Business Knowledge for Emerging Economies
The William Davidson Institute (WDI) is an independent, non-profit education, research and applied practice organization established at the University of Michigan in 1992. Through a unique structure that integrates research, educational outreach, field-based collaborations, and development consulting services, WDI works with businesses, universities, development organizations, and governments in emerging economies to implement sound business practices and speed the transition to global engagement. WDI also provides a forum for academics, policy makers, business leaders, and development experts to enhance their understanding of these economies. WDI is the leading U.S. institution of higher learning fully dedicated to understanding and promoting actionable business and public policy approaches to addressing the challenges and opportunities in emerging market economies.
“ We are not just educators, administrators, or businessmen, we are co-workers for the cause of economic and social freedom.� William Davidson
research The William Davidson Institute engages in research that analyzes the factors that affect the success of economic transition in emerging economies, and then leverages the Institute’s intellectual capital to address them. Each of the research initiatives focuses on a policy or business development that is important, not well understood, and of the scale that WDI’s resources can make an impact on our understanding of the phenomenon. Each initiative is directed by a leading thinker in the field who has assembled a key team of academics and field-based experts. WDI takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to its research, engaging practitioners from business, policy, and academic arenas to develop new core knowledge on these topics. WDI disseminates the intellectual capital developed through its research by convening communities of interest and engaging in global projects and activities.
Base of the Pyramid (BoP) WDI’s Base of the Pyramid research initiative, under the direction of Dr. Ted London, is a global leader in the BoP domain. The initiative has carved out a unique niche in working with leadership teams to enhance the venture development process, provide strategies to facilitate market creation, and generate mutual value by assessing and improving poverty alleviation impacts. We create new actionable knowledge at the forefront of the intersection of business strategy and poverty alleviation. Our objective is to help for-profit enterprises, non-profit initiatives, and development organizations best facilitate the growth of their ventures while also maximizing our poverty alleviation outcomes. We also think deeply about the power of different BoP business models to achieve specific economic and social outcomes. The initiative also seeks to improve the effectiveness of cross-collaborations by providing advice and support on design and execution. Additionally, we work in the field on an on-going basis with a variety of partners in Africa,
Asia, and Latin America, host innovative workshops, and convene key players for major conferences. Our overall goal is to have a substantial and long-lasting impact on the design and development of business ventures that serve the four billion people in BoP markets.
While attention often focuses on medical relief efforts that supply needed drugs and vaccines to developing countries, WDI’s Health Care research initiative looks to establish market-based approaches to create efficient and sustainable pharmaceutical supply chains. The initiative accomplishes this by working with public-private partnerships, governments,
“ My vision for the institute is that it will help to forge a path for those responsible for economic change in these emerging markets — that it will give them the knowledge, the methods and the blueprints for a successful transition to a market economy.” William Davidson
Health Care The Health Care research initiative, under the direction of Dr. Prashant Yadav, seeks to improve the delivery of health care in low-income countries by exploring innovative ideas to enhance the performance of pharmaceutical supply chains.
and development agencies to create supportive environments that foster better health systems. Yadav manages pilot projects in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.
programs WDI is engaged in the creation and dissemination of knowledge and expertise on the critical issues affecting business enterprises and public policies for emerging economies. Our programs include custom educational services for clients worldwide, international consulting services for clients and partners, and the development of leading-edge educational course materials. Through these programs, WDI delivers global best practices, the latest thinking, and impactful results.
Executive Education WDI’s Executive Education program has trained more than 7,000 managers from more than 3,000 emerging market organizations in global best practices. Its full range of affordable business training programs feature the latest global management thinking while incorporating local examples and case studies. WDI delivers programs in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Central & Eastern Europe taught by faculty from leading global business schools, including the top-ranked Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. WDI’s Executive Education creates original, high-impact training programs for entrepreneurs throughout the world. With funding from Goldman Sachs, WDI is currently training women entrepreneurs in Rwanda. Under a grant from the U.S. State Department, WDI trained more than 100 entrepreneurs in Morocco — including a cohort of 25 women from the handicraft sector. WDI’s academic design team creates custom executive programs crafted specifically to meet the strategic needs of corporate
clients. WDI also partners with top, in-country business schools for a full complement of open programs on management topics. For HR executives responsible for Europe, WDI offers the Strategic HR Network Europe — a premier networking and educational forum that bridges contemporary academic research with leading-edge HR strategy.
