Researching MBA Programs During COVID-19

When Harvard announced a more sympathetic approach to deferrals for international students hard-pressed by the global pandemic, other schools took notice. Harvard Gazette photo

B-Schools Help Support Local Businesses During Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept its way through the nation as many businesses struggle to stay afloat.

Small businesses, in particular, are hurting. In a PNAS survey of more than 5,800 small businesses, 43% of businesses reported being temporarily closed – nearly all in response to COVID-19.

But what exactly can b-schools do to support local businesses during this time?

Matt Symonds, co-founder of Fortuna Admissions and a contributor at Forbes, recently looked at how b-schools are responding during the pandemic and offering support to local businesses.

PARTNERSHIPS

Across the world, a number of b-schools are partnering with local businesses, bringing in MBAs to help support business goals.

At Wharton, students are working hand-in-hand with the Philadelphia Zoo to help expand on the zoo’s virtual engagement and need to reprioritize goals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like many businesses, the Zoo was forced to suddenly close its doors. Wharton MBAs brainstormed digital strategies—from social media content planning to fund-raising ideas— that would help the Zoo reach its consumer base virtually.

“The students delivered a very compelling and thoughtful plan for expansion but their innovative thinking didn’t just stop there,” Kristen Waldron, director of strategic initiatives at Philadelphia Zoo, says in a blog post on Wharton Stories. “With the Zoo temporarily closed, the Fellows turned their creativity toward brainstorming additional ideas to support our online engagement.”

INITIATIVES

At MIP Politecnico di Milano, the ‘Keep ON Learning’ initiative was launched to allow students, alumni, professors, and companies to tap into and contribute advice, articles and live webinars, and in-depth analyses through digital platforms.

“The unusual situation in which we find ourselves is forcing us to rethink our daily habits and way of working, in some cases to totally reinvent them, with all the difficulties associated with this,” Federico Frattini, Dean of MIP Politecnico di Milano, says in a statement. “I believe that the best answer that each of us can give in this moment, the most valuable contribution to the common cause, is to continue to carry out our projects. And it’s what we are doing at MIP. We work each day to allow students, professors, staff, companies, alumni, and all our other partners, to continue to rely on us.”

TRAINING

The NEOMA Business School in France is helping support local businesses through its ‘Start-up Lab,’ offering a training course around topics such as finance and strategy with free webinars and tailored coaching.

“The unprecedented transition period that companies are currently going through requires them to prepare their employees for the changes they are facing and will continue to face in the months to come,” Stéphane Dubreuille, the Director of Executive Education at NEOMA Business School, tells Forbes. “Naturally, for this, our Executive Education programs have been developed to respond as much as possible to these new business needs.”

Sources: Forbes, PNAS, The Wharton School, Politecnico Milano, NEOMA Business School

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