Swiss Dairy

Last night was fantastic. The entrepreneurs behind my spring startup project, deskNet, took my group out for a celebration dinner. This was something we intended to do back in May when the project finished, but final exams, Kenya, and vacation interfered. It was nice to take a break, though, as this way they could updateContinue reading “Swiss Dairy”

Ethics

Is a company’s chief allegiance to its shareholders or should it also be held accountable by other stakeholders, including employees, the community, and the environment? Should ethics be defined by the net social value of consequences to actions, fundamental rights of individuals, social contracts, or predefined virtues? How important are values in an organization and,Continue reading “Ethics”

The Olympics Have Begun!

As we finished our last day of Stakeholder Managment today, our breaks were consumed by watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Everyone cheered as countries represented in our class marched in. What fun–I can’t wait for the competitive rivalries to start once the events get going. I was proud to learn that Rice isContinue reading “The Olympics Have Begun!”

Allez Suisse!

We have spent the past three days in a negotiation workshop run by CM Partners. It was a great experience studying frameworks for analysis of one-on-one and multi-party negotiations. These frameworks are useful for advance preparation as well as mindfulness in the moment. The goal throughout our simulated negotiations was understanding each party’s interests inContinue reading “Allez Suisse!”

Crisis Management

Today we finished a day and a half of training in crisis management. We began with a simulation. In each group we were given very little information about our company, told that we were in charge, and then BAM, the crisis started. We began receiving telephone calls from employees about chemical leakage from our plant.Continue reading “Crisis Management”

Back in Lausanne

After three glorious days in San Menaio, a small town on Italy’s Adriatic coast, I am back in Lausanne. San Menaio was wonderful, as it always is: no Internet, no work, just peaceful beach life with my Italian cousins. The Italian side of my family is always incredibly welcoming and accommodating in their little beachContinue reading “Back in Lausanne”

Back in the Developed World

Wow. I’m back. I am most definitely in a different world. We arrived this morning to shining sun and the smells of wonderful cuisine emanating from the outdoor cafes by the train station. Never before has Lausanne felt so European to me. This is how I remember my time in bella Firenze. Several of usContinue reading “Back in the Developed World”