Development Consulting Services WDI’s international consulting practice, Development Consulting Services (DCS) has more than 15 years of experience implementing quality projects in both developing and emerging economies for donor clients (e.g., ADB, USAID, MEPI, and the World Bank), private clients (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Eurasia Foundation) and partner governments (United States, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Algeria). DCS manages a geographically-diverse portfolio that includes capacity-building projects in banking, microfinance, higher education, public sector health, entrepreneurship, workforce development, private sector economic growth, public-private partnerships, and management consulting, among others.
Working under contracts or grant mechanisms, DCS designs and implements development projects to strengthen economic, educational, and social infrastructures. The DCS team uses its vast industry experience and uncompromising passion, combined with the University of Michigan’s extensive and diverse technical knowledge base, to maximize customers’ results and provide immediate, and long-term, development impact.
Educational Outreach Educational Outreach employs a group of case writers to help Ross School of Business faculty bring their research to the classroom by developing business case studies, exercises, syllabi, simulations, and teaching notes. As part of its case development, Educational Outreach also provides an outlet for faculty from all over the world for their already-completed business cases through the e-commerce site GlobaLens.com. The site publishes and distributes cutting-edge, impactful, high-quality teaching materials for excellence in global business education. Customers include some of the top business school around the world.
support Since its founding in 1992, WDI has been committed to supporting international activities at the University of Michigan and enhancing the learning experience of its students. WDI’s programs and activities reach all corners of campus, benefitting students in a variety of colleges and schools. WDI funds and organizes activities that provide UM students with international opportunities and perspectives to prepare them for careers as future global leaders. Additionally, WDI underwrites research activities for faculty and graduate students, and funds special events across the University of Michigan community.
Global Impact Internship Program Each summer, the WDI Global Impact Internship Program offers unique, in-country educational experiences for graduate students from various departments, schools, and colleges at UM such as the Ross School of Business, the Ford School of Public Policy, the School of Public Health, the School of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Economics, the UM Law School, the School of Social Work, the UM Medical School, and the Biomedical Engineering Department. Students span the globe to work in health care, microfinance, sustainability, marketing, renewable energy, and poverty alleviation for public and private firms, indigenous small and medium-sized enterprises, NGOs, and non-profit organizations. They advise, plan, and execute the needed project tasks and programs, offering guidance and impetus to allow these organizations in emerging economies to grow and thrive. Students are immersed in a different culture for 12 weeks and are rewarded with lifelong memories. This “on-the-ground” experience is an opportunity to form thoughts based on direct observations that cannot be duplicated in the classroom.
Multidisciplinary Action Project (map) WDI supports Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) teams comprised of Ross School of Business MBA students by creating actionable, impactful projects in emerging economies that strengthen WDI’s mission, help Ross continue its leadership in action-based learning, and allow students to explore their “ I only spent 12 weeks, but it’s been such a priceless experience that it is hard to describe the feeling I associate with it.” John Asante-Antwi // 2010 WDI Summer Intern
interest in the Institute’s research topics. Students work with international organizations on new business models, research new directions, and strategize for the future. The organizations get top-notch deliverables and data-driven recommendations from a smart, dedicated, and motivated team of MBA students with varied skills, knowledge, and backgrounds.
Travel-Study Course WDI provides financial and administrative support for travel-study courses at Ross, which enhance participants’ global leadership capabilities, increase their awareness of diverse business issues on the current international landscape, and provide them on-the-ground experience in a foreign country. Students have studied marketing in Russia, globalization in Turkey, and health care in China, India, Rwanda, and Ghana.
Global Impact Speaker Series During the academic year, WDI’s Global Impact Speaker Series features leading practitioners who work in emerging markets to spur discussion around development and developing country issues. The speaker series provides students an opportunity to meet, hear from, and interact with people who shape and influence development in emerging economies. Past speakers include: Dr. Tadataka (Tachi) Yamada, President of the Gates Foundation Global Health Program; Paul Farmer, the co-founder of Partners-In-Health; Brian Trelstad, Chief Investment Officer at Acumen Fund; Dieter Zestche, the former CEO of DaimlerChrysler; and the late C.K. Prahalad.
w w w. w d i . u m i c h . e d u
William Davidson Institute 724 East University Avenue Wyly Hall, First Floor Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234 USA
Tel 734.763.5020 Fax 734.763.5850 Email wdi@umich.edu www.wdi.umich.edu
w w w. w d i . u m i c h . e d u