bare is a senior advisor with the William Davidson Institute , where she partners with donor, consulting and implementing organizations to analyze global health markets and advance private sector solutions. Bare's interview with Priya Sharma of USAID's Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact, originally appeared on NextBillion.net,… - Stevens Initiative Selects WDI to Launch New Virtual Exchange Program
Stevens Initiative Selects WDI to Launch New Virtual Exchange Program
Monday, November 6, 2017
WDI has been selected by the Stevens Initiative to run an exciting program that uses online, collaborative learning to connect University of Michigan undergraduate students with their peers in four North African nations to find entrepreneurial solutions to social challenges in the region, while also increasing cross-cultural understanding and… - A Closer Look at WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative (Video)
A Closer Look at WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative (Video)
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
For decades, organizations, governments, donors and businesses have struggled to understand their impact. Some have labored over what to measure, or collected too much, too little - or even inaccurate data. Others have have had trouble using the data they’ve gathered, or simply avoided the process altogether. WDI’s Performance Measurement… - Cambodian Educators Team With WDI to Build a Stronger B-School
Cambodian Educators Team With WDI to Build a Stronger B-School
Friday, October 27, 2017
WDI’s Education Initiative recently hosted four administrators from the ACLEDA Institute of Business (AIB) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as part of its consulting work with the school to increase their capacity as a premier business school. The delegation visited WDI and the Ross School of Business for three days… - Program Connects U-M, MENA Students on Enterprise
Program Connects U-M, MENA Students on Enterprise
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan is running an exciting new program that pairs University of Michigan undergraduate students with their peers in four North African nations to find entrepreneurial solutions to social challenges in the region. Through the virtual exchange, U-M students at the Ann… - Pro Mujer CEO to Discuss Gender, Financial Equity
Pro Mujer CEO to Discuss Gender, Financial Equity
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
WDI welcomes Maria Cavalcanti, president and CEO of Pro Mujer – a nonprofit finance organization that has disbursed more than $3 billion in loans to mainly women-owned enterprises in Latin America – to its Global Impact Speaker Series at the University of Michigan next month. Cavalcanti will discuss Pro Mujer’s… - Case Writing Competition Draws 50 Global Entries
Case Writing Competition Draws 50 Global Entries
Monday, October 23, 2017
WDI Publishing received 50 entries from 11 countries for its case writing competition, which is being held to commemorate WDI’s 25th anniversary and its years of work developing private sector solutions in low- and middle-income countries. Completed case studies, and accompanying teaching notes, must be submitted by Dec. 8… - WDI Partnering to Lift Refugees Through Food Entrepreneurship
WDI Partnering to Lift Refugees Through Food Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Two WDI representatives traveled to Turkey earlier this month as part of the Institute’s work on a project, led by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), that aims to develop sustainable livelihoods in the food sector for Syrian refugees and their host communities. WDI Senior Project Manager Kristin… - Deaton Says Private Sector Vital to Reducing Global Poverty
Deaton Says Private Sector Vital to Reducing Global Poverty
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton talked about poverty and what role NGOs, governments and the private sector should play in order to alleviate it during an Oct. 5 event that was the culmination of WDI’s year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary. Deaton’s talk, held in the Robertson Auditorium at… - A New Lecture Series Honors Gerson
A New Lecture Series Honors Gerson
Monday, October 9, 2017
At its 25th anniversary celebration dinner Oct. 5, WDI announced the establishment of a new lecture series named in honor of the Institute’s longest-serving board member. The Ralph J. Gerson Distinguished Lecture will take place every two to three years to “bring together our community and think about what… - Two Videos Celebrate WDI History, Namesake
Two Videos Celebrate WDI History, Namesake
Thursday, October 5, 2017
WDI has marked its 25th anniversary with a video that celebrates its history while also chronicling the important work it continues to do around the world. The Institute also produced a short, biographical video of the life of WDI founder Bill Davidson. The six-minute video about the Institute features on-camera… - A New E-Book Chronicles WDI’s Past, Present, Future
A New E-Book Chronicles WDI’s Past, Present, Future
Thursday, October 5, 2017
WDI today unveiled a new book for its 25th anniversary that commemorates the Institute’s history, leaders, partners and inspiring work around the world. The book, “A Force for Economic and Social Freedom,” recounts the Institute’s founding and the dynamic life of its founder, Bill Davidson. The book also looks at… - WDI Global Impact Speaker Series Welcomes Gates Foundation Leader
WDI Global Impact Speaker Series Welcomes Gates Foundation Leader
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
The WDI Global Impact Speaker Series kicks off for the academic year by exploring the role that good supply chains play in ensuring health products reach their intended recipients in Africa and India, how technology is making a difference and why having a motivated and dedicated staff is critical. The… - WDI Publishing Boosts Case Study Output
WDI Publishing Boosts Case Study Output
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
In the past year, WDI Publishing has published 28 new cases - including 11 from University of Michigan faculty and 10 from U-M graduate students - a significant output for the initiative since it began in 2007. The WDI Publishing catalog now features more than 425 business cases from… - Perspective: Cash, Trees, Honey and Bees – Enticing Farmers to Eco-stewardship
Perspective: Cash, Trees, Honey and Bees – Enticing Farmers to Eco-stewardship
Monday, September 11, 2017
Note: Julia Entwistle is a graduate student at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability, and this past summer was one of six WDI Global Impact interns placed with businesses and nonprofits around the world. Entwistle worked with the leadership at ADHENO, a non-profit focused on extreme poverty in Ethiopia. Her assignment… - WDI Welcomes Nobel Laureate Economist Oct. 5
WDI Welcomes Nobel Laureate Economist Oct. 5
Friday, September 8, 2017
The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan will host an Oct. 5 talk and discussion with Sir Angus Deaton, a Nobel Prize-winning economist whose work has changed how many think about both global wealth and poverty. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take… - Leroueil Named Director of WDI Healthcare Initiative
Leroueil Named Director of WDI Healthcare Initiative
Thursday, September 7, 2017
WDI has instituted several changes to its Healthcare Initiative to better coordinate the initiative’s work, increase its capacity and ultimately grow its impact. As part of the changes, Pascale R. Leroueil has been named director of the Healthcare Initiative. Leroueil joined WDI as a part-time research fellow in January 2015,… - WDI Publishing Launches Case Writing Competition for 25th
WDI Publishing Launches Case Writing Competition for 25th
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
WDI Publishing is organizing and administering a case writing competition to celebrate and commemorate WDI’s 25th anniversary and its long history of developing market-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The global competition is open to individual students or student teams, as long as they enter… - Report Flags 6 Supply Chain Strains
Report Flags 6 Supply Chain Strains
Monday, July 17, 2017
Across the Global South, the coming decades will likely bring rapid urbanization, changing demographics, increased non-communicable disease burden, and a rising threat of pandemics. All of these factors will place unique strains and increased demand on emerging market health systems and their supply chains. A new WDI report, “Designing… - WDI Alum: Adaptive Innovation in Malawi
WDI Alum: Adaptive Innovation in Malawi
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Zenia Lewis’ 2008 summer internship in Malawi was supposed to be an opportunity for her to build upon what she had learned during her first year of a master’s degree in public policy from U-M’s Ford School, acquire a few new skills, and also experience working in a different… - NextBillion ‘Financial Health’ Relaunches with MetLife Foundation Backing
NextBillion ‘Financial Health’ Relaunches with MetLife Foundation Backing
Monday, June 19, 2017
NextBillion, the WDI-affiliated website focused on social entrepreneurship and venture development, has re-launched its financial inclusion blog with a new sponsor and a new name to better reflect the current thinking in the field. The new site is called Financial Health and is sponsored by MetLife Foundation. NextBillion Editor… - WDI Returns to U-M Campus
WDI Returns to U-M Campus
Friday, June 2, 2017
WDI celebrated its return to the University of Michigan campus and its newly-renovated Wyly Hall offices with a staff lunch June 1 that included the Institute’s board of directors. For nearly three years, WDI was housed off campus at Domino’s Farms during construction at the Ross School of Business complex,… - WDI Interns Prep for Diverse, International Assignments
WDI Interns Prep for Diverse, International Assignments
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Six University of Michigan students representing four schools and colleges will spend the summer abroad working as WDI Global Impact Fellows, tasked with formulating a strategic plan, streamlining supply chains, evaluating program impacts, empowering entrepreneurship, developing financial models, and creating a new business model. The students represent the Ross School… - WDI Alum: How a Career in China’s Energy Sector Began Over Tea
