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Tag: South Africa

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Blog post by Calvin Sanders, GMBA '20

Our South African adventure has concluded after two full weeks of culture, food, business and bonding. I believe there was considerably more personal development for each individual on the trip than anybody of us expected. More on this later – first, a host of thank yous and acknowledgements are in order to those who made this CAP trip as successful and special as it was.

The first and biggest shout out goes to Bryan, Sarah, and the rest of the G&EE team that organized every component of the CAP experience. I have never experienced a two-week overseas program that went without a hitch, especially in a developing nation where things can be unpredictable. We had site visits at non-profits, government institutions, historical landmarks, tourist attractions, and everything in between. Every single restaurant we stopped at had already set a table for 20 dinner guests. The effort, energy, and passion of this team were visible throughout our time in-country.

Next is a thank you for Professor Akyuz and his Graduate Administrative Assistant , Tringa. Proessor Akyuz’s shared his intimate knowledge of the country and consulting processes with us during the semester in D.C., and while me made furious project improvements at the last minute in Cape Town. A special shout out to Tringa, who became a close friend of mine and of others over the course of the program.

Finally, I want to thank every one of my CAP South Africa classmates with whom I shared this experience over the last four months. I can say with confidence that we have all formed bonds that will stand the test of time, both personally and professionally.

So, what will I take away from over two weeks spent in South Africa? In some ways, being here has raised as many questions as it has answered. The country clearly stands apart from its other African counterparts in development and potential; the roads are mostly paved, the tap water is potable, and the entrepreneurial energy is apparent. Despite this, millions of South Africans live in informal metal and cinder-block structures. HIV remains widespread and corruption is pervasive. It will be fascinating to watch South Africa as time goes on because, if the country is governed well and the right economic decisions are made, we can expect the Rainbow nation to develop into a fully modern economy within a few decades.

Race is another fascinating subject in South Africa, perhaps because the racial dichotomy takes on an entirely different feeling than in the United States. Generally, race relations in South Africa seemed to lack the resentment that is pervasive in the United States. I believe this is because of lasting reconciliatory emotions from the Mandela years and Afrikaner acceptance that the Black African majority is benign to their presence. It seems like everybody wants the South African experiment to work. I, for one, am optimistic.

Thank you for following my experience with 15 other GMBA students as we completed our client engagements in Cape Town. Until next time!

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Blog post by Calvin Sanders, GMBA '20

The South African elections came and went as 16 GMBA students explored the ins and outs of Cape Town and Johannesburg. Political posters were placed on each streetlight for us to observe on the spot and research later on. The ANC won handily, as expected. In hindsight, the unexciting election day was a testament to the strength of South African democracy. Political participation is unpredictable on the African continent, so the relatively stable voting process was a pleasantly received surprise by all members of our D.C. contingent.

We are continually fascinated with the dialectic nature of South African society. The country features some incredibly western characteristics that contrast the seemingly-endless rows of shanties we observe outside of the city centers. On its own, Cape Town could be any southern European coastal city. Slightly dirty, lots of cigarette smoke, but a healthy number of commuters, well-lit streets, and strong infrastructure. The nightlife is extensive and the restaurants are phenomenal. Needless to say, these realities are not enjoyed by the masses who spend their lives in informal housing and scrapping for an income. We have spent a significant amount of time discussing the country’s political economy and debating different strategies to elevate the nation out of poverty.

Our client engagements strengthened after each group met their respective points of contact. We dispersed around Cape Town for meetings and came back with ways to improve our recommendations for our clients. Every project has unequivocally improved since the face time. Team RainFin and Team VoiceMap took their clients out the following weekend for drinks, food, music and dancing. The evening ended at a dive bar called Aces & Spade in the center of Cape Town; a dive bar that VoiceMap’s owner, Iain, frequented over a decade before. Iain, thanks for the recommendation!

Bike ride along the coast with Joe, Mike, Ramzi, Becky, Tringa, Max, Calvin.
Dana, Vedika, Shehu, Prava, and Will and a safari.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each student was free to spend last Sunday doing any activity they desire in the Cape Town region. Swarchaa Kataria and Tasorn Pornsirikrul went paragliding in the morning and cage diving in the afternoon. One handful of students embarked on a day-long safari where they saw 4 of the Big 5 (Elephant, Black & White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard). Another group road bikes along Cape Point and had a drink as the sun set behind the southern Atlantic Ocean. Overall, it was quite a spectacular day across the board.

The next days will be spent sharpening presentations and tightening recommendations. With our last bit of feedback from the clients, our professor, and other advisors, everybody is excited to show their clients the culmination of three months’ worth of work. Until next time!

 

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Blog post by Calvin Sanders, GMBA '20

CAP South Africa will take place during a critical moment in South African politics, as South Africans go to the polls for the 5th time since Nelson Mandela ended apartheid 25 years ago. The incumbent is Cyril Ramaphosa, a legacy member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party. The hot issue is Land Reform – an ANC proposal to redistribute agricultural land to South Africa’s black and colored populations. I encourage readers to look into the issue as it is a fascinating backdrop for the 18 members of the GWSB community who travel to South Africa to complete their CAP engagements.