WDI Alum: How a Career in China’s Energy Sector Began Over Tea
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Rob Liou’s goal after he received his MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 2011 was to work in China’s energy sector. Liou was an auditor at a large accounting firm in San Francisco before graduate school but didn’t have a passion for it nor was… - ‘Entrepreneurship is the Answer’
‘Entrepreneurship is the Answer’
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
As the academic year comes to a close, the 13 MAP teams organized and funded by WDI have finished their projects and successfully delivered final reports to their sponsoring organizations. Multidisciplinary Action Projects, or MAP for short, is an annual, action-based learning course offered at the Ross School of Business… - WDI Perspective: India’s Technology Stack and What it Means for Healthcare
WDI Perspective: India’s Technology Stack and What it Means for Healthcare
Monday, May 15, 2017
The use of technology stacks has been a profoundly important breakthrough for social and financial inclusion in India, and it also opens up many opportunities to transform health care for the poorest residents there. But as these tech-based solutions proliferate in other low and middle-income countries, the health care… - Video: Strengthening Entrepreneurship for Stable Societies
Video: Strengthening Entrepreneurship for Stable Societies
Friday, May 5, 2017
Steven Koltai, who served as the senior advisor of U.S. State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP), recently sat down with WDI’s Amy Gillett to discuss practical ways in which entrepreneurship and the training of entrepreneurs can be effective foreign policy tools. Koltai is the author of the book, Peace through Entrepreneurship:… - WDI Publishing Launches New E-Commerce Site, User Interface
WDI Publishing Launches New E-Commerce Site, User Interface
Thursday, May 4, 2017
WDI Publishing, the Institute’s business case study initiative, has unveiled a new e-commerce website that features a clean, more intuitive design, a smoother transaction and checkout process and more flexibility to update the site with the latest cases, news and events. Key features of the new website are: an improved… - WDI at 25: Our History, Our Future
WDI at 25: Our History, Our Future
Monday, April 24, 2017
“The book is now closed on a period of intense, bipolar hostility that has defined our lives for more than four decades, and it is now for us to determine what will fill the next pages of history. We stand now at the dawn of a new era - an… - William Davidson: A Portrait of Action
William Davidson: A Portrait of Action
Monday, April 24, 2017
If Bill Davidson’s business philosophy could be boiled down to a single phrase, it likely would have been four simple words: It can be done. This optimistic, tough-minded sentiment reflected Davidson’s belief that there was nothing that couldn’t be accomplished. This can-do spirit is what helped him take a struggling,… - ‘This is no Small Task’ – Davidson’s Original Dedication Speech
‘This is no Small Task’ – Davidson’s Original Dedication Speech
Monday, April 24, 2017
On April 23, 1992, William Davidson and other dignitaries attended a press conference to formally announce the William Davidson Institute. Davidson's gift of $30 million to create the Institute was the largest donation to a U.S. business school at that time. Below is a full transcript of Davidson's speech inaugurating WDI.… - WDI Perspective: Segmenting Healthcare to Reach the Poor
WDI Perspective: Segmenting Healthcare to Reach the Poor
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Should health care be segmented like cars and other products? Pascale Leroueil, Research Manager for Healthcare Delivery at the William Davidson Institute, writes that our gut reaction is likely to be "No!" But what if health care was segmented based on how the care was actually delivered? Originally published on NextBillion.net, an affiliate site of… - In the Philippines, Bridging Career Centers and Employers
In the Philippines, Bridging Career Centers and Employers
Thursday, April 13, 2017
In collaboration with key partners, WDI last month organized a conference in the Philippines that brought together university career service professionals and industry partners to share experiences, progress and best practices for moving graduates from the classroom to the workplace. The two-day conference in Manila attracted more than 50… - Executive Learning Program Expanded to Kazan, Russia
Executive Learning Program Expanded to Kazan, Russia
Monday, April 10, 2017
WDI’s Education Initiative continues to expand global programming and partnerships with a new certificate course for mid- to senior-level managers in the southwest Russian city of Kazan. The Executive Intensive Learning (EIL) course, delivered in conjunction with Kazan National Research Technical University and TISBI University of Management, is modeled… - Next WDI Speaker: More Tourism Leads to More Tolerance
Next WDI Speaker: More Tourism Leads to More Tolerance
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian who co-founded a tourism business with an Israeli partner to help break down cultural and historical barriers through travel, will discuss how everyday interactions between people from different cultures are an effective peace-keeping tool. Part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series, the talk… - Case Explores Walmart’s Partnerships with Smallholders, Artisans
Case Explores Walmart’s Partnerships with Smallholders, Artisans
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Note: WDI’s recent research and case studies involving Walmart can be found here. WDI Publishing has released a new business case study that examines Walmart’s successes and challenges in its efforts to incorporate smallholder farmers and female artisans from developing countries into its global supply chain. “Walmart and Small Producers… - MBA Students Begin MAP Project Work
MBA Students Begin MAP Project Work
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Tom Reidy’s previous work experience and core MBA classes this year at U-M’s Ross School of Business have focused on operating a business in the developed world. That’s one reason Reidy is excited to head to South Africa to work for the startup organization, Mbuyu, as part of the… - WDI Releases the First of Several Impact Reports
WDI Releases the First of Several Impact Reports
Thursday, March 16, 2017
WDI is debuting the first of an ongoing series detailing the long-term impact the work the Institute is having in a certain sector or a particular geography. The first WDI Impact Report, “Improving Business Education in the Philippines,” examines the Institute’s contributions to the five-year STRIDE project that is focused on… - WDI Launches Entrepreneurship Development Center
WDI Launches Entrepreneurship Development Center
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
WDI’s Education Initiative is launching the Entrepreneurship Development Center for Emerging Markets (EDC), harnessing 15 years of experience helping entrepreneurs in emerging markets grow their ventures through education, training and consulting. The new center will strengthen WDI’s long-established commitment to delivering top-notch entrepreneurship education and also highlight expanded offerings… - Measuring Entrepreneurship, Impact in Bahrain
Measuring Entrepreneurship, Impact in Bahrain
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
In January, two members of WDI’s new Entrepreneurship Development Center, part of the Institute’s Education Initiative, traveled to Bahrain to work with Tamkeen, a government-affiliated organization in Bahrain tasked with developing the country’s private sector. “We collaborated with the team at Tamkeen to put together a results-based monitoring and evaluation… - Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Peace
Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Peace
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
The WDI Global Impact Speaker Series in March featured the man who established and ran the U.S. State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP), a main tenet of President Barack Obama’s strategy to improve relations between the U.S. and Muslim countries. - WDI/Teeter Scholarships Aid Managers From Small Organizations
WDI/Teeter Scholarships Aid Managers From Small Organizations
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Soon after Robert M. Teeter’s death in 2004, the WDI Board of Directors established a scholarship program in his honor to allow owners and managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies to attend the Institute’s professional education programs for free. - WDI Alum: An Uncomfortable Summer Built Business Acumen
WDI Alum: An Uncomfortable Summer Built Business Acumen
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
When Mary Fritz thinks back to her 2012 WDI summer internship in India, she remembers the oppressive heat, the bugs, and her inability to communicate. But the business lessons she took from the experience were well worth the discomfort. - Launching, Scaling Global Health Innovations Next WDI Talk Topic
Launching, Scaling Global Health Innovations Next WDI Talk Topic
Friday, January 6, 2017
(Update: Please watch Milestone's presentation and the discussion here and check out an interview with Ravi Anupindi, the David B. Hermelin Professor of Business Administration & Professor of Operations Management at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is also the Program Director for the Master of Supply Chain Management… - NextBillion Readers Vote Up Most Influential Articles
NextBillion Readers Vote Up Most Influential Articles
Thursday, January 5, 2017
NextBillion.net, an affiliate site of WDI, conducted its Most Influential Posts of 2016 contest during the holiday break. Nearly 2,500 votes were cast in the fifth annual contest, which re-published the most popular posts for each month of 2016. Readers voted for the blog articles that made a difference… - Early Rejection Still Leads To Global Health Career
Early Rejection Still Leads To Global Health Career
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
For Kallol Mukherji, not getting hired in 2009 for a research assistant job at WDI led to a “life-changing” career in global health.
- Video Interview: Solar Entrepreneur Talks About Bringing Light To India
Video Interview: Solar Entrepreneur Talks About Bringing Light To India
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Rustam Sengupta, a clean energy social entrepreneur who recently visited the University of Michigan as part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series, sat down with WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London for a one-on-one video interview. During the conversation, Sengupta discussed what motivated him to start the solar access… - NGOs in Emerging Democracies Learn Skills To Advance Mission
NGOs in Emerging Democracies Learn Skills To Advance Mission
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world are facing increased scrutiny and even intimidation by government ministries and regulators in several emerging democracies. Equipping them with the managerial skills and tools they need to advance positive social and political change is critical to their missions, and was the focus of… - WDI Working To Improve Healthcare Access In Madagascar
WDI Working To Improve Healthcare Access In Madagascar
Thursday, December 8, 2016
WDI researchers from the Healthcare Initiative are set to begin the second year of a project aimed at improving the supply chain and cost recovery systems for essential medicines and health commodities in Madagascar. The work in Madagascar is one of four projects WDI is performing for Abt Associates as… - From the President: Profit-maximizing Firms Generate Social Impact Too
From the President: Profit-maximizing Firms Generate Social Impact Too
Monday, November 28, 2016
In a perspective article, WDI President Paul Clyde observes the trend of top business schools establishing institutes and programs designed to help develop businesses that make money and simultaneously provide benefits to society. While Clyde sees merit in the educational endeavor and the business practice, he also believes we must… - Partnering To Bring Impact To Organizations and Students
Partnering To Bring Impact To Organizations and Students
Monday, November 21, 2016
The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business recently celebrated 25 years of Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAPs), an action-based learning course for first-year MBA students who receive guidance from faculty advisers. During that span, 10,438 full-time MBA students have worked on 2,010 projects in 92 countries with 1,352 sponsor companies.… - WDI Speaker to Explore Scaling Solar in India
WDI Speaker to Explore Scaling Solar in India
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Rustam Sengupta, a clean energy social entrepreneur, will discuss his mission to bring solar power to some of the 300-plus million people in India who do not have access to electricity as part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. The talk begins at 5 p.m., Nov. 30 in room… - WDI Speaker Series: Growing Businesses, Preserving Honey Bees
WDI Speaker Series: Growing Businesses, Preserving Honey Bees
Friday, November 4, 2016
The co-founder of a start-up venture in South Africa that aims to save the honey bee will share how he designed the initiative to have economic, social and environmental impact as part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. The talk begins at 5 p.m., Nov. 16 in room R2230… - Helping Students Become ‘Employers, Not Employees’
Helping Students Become ‘Employers, Not Employees’
Thursday, October 20, 2016
WDI’s Education Initiative will develop a new entrepreneurship curriculum for select universities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and help faculty members deliver the new instruction to students. The longer-term goal of the project is helping the country nurture its small- and medium-sized business sector and diversify its economy away from… - Rethinking the ‘Youth Are Not Interested in Agriculture’ Narrative
Rethinking the ‘Youth Are Not Interested in Agriculture’ Narrative
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Kristin Babbie, a senior project administrator at WDI’s Grants Management team, recently attended the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit and authored the following post for NextBillion.net. NextBillion, a WDI affiliated site, originally published the article on Oct. 12, 2016. In 2013, I interviewed a group of young people at a… - Research Explores When Outsourcing Health Logistics Makes Sense
Research Explores When Outsourcing Health Logistics Makes Sense
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Outsourcing logistical tasks to the private sector could be a key to drastically improving public health supply chains and increasing access to vital health products in developing countries, according to new research co-authored by WDI Senior Research Fellow Prashant Yadav. Yadav and his co-authors cite successes in Senegal after the… - WDI Alum’s Journey From Pro Bono Adviser to Social Enterprise Pro
WDI Alum’s Journey From Pro Bono Adviser to Social Enterprise Pro
Monday, October 3, 2016
After graduating from the University of Texas, Patrick Huang began his career as a management consultant while giving free advice to social entrepreneurs in emerging markets. But he soon wanted to do much more than dole out advice on the side, so Huang decided to get his MBA and join… - With Demand Growing, WDI Expands Case Writing Workshops in Philippines
With Demand Growing, WDI Expands Case Writing Workshops in Philippines
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
With demand rising for country-specific business cases, the William Davidson Institute, in collaboration with USAID, delivered its fourth case writing workshop for university faculty in the Philippines – the second held this year in the country. In the past, one workshop was held annually. But this year, a second was… - WDI’s London Honored With Faculty Award
WDI’s London Honored With Faculty Award
Friday, September 16, 2016
Ted London, vice president and senior research fellow of WDI’s Scaling Impact Initiative, has dedicated his career to exploring the role of business in alleviating poverty, particularly with respect to the base of the pyramid (BoP), defined as the 4-5 billion people who live on less than $3,000 per year.… - WDI Publishing Exhibits at Major Educator Conference
WDI Publishing Exhibits at Major Educator Conference
Monday, September 12, 2016
WDI Case Publishing recently exhibited at the prestigious Academy of Management (AOM) conference, the fourth time the case study publisher has had a booth at one of the biggest annual gatherings of students, academics, scholars and professionals interested in the academic study of management and organization practices. This year’s AOM… - New Film on Congo War, Q&A With Heroic Doctor With U-M Ties
New Film on Congo War, Q&A With Heroic Doctor With U-M Ties
Thursday, September 8, 2016
WDI is partnering with several U-M schools and initiatives to screen a new documentary film chronicling the brutal repercussions of the decades-long civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as a live discussion with a heroic doctor who spoke up against the atrocities. The film, “When… - WDI Intern Felt Part of Rwanda Community
WDI Intern Felt Part of Rwanda Community
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Karen Tam spent three months in Rwanda during the summer of 2009 as a WDI intern, returning in the fall to the University of Michigan with valuable work experience in a developing country, a lifetime of memories and a Rwandan nickname: Umutesi. Translated as “treasured or valued one,” the name… - WDI Impact Framework Being Tested in Latin America
WDI Impact Framework Being Tested in Latin America
Thursday, August 18, 2016
WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative is partnering with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to pilot test a new framework for boosting the impact of small inclusive businesses and their distribution networks in Brazil, Nicaragua, and Peru. Heather Esper, senior program manager of WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative (PMI), developed the framework for… - Adapting U.S. Business Curriculum for New Audiences
Adapting U.S. Business Curriculum for New Audiences
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
It took an old folk story for Matt Brown, a faculty affiliate with WDI’s Education Initiative, to break through to his students — 30 female entrepreneurs from Rwanda — on how to write a business plan. Brown, as part of a 10,000 Women entrepreneurship program sponsored by Goldman Sachs and… - A Year of Firsts for Scaling Impact Initiative (Video)
A Year of Firsts for Scaling Impact Initiative (Video)
Thursday, July 21, 2016
The William Davidson Institute’s (WDI’s) Scaling Impact initiative (SI) has completed its first year with a sharpened focus on assisting enterprises achieve scale in base of the pyramid markets, while completing several in-depth projects for building a toolkit of strategies, frameworks, and processes for business and the development community. Under the management of… - WDI To Debut Strategic Thinking Program
WDI To Debut Strategic Thinking Program
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Business leadership today requires strategic thinking - finding and developing opportunities to create value for combinations of customers, associates, suppliers, and communities. In response to this trend, WDI’s Education Initiative will debut a new program on Strategic Thinking in November at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia (SSE-Riga). Register… - Researchers Explore Simulations to Improve Health Supply Chains
Researchers Explore Simulations to Improve Health Supply Chains
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
In many emerging market countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the government’s ministry of health traditionally defines how public health systems – as well as the supply chains that stock them – function for doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and patients. However, many countries are rethinking this structure, and are interested in streamlining… - Early WDI Intern Credits Summer In Poland For International “Sea Legs”
Early WDI Intern Credits Summer In Poland For International “Sea Legs”
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Jack Foreman was one of the first WDI summer interns, when in 1991, he spent three months near Gdansk, a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. But when he frequently mentions how the internship helped get his “sea legs” in business, he isn’t talking about anything to do… - Teams Innovate, Create At Ann Arbor Health Hackathon
Teams Innovate, Create At Ann Arbor Health Hackathon
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