I am Calvin Sanders, a rising 2nd year Global MBA fellow. Thank you for taking the time to read about my CAP experience. The 2019 CAP South Africa clients come from diverse backgrounds, as do the students working with them. Until now, four teams comprised of four students each have assessed, diagnosed, and solved a host of client challenges. The time spent on-site in Cape Town will help the CAP teams refine their recommendations and create practical implementation steps given the client’s capabilities. Here is an overview of the 2019 CAP South Africa clients, and their GWSB student consultants.

The first team is Jembi. Jembi is a non-profit whose mission is to improve global health by developing information systems, growing partnerships and building local capacity, with a focus on developing countries. Team Jembi is composed of Olivia Gant, Pravallika Yemba, Mike Bonfatto, and Dana Omair. These four are tasked with an organizational redesign mission; essentially, to help Jembi formalize their management processes to keep up with their growth over the last few years. This is a particularly important client engagement, as healthcare advances in Sub Saharan Africa can have potentially enormous benefits on the impacted populations.

Team two is VoiceMap. VoiceMap is a GPS guided audio tour company that enables visitors in over 150 cities to take walking tours of various attractions, told through the voice of a local inhabitant. Andy Bauder, Becky Xia, Juanita Abii, and I compose the VoiceMap student team. Our mission is to design a market entry strategy into Washington, D.C., so VoiceMap can expand the B2B side of its business in a mature market.

The third team is Sealand Gear. A forward-thinking company in the fashion industry, Sealand Gear uses upcycled materials to build backpacks, purses, and other accessories. Max Silverstein, Vedika Jajodia, Swarchaa Kataria, and Will Ronalter look to expand Sealand Gear’s geographic coverage into other developed markets.

The last team is RainFin. RainFin blurs the line between traditional financial institutions and modern peer to peer lending platforms. They want to bring financing access to deeper into the South African economy. Ramzi Soueid, Shehu Bello, Joe Kovacs and Tasorn Pornsikrul team up to generate alternative lending and collateral arrangements for businesses.

These four teams will spend the next two weeks working with clients during a charged era in South African politics. This dynamic experience – balancing consulting obligations, politics, and personal development – is what CAP is all about. I look forward to keeping you updated over the next two weeks!

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Blog post written by Sean Soni

 

Prior to leaving the beautiful country of South Africa, each and every student who had the good fortune to attend this CAP destination discovered something new about themselves and about their enhanced global consulting abilities. The entire CAP South Africa class can agree that after visiting such a remarkable, warm and flourishing country, something within themselves changed forever.

A picture taken by Jannik Milberg (GW MBA 2019) near Hout Bay, South Africa.

It was through the site visitation in Johannesburg and the emotional journey through the Soweto township that our class learned about humanity and social justice within South Africa and the world as a whole. Apartheid was abolished in 1994, however South Africans can still feel the last breath of this oppressive history in everyday life. We walked through the gates of the famous Apartheid Museum in Soweto while unwillingly following the historic signs which stated ‘Whites Entrance and ‘Non-Whites Entrance’. Through the journey to Johannesburg and Soweto Township, the classmates of CAP South Africa realized just how lucky and privileged we were to be studying at the graduate-level in another country.

 

Through the visits to nature-made masterpieces like the world famous Table Mountain and Camps Bay, the classmates of CAP South Africa discovered that beauty surrounds the massive continent of Africa. Beauty in every step of our journey was so abundant and so breathtaking that it was often hard to imagine leaving certain places, like Cape Point.

A picture taken during a CAP site visit and presentation with Executive Leadership Team of The ATNS (Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited). ATNS provides air traffic, navigation, training and associated services within South Africa and a large part of the Southern Indian and Atlantic Ocean, comprising approximately 10% of the world’s airspace.

Finally, it was through the site visits with real-world companies where we discovered the marvels of South African entrepreneurship and business culture. Our class discovered such awe in the operational innovations of ATNS, impressive utilization of global networks with Aksa Power Generation, and the remarkable sustainable manufacturing process utilized by Sealand Gear. Our class was able to determine that although South Africa has substantial income inequality, the possibilities to create fruitful employment opportunities and chances to innovate are endless within this country and we found that the locals are determined to improve the deteriorating condition of their country.

At this point you must be wondering how our CAP Final Presentations went? Well I am proud to report to you that each separate team “sealed the deal” and dazzled the clients in South Africa. What we all shared in the learning experience of the Consulting Abroad Project in South Africa was that the service to international clients can sometimes create unexpected demands, but it is critical to react with poise and utter professionalism. I can soundly say that each of our classmates did so in remarkable fashion. Furthermore, our class thoroughly enjoyed the entire process of consulting for an international client, from start to finish. Global & Experiential Education, please sign us up for 18 tickets to Cape Town/Johannesburg (no return ticket needed).

 

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