A kid-friendly mobile app giving children the power to participate in research studies to improve their health won first place at the inaugural Ann Arbor Health Hackathon: Prototyping Disease Prevention, co-sponsored WDI. The round-the-clock event, held June 24-26 on the University of Michigan campus, drew 91 participants who formed 18… - WDI Perspective: Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs
WDI Perspective: Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
For Meghan Sheehan, having “a beginner’s mindset – to assume you know nothing,” was a great way to approach a complex problem in a far different culture and economic context than her own. Sheehan and fellow MBA students applied that perspective, a defining principle of design thinking, when they embarked… - New WDI Walmart Report Presented At Global Entrepreneurship Summit
New WDI Walmart Report Presented At Global Entrepreneurship Summit
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
A new report co-written by WDI’s Scaling Impact Initiative that investigates Walmart’s efforts to incorporate small producers into its global supply chain was presented today at the 7th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2016. The summit, held in Silicon Valley, Calif., is one of the foremost gatherings of the world’s preeminent… - With Few Resources, Cuba’s Resourceful Entrepreneurs Find a Way
With Few Resources, Cuba’s Resourceful Entrepreneurs Find a Way
Friday, June 17, 2016
Amy Gillett is vice president of education at the William Davidson Institute. Her article was originally published on the WDI affiliated site, NextBillion, on June 9, 2016. To read more her recent trip to Cuba and the potential for economic development there, please click here. Ernesto and Yudiel operate a… - WDI Paper: Unclogging Finances, Improving Vaccine Flow
WDI Paper: Unclogging Finances, Improving Vaccine Flow
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
A supply chain is only as effective as the last mile. That’s why an adequate and reliable flow of funding all the way to the point of care, also known as the “last mile,” is vital to an effective immunization supply chain. A new WDI policy paper examines how financial… - WDI Explores Cuba For Potential Work
WDI Explores Cuba For Potential Work
Thursday, June 9, 2016
In a first for WDI, two managers visited Cuba last month to assess how the Institute could assist the country’s burgeoning entrepreneur community. Amy Gillett, vice president of the Education Initiative, and Diana Paez-Cook, senior program manager of the Grants Management team, were part of a 20-person delegation that traveled… - From Peru to Rwanda, WDI Summer Interns Get to Work
From Peru to Rwanda, WDI Summer Interns Get to Work
Monday, June 6, 2016
Each summer, as part of its mission to provide high-quality learning opportunities to University of Michigan students, WDI sponsors interns who work overseas with international organizations. This year, five U-M graduate students representing five different schools across campus are working in the education, healthcare and poverty alleviation fields. The projects… - Register Now For June Health Hackathon
Register Now For June Health Hackathon
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Registration is now open for the upcoming Ann Arbor Health Hackathon: Prototyping Disease Prevention. Click here to register and to find out more about the June 24-26 event, which is sponsored by several organizations including WDI. Round-the-clock hackathons, more commonly associated with software developers and computer programmers building new tech… - Fight Pandemics with Insurance, Yadav Writes in FT
Fight Pandemics with Insurance, Yadav Writes in FT
Friday, May 20, 2016
WDI Senior Research Fellow Prashant Yadav co-authored a May 19 post on the Financial Times’ blog “beyondbrics” in which he advocates for new ways of raising and disbursing financial aid in the wake of a pandemic. Yadav and co-author Akash Goel, a physician, journalist and World Economic Forum Global Shaper,… - The Power of Standardized Tools and Customized Implementation
The Power of Standardized Tools and Customized Implementation
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Ted London, WDI Senior Research Fellow and Vice President of the Scaling Impact Initiative, authored the following post for NextBillion.net in which he describes a new framework for creating partnerships that help enterprises achieve sustainable, scalable impact. This article was originally published May 16, 2016 on NextBillion. If you’ve worked in any industry… - Former Intern Thinks Often About Internship, Namesake
Former Intern Thinks Often About Internship, Namesake
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Note: This is one in an ongoing series of articles profiling past WDI interns and Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) team members and their career paths. Additional profiles in the series may be found here. On June 17th, Zara Ahmed will take a moment during her hectic day to stop and think… - WDI Marks 10 Years of ‘Mini MBA’ Program
WDI Marks 10 Years of ‘Mini MBA’ Program
Monday, May 9, 2016
WDI’s Education Initiative is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its popular, intensive two-week Strategic Management Program – also known as a “mini-MBA” – at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia (SSE Riga). The program, tailored for high potential, mid- to senior-level managers, begins today (May 9). But before… - WDI’s London To Be Webinar Guest
WDI’s London To Be Webinar Guest
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London will be the featured guest for a May 17 webinar organized by Business Call to Action (BCtA) and the Practitioner Hub on Inclusive Business. Click here to register for the free webinar, which begins at 9 a.m. Eastern U.S. London, who also leads the Institute’s… - No Longer an Island: How Cuba’s Economic Transition May Differ From Soviet Bloc
No Longer an Island: How Cuba’s Economic Transition May Differ From Soviet Bloc
Friday, April 22, 2016
When the Berlin Wall fell in late 1989, taking with it communism in Eastern Europe, it triggered the region’s transition from a command economy to a market one. In what seemed like an instant, the way the Soviet bloc countries had operated for decades was changing. “Things happened quite quickly,”… - Bahrain Education Project Continues With Mentorship Training
Bahrain Education Project Continues With Mentorship Training
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
WDI faculty affiliate Matt Brown is scheduled to travel to Bahrain in May for the next phase of an entrepreneurship training program started in 2014 and designed by WDI in partnership with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to not only increase the number of entrepreneurs in… - Harvard Business Publishing, WDI Reach Distribution Agreement
Harvard Business Publishing, WDI Reach Distribution Agreement
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), the world’s leading case study publisher, has begun distributing select business cases from WDI Publishing under an agreement between the two organizations. The non-exclusive agreement will allow wider distribution and adoption of WDI Publishing cases authored by University of Michigan faculty, said Sandy Draheim, manager of marketing… - WDI’s NextBillion.net Celebrates 10 Years Online
WDI’s NextBillion.net Celebrates 10 Years Online
Monday, April 18, 2016
NextBillion, one of the internet’s first media sites focused exclusively on social entrepreneurship and base of the pyramid venture development, recently celebrated 10 years online. As NextBillion’s parent organization for nearly half of that time, WDI sees a bright future for the site, which serves as a one-stop destination for… - 40-Plus Years Fighting Poverty In Bangladesh
40-Plus Years Fighting Poverty In Bangladesh
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was recently on the University of Michigan campus to receive a global health award. While there, he sat down with Kyle Poplin, editor for NextBillion Healthcare, an initiative of WDI, to talk about his work in Bangladesh. This article was originally published April 13, 2016 on… - Moscow-Based WDI Alumnus Values Student Project Experiences
Moscow-Based WDI Alumnus Values Student Project Experiences
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Note: This is one in an ongoing series of articles profiling past WDI interns and Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) team members and their career paths. Additional profiles in the series may be found here. It was a trip to the Soviet Union for a student exchange program when Per Hong was… - Case Writing Workshop Returns To The Philippines For Third Cohort
Case Writing Workshop Returns To The Philippines For Third Cohort
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Julie Felker, who will lead a WDI case writing workshop in the Philippines in April, said writing a business case is like penning a detective novel. “There are many unknowns, information is not always clear, and students have to put the pieces together to solve the mystery – meaning, make… - WDI-Sponsored MAP Teams Begin Field Work
WDI-Sponsored MAP Teams Begin Field Work
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Kerry Shields worked in the healthcare industry before coming to U-M’s Ross School of Business for her MBA and has plans to return to it after graduation. So she was eager to find a MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Project) in a different industry, and was ecstatic when she learned she was… - Students Hear From Global Healthcare Expert
Students Hear From Global Healthcare Expert
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Derek Johnson, director for development and sustainability for the U.S.-based nonprofit charity CURE that operates 10 hospitals in developing countries, recently spoke to students enrolled in the Ross School of Business travel-study course on healthcare delivery in emerging markets. Students in the class spent the first part of the semester… - WDI Staffer Makes Plans For June Health Hack-a-Thon
WDI Staffer Makes Plans For June Health Hack-a-Thon
Thursday, March 3, 2016
“Hack-a-thons” are best known as weekend-long events where software developers and computer programmers – fueled by pizza and caffeine – team up to create a new software app or build a new tech gadget. These marathon sessions are less commonly associated with tackling global health challenges. But the same spirit… - Video: How PATH Approaches Global Health Issues
Video: How PATH Approaches Global Health Issues
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Ray Cummings, director of market dynamics for the global nonprofit health organization PATH, recently sat down for a one-on-one video interview with WDI’s Andrea Bare to discuss how it works to improve global health outcomes. The two also talked about Cummings’ career and how U-M students interested in the healthcare… - Students Travel To Four Countries For Healthcare Course
Students Travel To Four Countries For Healthcare Course
Monday, February 29, 2016
Mel Melaku Negussie, chief operating officer and general counsel of the Ethio-American Doctors Group (EADG), jumped at the chance to partner again with U-M students participating in a travel-study course on healthcare delivery in emerging markets. He was very pleased with the student team’s work last year, saying one of… - U-M Regents OK Renovations Of WDI Offices
U-M Regents OK Renovations Of WDI Offices
Friday, February 26, 2016
The University of Michigan Regents at its February meeting approved the $5.1 million renovation of Sam Wyly Hall, which houses the offices of WDI. Since July 2014, WDI has been temporarily housed off campus at Domino’s Farms during construction at the Ross School of Business complex, which includes Wyly Hall.… - Walmart, WDI Team Up Again on Inclusive Supply Chains
Walmart, WDI Team Up Again on Inclusive Supply Chains
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
WDI’s Scaling Impact Initiative is working with Walmart to chronicle what the retail giant has learned from its efforts to include small producers in global supply chains. The successes, challenges, and lessons learned will become a policy brief and a teaching case, both written by WDI in collaboration with Professor… - WDI Alum: Changing Course from Assembly Line to Saving Lives
WDI Alum: Changing Course from Assembly Line to Saving Lives
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Note: This is one in an ongoing series of articles profiling past WDI interns and Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) team members and their career paths. Additional profiles in the series may be found here. With an engineering degree in hand, Patricia Griffin said she was probably destined for a job… - Entrepreneurship Training Helps Women in Tanzania’s Agricultural Sector Flourish
Entrepreneurship Training Helps Women in Tanzania’s Agricultural Sector Flourish
Sunday, February 14, 2016
From a spinning scarecrow that sends animal intruders scurrying off the crops to an eco-friendly shelter that helps grow spores into mushrooms, there is no shortage of innovation in Tanzania’s agricultural sector. But what has traditionally been lacking is the business knowledge to nurture these creative products and help them… - Vaccine Economics, Access Topic Of WDI Talk
Vaccine Economics, Access Topic Of WDI Talk
Friday, February 5, 2016
Vaccines save 2.5 millions lives annually according to the World Health Organization, and during the past 15 years major strides have been made in coverage rates for many childhood vaccines in low-income countries. However, challenges remain as evidenced by the 1.5 million children under the age of 5 who still… - WDI Perspective: Localizing the Case Study Method
WDI Perspective: Localizing the Case Study Method
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The case study – an in-depth examination of a concrete business scenario for instructional purposes – is the gold standard of management training pedagogy, and for good reason. “Case studies put the students in the driver’s seat,” said John Branch, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of… - Watch WDI Talk On Need For New Ways To Measure Development Impact
Watch WDI Talk On Need For New Ways To Measure Development Impact
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Joshua Kaufman, director of the Office of Evaluation and Impact Assessment at USAID’s U.S. Global Development Lab, spoke Jan. 20 on how innovation is needed in order to positively impact unprecedented global development challenges. Kaufman was at U-M’s Ross School of Business as part of WDI’s Global Impact Speaker Series.… - WDI Refocuses Research Initiatives
WDI Refocuses Research Initiatives
Friday, January 15, 2016
The William Davidson Institute is moving forward with refocused research initiatives that better reflect the mission of the organization as it enters its second year under the leadership of President Paul Clyde and looks forward to its 25th anniversary in early 2017. Clyde outlines the work of the Institute, including… - A Book For BoP Enterprise Leaders
A Book For BoP Enterprise Leaders
Friday, January 15, 2016
Across 25 years and more than 80 countries, WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London has explored the intersection of business development and poverty alleviation. This includes deep involvement in the evolution of the base of the pyramid (BoP) beginning 15 years ago. At that time, the idea of the BoP… - Weekend MBA Student Teams Advance Education Mission
Weekend MBA Student Teams Advance Education Mission
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Part of the mission of WDI's Education Initiative is to identify and share new ways to enhance management education in emerging markets. This can be achieved through the adoption of new business models, or the introduction of new programs or technologies, or a combination. To assist in this mission, the… - Improving Vaccine Delivery In Mozambique
Improving Vaccine Delivery In Mozambique
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
WDI’s Healthcare Research Initiative recently successfully completed a project with the government of Mozambique’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and VillageReach to establish better ways to measure performance at all levels of the vaccine supply chain and create better accountability structures. WDI and VillageReach also started a discussion with the MOH… - New VP Adding Value to Healthcare Team
New VP Adding Value to Healthcare Team
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
WDI Vice President of the Healthcare Research Initiative David Butz took a unique and winding path to WDI. Butz, who cut his teeth studying industrial organizations as a graduate student and while on the faculty at UCLA, where he taught economics for eight years, was not always interested in healthcare.… - Shanghai-Based Vice President Reflects on WDI Internship
Shanghai-Based Vice President Reflects on WDI Internship
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Note: This is one in an ongoing series of articles profiling past WDI interns and Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) team members and their career paths. Additional profiles in the series may be found here. Lee Boyd can’t remember specifically how he heard about WDI as a first-year MBA student in 1993… - WDI Speaker: Finding New Ways To Measure Development Impact
WDI Speaker: Finding New Ways To Measure Development Impact
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Traditional development organizations must embrace radically new approaches if they expect to help the 700 million people who live on less than $2 a day lift themselves out of poverty, argues the next WDI Global Impact speaker. Joshua Kaufman, director of the Office of Evaluation and Impact Assessment at USAID’s… - Readers Vote NextBillion’s Best Posts of 2015
Readers Vote NextBillion’s Best Posts of 2015
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
At the end of 2015, NextBillion.net, WDI's affiliated site focused on enterprise through development, held its annual "Most Influential Post of the Year Contest." NextBillion re-published the top 12 most viewed articles (one for each month) the last two weeks of December and readers were encouraged to vote for the article… - MBA Teams New Tool For Education Initiative
MBA Teams New Tool For Education Initiative
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Call it happenstance. Maybe even serendipity. But Perry Samson has another way to describe it. “It was a gift,” he said. How else to explain the chance meeting between Samson, a professor at U-M, and Amy Gillett, vice president of WDI’s Education Initiative, at a January 2015 Ross School of… - Fueling Public-Private Partnerships in Ukraine
Fueling Public-Private Partnerships in Ukraine
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
WDI has successfully completed four years of work in the Ukraine on a project to bring public-private partnerships to the country and open the door to private sector participation in infrastructure and public service delivery – including health and education. WDI partnered with FHI360, a major Washington, D.C. consulting firm,… - Watch WDI Talk About Supply Chain Challenges in Low-Income Countries
Watch WDI Talk About Supply Chain Challenges in Low-Income Countries
Monday, November 16, 2015
The leader of two ventures in Kenya that serve those living at the base of the pyramid spoke Nov. 18 as part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. Madison Ayer, executive chairman of Honey Care Africa and co-founder and chairman of Farm Shop, talked about the unique challenges –… - WDI Completes Work To Improve U. of Liberia Curriculum
WDI Completes Work To Improve U. of Liberia Curriculum
Thursday, November 12, 2015
WDI leveraged its expertise in curriculum and pedagogy development to successfully complete a two-year project advising the University of Liberia’s (UL) accounting program as it seeks to reach international education standards. The WDI team conducted a thorough review of the undergraduate accounting curriculum at UL, and compared it with that… - A New Way to Think about Fighting Poverty
A New Way to Think about Fighting Poverty
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
(This article originally appeared in Ross Thought In Action and has been republished with permission.) Michigan Ross Professors outline a cost-based evaluation to optimize how private money is used for social ventures. Private money that goes to poverty fighting ventures often does so under a number of catchphrases — patient… - Watch WDI Speaker David Griswold Nov. 4 Talk
Watch WDI Speaker David Griswold Nov. 4 Talk
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Before David Griswold began his Nov. 4 talk that was part of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series, five words appeared on the screen behind him: “Can questions change the world?” To watch the 45-minute presentation, click here. To view a one-on-one interview with Griswold and WDI's Ted London, click here.… - An Anniversary and a New Website
An Anniversary and a New Website
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
NextBillion.net, an affiliate of WDI, unveiled a new, robust website as it celebrates 10 years of chronicling the development through enterprise community. The new site features clear and easy navigation, blogs sorted by topic, and the latest news, among other improvements, while also preserving 10 years of groundbreaking content. The… - Is Coffee Best Served With Sustainability?
Is Coffee Best Served With Sustainability?
Friday, October 30, 2015
Some coffee drinkers enjoy cream and sugar with their java. But do they care if sustainability also comes with their morning cup of Joe? David Griswold, founder of Sustainable Harvest Coffee and the next guest of the WDI Global Impact Speaker Series, will discuss the issue of sustainability at 5… - WDI Researchers Attend Pharma Event In Spain
WDI Researchers Attend Pharma Event In Spain
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Two members of WDI’s Healthcare Research Initiative just attended the world’s largest pharmaceutical event in Madrid as part of the Institute’s continuing work to better understand the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) markets for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS medicines. Lisa Smith, program manager for healthcare market dynamics, and pharmaceutical consultant Yuchen… - WDI’s London Busy At SOCAP
WDI’s London Busy At SOCAP
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Ted London, vice president and senior research fellow of the Scaling Impact Initiative at the William Davidson Institute, took the stage twice at the international Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) conference, which ran Oct. 6-9 in San Francisco. He gave a lecture on SOCAP TV about the Base of the Pyramid… - Upcoming WDI Bootcamp Featured in U-M Newspaper
Upcoming WDI Bootcamp Featured in U-M Newspaper
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
A leadership bootcamp for the directors of 20 NGOs from countries that recently underwent democratic transitions begins Oct. 20. It is sponsored by WDI and the U-M Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and aims to make civil society organizations more effective and sustainable. The training program was recently featured… - WDI Debuts Improved Website & New Logo
WDI Debuts Improved Website & New Logo
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
With a refreshed set of research initiatives, WDI felt it was important to re-think its website so the Institute could present its work in a more compelling and visually appealing way. WDI also wanted to update its logo with a revitalized look and colors that better matched our University affiliation.… - WDI Refocuses Research Initiatives
WDI Refocuses Research Initiatives
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
The William Davidson Institute has unveiled refocused research initiatives that better reflect the mission of the organization. The changes come as the Institute enters its second year under the leadership of President Paul Clyde and as it looks forward to its 25th anniversary in early 2017. "We spent much of… - WDI Part Of Two Projects To Measure Development Impact
WDI Part Of Two Projects To Measure Development Impact
Monday, October 12, 2015
WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative is part of two consortiums that were recently awarded funding from USAID’s U.S. Global Development Lab to test and implement innovative approaches to measuring development impact. The consortiums seek to provide measurement solutions that depart from traditional approaches that can be overly rigid and often are… - Tackling Healthcare Issues in 24 Hours
Tackling Healthcare Issues in 24 Hours
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Hackathons are typically weekend-long events where computer programmers and software developers collaborate intensively on some new app or gadget. Recently, two members of WDI’s Healthcare Research Initiative took part in a 24-hour healthcare hackathon in Cleveland. Beatrix Balogh, a research associate on the market dynamics team at WDI, and Brittany… - WDI Summer Interns, MAP Teams To Discuss Projects At Expo
WDI Summer Interns, MAP Teams To Discuss Projects At Expo
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Dozens of University of Michigan graduate students – former summer interns and members of WDI-sponsored MAP teams – will gather Oct. 5 for the WDI Global Impact Expo to share what they did on their projects and answer questions from their peers who are interested in learning more about international… - WDI Will Follow, Blog About 5 Women During Entrepreneurship Training
WDI Will Follow, Blog About 5 Women During Entrepreneurship Training
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Nathan Rauh-Bieri, program coordinator for WDI’s Education initiative, wrote the first two of what will be a series of articles on female entrepreneurs as part of the wider women’s empowerment movement. The articles appear on NextBillion, the website and blog operated by WDI. In the first blog post, Rauh-Bieri spoke… - WDI Develops Case Study on Walmart-USAID Partnership
WDI Develops Case Study on Walmart-USAID Partnership
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
WDI Publishing recently released a new case study on the evolution of a global cross sector partnership between Walmart and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The case explores the successes, challenges, and lessons learned in the 15-year collaboration between the two organizations. “Walmart and USAID: The Evolution… - WDI Program Helps Latvian Furniture Designer With Business
WDI Program Helps Latvian Furniture Designer With Business
Monday, August 24, 2015
Aija Priede-Sietina is not the kind of businesswoman who fits into easy categories. The Latvian architect and mother of two is co-founder and general director of KUKUU, a small, family-owned company that crafts stylish baby furniture. Well schooled in designing and building things, Priede-Sietina, however, lacked formal business training. “I… - WDI’s Yadav Talks Personalized Medicine In Emerging Markets
WDI’s Yadav Talks Personalized Medicine In Emerging Markets
Thursday, August 13, 2015
WDI Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav recently spoke with a reporter on the impact of personalized medicine - the customization of health care in which medical decisions are tailored to the individual patient - in India and other emerging markets. Yadav said in an interview with ETHealthworld.com that while personalized medicine… - 9 Assessment Tips To Create Value
9 Assessment Tips To Create Value
Monday, August 10, 2015
On the heels of her panel presentation at the BoP Global Network Summit last month in Vermont, Heather Esper, Program Manager for WDI's Performance Measurement Initiative, wrote an article for WDI's NextBillion blog site on tools and methodologies businesses are using to understand how they are really doing and to… - WDI Authors: Let’s End the Assessment Debate
WDI Authors: Let’s End the Assessment Debate
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Impact assessment has been part of international development for more than half a century. However, debate continues on its value and varying methodologies. Heather Esper and Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi of WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative weigh in on the subject in a special issue of Thinkers magazine focused on the Base… - WDI, U-M’s Weiser Center Partner To Train NGO Leaders
WDI, U-M’s Weiser Center Partner To Train NGO Leaders
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
WDI has partnered with U-M’s Weiser Center for Europe & Eurasia (WCEE) and the Slovak-based Pontis Foundation to provide leadership training to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The goal is to make them more successful and strong, thereby strengthening civil society in new democracies in order to advance positive social and political… - Tech In Education Is Great, But Don’t Forget Lower-Tech Models
Tech In Education Is Great, But Don’t Forget Lower-Tech Models
Monday, August 3, 2015
WDI President Paul Clyde recently wrote an article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) promoting educational models that tie pedagogy to business that can provide revenue and give students the chance to learn job skills. Clyde said technological advances are very popular in education, as they should be, because… - WDI’s London Talks BoP In Magazine Q&A
WDI’s London Talks BoP In Magazine Q&A
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Ted London, vice president and senior research fellow for WDI’s Scaling Impact Initiative, was recently interviewed about co-creating value with the base of the pyramid (BoP) for an article in the annual magazine of the Dutch-based non-profit organization SNV. In the interview with Connect magazine, London discusses how the business… - Supply Chains And BoP Topic Of Yadav Chile Talk
Supply Chains And BoP Topic Of Yadav Chile Talk
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
WDI Senior Research Fellow and Healthcare Initiative consultant Prashant Yadav was a featured speaker at a supply chain conference July 23 in Chile. Yadav spoke about successful supply chains that serve customers at the base of the pyramid (BoP) at the 2015 Logistics and Supply Chain Conference in Santiago. He… - Social Enterprise Mentoring Topic Of NextBIllion Blog
Social Enterprise Mentoring Topic Of NextBIllion Blog
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Mentoring for social entrepreneurship education in the Middle East and North Africa region is on the rise, writes WDI Program Coordinator of Education Nathan Rauh-Bieri on the NextBillion.net blog. Rauh-Bieri chronicles the effort of Mowgli Mentoring, the UK-based nonprofit that looks to help entrepreneurs create new jobs in a region… - Out With The Old, In With The New
Out With The Old, In With The New
Monday, July 20, 2015
WDI has changed the name of its case publishing initiative to WDI Publishing. Also new is the web address. Business case studies can now be found at wdi-publishing.com. Formerly known as GlobaLens, WDI Publishing produces high quality, relevant business cases that are sold to universities around the world. The new… - WDI’s Esper Leading Summit Session On Assessment
WDI’s Esper Leading Summit Session On Assessment
Thursday, July 16, 2015
WDI Program Manager for Performance Measurement Heather Esper led a working group on July 16 at the 2015 BoP Global Network Summit at the University of Vermont. Esper’s panel, “Evaluating the State of Assessment: Focusing on Value Creation,” highlighted tools and methodologies businesses are using to understand the impact they… - WDI Intern Looks Back At Time In Bangladesh
WDI Intern Looks Back At Time In Bangladesh
Monday, July 13, 2015
Surabhi Rajaram, a WDI intern working in Bangladesh this summer for CARE, recently wrote a blog entry looking back on her two months in a very remote area of that country. Rajaram, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, used a “by the numbers” format to write about… - Off Grid Energy Topic Of Latest NextBillion E-Book
Off Grid Energy Topic Of Latest NextBillion E-Book
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
NextBillion, the website and blog operated by WDI, has published its latest e-book. The e-book, “Going Off Grid,” looks at the future of off-grid energy investment and highlights some promising projects and expanding , such as the World Bank’s Lighting Africa program and Greenlight Planet in India. The e-book is… - Webinar on monitoring sustainability performance in agriculture
Webinar on monitoring sustainability performance in agriculture
Thursday, June 4, 2015
The latest approaches to monitoring sustainability in agricultural supply chains was the latest free webinar presented by WDI. The hour-long webinar, "Monitoring Sustainability Performance in Food & Agriculture Systems," was on June 25 and included a Q&A at the end with the guest presenters, Daniele Giovannucci and Jessica Mullan, Committee… - 2015 WDI Interns Blog About Summer Abroad
2015 WDI Interns Blog About Summer Abroad
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The monsoon season in Bangladesh. An alphabet soup of acronymns in South Africa. The stillness of the night in Rwanda. Being a “professional foreign person” in Brazil. These are some of the dispatches written by some of WDI’s 13 summer interns on a blog they are contributing to during the… - WDI Consultant Leads Workshops In The Philippines
WDI Consultant Leads Workshops In The Philippines
Monday, May 18, 2015
One of WDI’s global projects, the U.S. Department of State’s Leading Entrepreneur Expert Partnership (LEEP), partners with U.S. embassies and in-country collaborators to have professionals share their expertise and facilitate relationships and dialogue in emerging markets to motivate the next generation of entrepreneurs to develop solutions to global challenges. As… - WDI Class of 2015 Summer Interns Head Overseas
WDI Class of 2015 Summer Interns Head Overseas
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Thirteen University of Michigan graduate students from six University of Michigan schools and colleges have traveled to 12 countries around the world this summer as part of the WDI Global Impact Internship program. The interns are stationed in India, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Zambia, Bangladesh,… - London Talks Positive Business And The BoP
London Talks Positive Business And The BoP
Thursday, May 7, 2015
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London spoke with Michigan Ross writer Terry Kosdrosky in advance of London's presentation at the Positive Business Conference May 14-15 at Ross. Click here to read the article. Click here to learn more about the Positive Business Conference. - Encouraging Words At Case Writing Workshop
Encouraging Words At Case Writing Workshop
Friday, April 24, 2015
On the third and final day of the case writing workshop in Manila led by WDI, two graduates of the first workshop stopped by to give some encouraging words to the current cohort of 35 professors from across the Philippines. Carolina Sangga, a physics professor from the Technological Institute of… - Case Components Topic Of Day Two At Workshop
Case Components Topic Of Day Two At Workshop
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
The second day of the case writing workshop led by WDI for 35 Filipino professors centered on how to properly research and write a case study. WDI case writing expert John Branch, professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, spent the day detailing the components of a… - Second STRIDE Case Writing Workshop Begins
Second STRIDE Case Writing Workshop Begins
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Thirty five faculty members from around the Philippines gathered in Manila April 21 for the start of a three-day case writing workshop that is part of the STRIDE project. WDI case writing expert John Branch, professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, began the workshop by first… - Yadav Joins Biotech Supply Chain Advisory Board
Yadav Joins Biotech Supply Chain Advisory Board
Thursday, April 9, 2015
WDI Director of Healthcare Research Prashant Yadav was one of six people from academia and the biotech industry named to the board of advisors for the Bio Supply Management Alliance (BSMA), whose mission it is to advance a holistic end-to-end supply chain management for biotech. Yadav joins Jayant Aphale (Sarepta… - London Speaks At G20 Event In Turkey
London Speaks At G20 Event In Turkey
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
WDI Senior Fellow Ted London delivered a keynote address on April 8 at the G20-B20 Workshop on Inclusive Business in Ankara, Turkey. The workshop precedes the April 9-10 G20 Development Working Group (DWG) meeting, also in Ankara. London spoke to attendees from government, business, international organizations, and civil society groups… - NextBillion Case Competition Winners Announced
NextBillion Case Competition Winners Announced
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Two Yale University students have won the 2015 NextBillion Case Writing Competition for their business case that chronicled the mobile money startup venture MPESO in Nicaragua. Students Julian Chernyk and Rodrigo Cuestas followed the founder of MPESO, Haroldo Montealegre, as he pondered whether to expand his mobile money efforts in… - Yadav Talks About Healthcare Staffing In India
Yadav Talks About Healthcare Staffing In India
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
WDI Director of Healthcare Research Prashant Yadav was recently interviewed by the Economic Times in India, that country's largest circulation financial newspaper, about the shortage of skilled health care workers in India. In the article, Yadav said the shortage of workers is not a problem the country's on-the-job training efforts… - Winter 2015 Davidson Review Published
Winter 2015 Davidson Review Published
Monday, March 23, 2015
The winter 2015 issue of the Davidson Review, featuring a cover story on the Institute's entrepreneurship project in Jordan and the launch of the BoP Roadmap, is now ready to view online. The Review profiles five young Jordanians who have benefited from WDI’s work to build an entrepreneurial mindset at… - WDI Seminar In The Philippines Focuses On Career Services
WDI Seminar In The Philippines Focuses On Career Services
Monday, February 23, 2015
Development Consulting Services (DCS) Career Services experts Tom Devlin and Farouk Dey were recently deployed to Manila, Philippines to assist the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in career center development and industry outreach. Dey and Devlin evaluated the current status of student career services and partnerships with business and… - New USAID Guide For Healthcare Innovations Unveiled
New USAID Guide For Healthcare Innovations Unveiled
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
WDI’s Healthcare Research Initiative hosted a special preview Jan. 28 of a new USAID guide and toolkit designed to help people develop, introduce and scale global health innovations. David Milestone of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact led the WDI seminar. The center developed, “IDEA… - London Sits Down For Q&A With Global Envision
London Sits Down For Q&A With Global Envision
Monday, January 26, 2015
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London recently sat down for a question and answer session with the blog site Global Envision to talk about the base of the pyramid and WDI's recently-released BoP Roadmap. You can read the Q&A session with London here. To learn more about the BoP Roadmap,… - Philippines Case Collection Debuts On GlobaLens
Philippines Case Collection Debuts On GlobaLens
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Following a successful Development Consulting Services (DCS) workshop in the Philippines and editorial assistance from GlobaLens case writers, the William Davidson Institute (WDI) is proud to announce the publication of the Philippines Case Collection on the GlobaLens website. The cases are some of the first to be written by Filipino… - London Blog Post On Inclusive Business Now Online
London Blog Post On Inclusive Business Now Online
Thursday, December 11, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London has penned a blog post that calls on BoP leaders to take stock of the inclusive business domain, noting achievements over the past decade, but cautioning that there are warning signs on the horizon. Posted on The Practitioner Hub for Inclusive Business website, “Inflection… - Featured Videos: Madison Ayer of Honey Care Africa and Farm Shop
Featured Videos: Madison Ayer of Honey Care Africa and Farm Shop
Monday, December 8, 2014
Madison Ayer, who leads two social ventures in Africa, is featured in two recent WDI videos. In the first, Ayer discusses the latest with Honey Care Africa. In the second, he talks about a new venture called Farm Shop. In both videos, Ayer is interviewed by WDI Senior Research Fellow… - Next WDI Speaker To Discuss Financial Tools To Fend Off Poverty
Next WDI Speaker To Discuss Financial Tools To Fend Off Poverty
Friday, December 5, 2014
The usefulness of inclusive financial products and services - such as commitment savings and microinsurance – to give low-income families across the developing world more tools to ensure that shocks do not push them further into poverty was the topic of the Dec. 8 WDI Global Impact Speaker Series. Thierry… - London Talks Roadmap On Google Hangout
London Talks Roadmap On Google Hangout
Thursday, November 20, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London participated in a Google Hangout hosted by Devin Thorpe of Your Mark On The World Center. During the 9-minute discussion, London talked about the recently-released BoP Roadmap he authored along with Stuart Hart and Sateen Sheth, and the role it will play in the… - Marketing Manager Of Mexican BoP Initiative To Speak
Marketing Manager Of Mexican BoP Initiative To Speak
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
The marketing manager of an initiative in Mexico that provides construction materials to low-income customers to build new homes or expand their existing ones was the featured speaker at the Nov. 19 WDI Speaker Series. The event with Henning Alts Schoutz of CEMEX’s Patrimonio Hoy initiative began at 5 p.m.… - Yadav Co-Authors Op-Ed On India’s Sterilization Program
Yadav Co-Authors Op-Ed On India’s Sterilization Program
Monday, November 17, 2014
Prashant Yadav, director of WDI's Healthcare Research Initiative, wrote an article for The World Post, part of The Huffington Post, with Dr. James Bernstein, M.D. on the controversial and dangerous sterilization process in India. The article, "The India Sterilization Tragedy; Highlighting The Need for Better Choices, Safer Procedures," was published… - London Speaks At Launch Of Inclusive Business Network
London Speaks At Launch Of Inclusive Business Network
Thursday, November 13, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London was the keynote speaker at the Nov. 18 launch of the Inclusive Business Action Network (IBAN) in Berlin, Germany. Established by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the IBAN aims to create a… - WDI’s Esper Tackles Impact Framework for IDNs in Guatemala
WDI’s Esper Tackles Impact Framework for IDNs in Guatemala
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Heather Esper, WDI program manager for impact assessment, recently took part in a panel discussion focused on building a results and impact reporting framework for an inclusive distribution network at an Inter-American Development Bank SCALA event in Antigua, Guatemala. Esper shared why it is important to measure the impact of… - WDI Unveils BoP Roadmap
WDI Unveils BoP Roadmap
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
WDI’s Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Research Initiative hosted a launch event Oct. 23 in Washington, D.C. for its BoP Roadmap, which is designed to re-energize the BoP domain for the next decade. The roadmap is an action agenda that represents a shared vision for the BoP community, and was… - Yadav Speaks At Symposium That Honors UM Student
Yadav Speaks At Symposium That Honors UM Student
Thursday, October 16, 2014
WDI Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav spoke Oct. 18 on global health market dynamics at the Sujal M. Parikh Memorial Symposium for Health and Social Justice at the University of Michigan (U-M). The annual symposium, at the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building, was held in honor of Parikh, a U-M… - Preparing B-School Students To Make Impact
Preparing B-School Students To Make Impact
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London gave the keynote speech at the World Investment Forum (WIF) Oct. 16 in Geneva on what innovations are needed in business school curricula to support WIF’s “Business Schools for Impact” objective of preparing students for investing and operating in low-income countries with positive economic… - BoP Trends Topic Of London’s Talk In Japan
BoP Trends Topic Of London’s Talk In Japan
Monday, October 6, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London will deliver the keynote address, “Global Trends of the BoP,” at a base of the pyramid (BoP) symposium on Oct. 7 in Japan. The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) and the United Nations University (UNU-MERIT) organized the symposium, “Innovating Business Models for the BoP.” In… - Deadline Looms For NextBillion Case Competition
Deadline Looms For NextBillion Case Competition
Friday, October 3, 2014
The deadline for entry forms for the 2015 NextBillion Case Writing Competition is Oct. 10. The deadline to submit a case study is Dec. 19. Get all the important information here, including contest forms, important dates, and helpful resources. The competition is sponsored by the Citi Foundation and administered by… - Yadav Moderates Panel On Future Of Healthcare
Yadav Moderates Panel On Future Of Healthcare
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Prashant Yadav, director of the healthcare research initiative at the William Davidson Institute, moderated the panel discussion, “Altering the Future of Well-being, ” Sept. 30 at the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in New York City. Made up of six experts in the field of healthcare — Anita Goel… - WDI President Featured In Crain’s Detroit Business
WDI President Featured In Crain’s Detroit Business
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
New WDI President Paul Clyde recently sat down for a Q&A with Crain's Detroit Business reporter Kirk Pinho. Clyde, who was appointed president this past summer, spoke on a number of subjects with Pinho. Read the full interview here. To read more about Clyde and his appointment as president, click… - WDI’s Esper Leads Webinar Spotlighting WBCSD Program
WDI’s Esper Leads Webinar Spotlighting WBCSD Program
Friday, September 26, 2014
WDI hosted a webinar Sept. 30 featuring the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Social Capital Manager Kitrhona Cerri, who talked about the organization’s new socio-economic measurement program called “Redefining Value.” The webinar was a question-and-answer format led by WDI Impact Assessment Program Manager Heather Esper, tackling a broad range… - WDI’s NextBillion Editor At New York Conference
WDI’s NextBillion Editor At New York Conference
Thursday, September 25, 2014
NextBillion, an initiative of WDI, is serving as a media partner for the Business Call to Action Annual Forum 2014 in New York City. Held in the same week as the United Nations General Assembly, the forum brings together multinational company leaders, NGOs, small entrepreneurs, and public sector agency representatives… - WDI Entrepreneurship Program Helps Jordanian Student
WDI Entrepreneurship Program Helps Jordanian Student
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Bilal Salman was heading into his senior year at Al Quds College in Amman, Jordan when he learned about a new entrepreneurship program at the school. He said he liked the idea of a program to “help students create jobs instead of getting jobs.” The Community College Entrepreneurship: Integration to… - WDI’s Gillett Helps Ross International Students Network Better
WDI’s Gillett Helps Ross International Students Network Better
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
WDI Director of Executive Education Amy Gillett was guest lecturer Sept. 16th and 17th for the Ross School of Business Strategy 425 course - American Business Immersion Study. Gillett spoke with the MBA international students that make up the class about how to network with corporate recruiters. Her talk was… - London Kicks Off U-M International Career Series
London Kicks Off U-M International Career Series
Monday, September 15, 2014
WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London kicked off the University of Michigan’s 2nd Annual International Career Pathways series Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the Ford School of Public Policy's Annenberg Auditorium with a keynote address focused on global careers and the developing world. The series is intended to get undergraduate students… - Unclogging Bottlenecks At Tanzania Clinics
Unclogging Bottlenecks At Tanzania Clinics
Friday, September 12, 2014
Brittany Johnson, a WDI research associate specializing in global health supply chains, is in Tanzania field-testing an assessment tool to pinpoint bottlenecks that hamper product flow at health facilities. Johnson’s work is part of the World Bank’s Results Based Financing (RBF) program that is being piloted in 31 countries. Results-based… - Development Consulting Services’ Career Center Work Continues In The Philippines
Development Consulting Services’ Career Center Work Continues In The Philippines
Friday, September 5, 2014
Four Development Consulting Services’ (DCS’) career center experts are in the Philippines to increase career services expertise at select Philippine universities as part of WDI’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) project. Two DCS experts - T. Andrew "Andy" Ceperley and Christian Garcia – will be working with… - WDI’s NextBillion Editors Hit The Road
WDI’s NextBillion Editors Hit The Road
Monday, September 1, 2014
NextBillion.net, an initiative of WDI, served as a media partner for two of the year's most influential and well-attended conferences on the global social investment and microfinance calendar. NextBillion Managing Editor Scott Anderson and Heather Esper, WDI program manager for Impact Assessment, were among more than 1,800 attendees at the… - WDI’s Arney Attends Reproductive Health Meeting
WDI’s Arney Attends Reproductive Health Meeting
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
WDI Healthcare Research Associate Leslie Arney attended the Coordinated Supply Planning (CSP) group meeting in Copenhagen to present an overview of demand forecasting for health products and WDI’s experience and best practices in demand forecasting. The CSP group asked Arney and Prashant Yadav, director of WDI’s Healthcare Research Initiative, to… - WDI, LMI Team Up On Paper
WDI, LMI Team Up On Paper
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
The use of more strategic contracting practices could result in substantial improvements in procurement efficiency and health commodity availability in developing countries, according to an article written by two members of the WDI Healthcare Research Initiative, along two supply chain experts from the government consulting firm LMI. The article, “Strategic… - WDI Summer Newsletter Is Published
WDI Summer Newsletter Is Published
Monday, August 11, 2014
The summer 2014 issue of the Davidson Review, the biannual newsletter of WDI that examines the recent work done by the Institute, has been published. Click here to view a "page flip" version on your computer, iPhone, iPad or tablet device. Click here to download a PDF. The Review chronicles… - WDI BoP Paper Honored At AOM Meeting
WDI BoP Paper Honored At AOM Meeting
Friday, August 8, 2014
An academic article authored by Ted London, director of WDI's BoP research initiative, Heather Esper, manager of WDI's BoP impact assessment program, and Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi, a BoP research associate, was named one of five finalists for “best paper” in the Social Issues in Management (SIM) division at the Academy… - WDI’s GlobaLens At AOM Annual Meeting
WDI’s GlobaLens At AOM Annual Meeting
Monday, August 4, 2014
GlobaLens, WDI's case publishing division, exhibited at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM) in Philadelphia. This was the third consecutive year GlobaLens has exhibited at this global event for academics and scholars. Last year's AOM event in Orlando attracted more than 8,000 attendees and the same… - 2015 NextBillion Case Competition Kicks Off
2015 NextBillion Case Competition Kicks Off
Friday, August 1, 2014
The 2015 NextBillion Case Writing Competition, which recognizes and publishes the best-written case studies about business strategies aimed at alleviating poverty - especially at the base of the pyramid (BoP) – returns for another year. Last year’s competition attracted 52 entries representing 34 universities and 15 countries. Get all the… - Video Replay: July 18 Impact Assessment Webinar
Video Replay: July 18 Impact Assessment Webinar
Sunday, July 20, 2014
The third and final webinar presented July 18 by WDI’s Impact Assessment program is now available for viewing online. The webinar, “Enhancing Poverty Alleviation Performance: Quantifying Changes Experienced By Local Stakeholders,” focused on quantitative methods to assess multidimensional impacts. Click here to watch the webinar. The webinar covered how WDI’s… - Yadav Featured On Global Michigan Site
Yadav Featured On Global Michigan Site
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
WDI Director of Healthcare Research Prashant Yadav is in Ethiopia researching the country’s health care system. He was interviewed by the Global Michigan website editor William Foreman about the growth the country is experiencing. Foreman is in Ethiopia chronicling the university’s growing work in that country, and will feature a… - Paul Clyde Named New WDI President
Paul Clyde Named New WDI President
Monday, June 30, 2014
Paul Clyde, a lecturer in business economics and public policy at the Ross School of Business, has been named the new president of the William Davidson Institute. Alison Davis-Blake, dean of the Ross School and chair of the WDI Board of Directors, made the announcement on June 30. Here is…
