Goizueta alumnus Willie Sullivan 21MBA spearheaded the first John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition (JLCC) in 2021. The competition examines how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations and industries. The event and overall initiative honors the legacy of the late Congressman John R. Lewis while serving as a platform for business students and national organizations to forge a path forward to achieving racial equity.

The winners will share half of their monetary winnings with a nonprofit organization of their choice devoted to racial equity and/or justice.  

– Dzidefo Ababio 25MBA
– Damieanus Ochola 25MBA
– Talor Thompson 25MBA
– Dominique Wilson 25MBA

Winnings will be shared with Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 

– Pranav Batchu BSCS25
– Turner Davis 27BSBA
– Victor Huang 27BSBA
– Druvitha Lokasani BSIE26

Winnings will be split with HoPe: The Hispanic Organization Promoting Education 

– Jillian (Jill) Howland 25MBA
– Luis Otero 25MBA
– Austin Paul Roye 25MBA
– Zuhayr Shaikh 25MBA 25MD

Since launching four years ago, the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition has engaged over a thousand students representing nearly 100 universities, generated 50 corporate action plans, and granted over $125,000 in grants to nonprofits advancing racial and economic justice. The final event took place at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, a civically-minded event space focused on building community between diverse stakeholders. This year, the competition hosted over 120 in-person attendees and over 350 more via livestream.

“As the Managing Director of the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition, my greatest hope is that it serves as a catalyst for future business leaders to embrace their responsibility in advancing racial equity,” says Maya Dantzler 24MBA.

This competition is not just about generating ideas; it’s about fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment. It’s about recognizing that each of us has the power to drive meaningful change and create a more just and inclusive world.

Maya Dantzler 24MBA

Students and leaders continue to see the case competition as an invaluable opportunity to get involved and drive change. In fact, this year, the initiative saw a 25% rise in applications to compete. The pool was narrowed to 15 teams of students representing 13 leading universities across the country. Those schools included Emory University, Duke University, Columbia University, Cornell University, University of Virginia, Georgia Institute of Technology, George Washington University, Carnegie Mellon University, Rice University, Washington University, Boston University and University of Rochester.

Continuing a Legacy of Change-Makers

During the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Summit, three student finalist teams shared bold, actionable, and innovative plans. Their proposals all addressed issues of racial inequity for this year’s partners Delta Air Lines, First Step Staffing, and Taco Bell. Partner organizations asked students to tackle complex questions such as: “How can Delta Air Lines address climate equity?,” “How can First Step Staffing create pathways to economic opportunity and mobility for women of color?,” and “How can Taco Bell authentically attract more Black consumers?” An esteemed panel of judges reviewed each finalist presentation to determine the overall champion.

Lynne Segall, associate dean for management practice initiatives and the competition’s faculty advisor notes, “The conversation around racial justice has shifted significantly since 2020 and yet the structural issues persist, making the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition as relevant as ever.”

This competition and summit connects student leaders with business leaders in a meaningful way to focus on bold initiatives and actionable change. Once again, these student leaders have given our sponsors a lot to think about and act on.

Lynne Segall

This year’s competition also brought together leading faculty, business, and community leaders for discussion panels to explore initiatives, emerging ideas, and actionable insights for a more equitable future. 

Fearless Dialogues

Featuring Gregory C. Ellison II, PhD, founder of Fearless Dialogues and associate professor, Candler School of Theology

Making Inclusion Last: A conversation about strategies and practices for enduring inclusion in business

Featuring Dane Mathews, chief digital officer of Taco Bell and Omar Rodríguez-Vilá, professor in the practice of marketing, Goizueta Business School

Prioritizing Racial Equity Panel: Why should companies commit to sustainable change?

Featuring Ashley Black, managing director, equity strategies, Delta Air Lines; Kellie Brownlow, chief mission officer, First Step Staffing; KT Thornton, chief equity, inclusion and belonging officer at Taco Bell; moderated by Wes Longhofer, associate professor of organization and management

Insights to Actions: Meaningful steps for a better tomorrow

Featuring Sara Prince, senior partner, McKinsey & Company

Jerrick Lewis, nephew of John R. Lewis and executive director of the John R. Lewis Legacy Institute, presented the competition awards.

“This is what my uncle wanted,” says Lewis. “This is what he meant when he talked about getting into good and necessary trouble.”

“The John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is such a wonderful example of what we at Goizueta are called to do,” commented John H. Harland Dean Gareth James in his closing remarks. “We aim to bring insights to business to drive it forward, engage students in experiential learning, and build a better, more inclusive society. Business has immense power, influence, and resources—and because of this, we can drive real change.”

“It takes a village, and we’re so grateful to all the partners who stepped up to become agents of change and make this event possible.”

Watch the 2024 summit here.

The John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is part of Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute. The Institute represents an elevated commitment by Goizueta Business School to address complex challenges confronting people, the planet, and the business community. To learn more about the John R. Lewis Case Competition and how you can get involved, visit Emory.biz/jlcc.

The post Celebrating the Winners of the 2024 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Sullivan saw an opportunity to bring these parties together: Corporations needed action plans, and students can bring fresh perspectives. Sullivan decided to honor the late Congressman John R. Lewis, a civil rights advocate and U.S. Representative from Georgia’s fifth district, by naming the competition after him.

Through JLCC, student teams have the opportunity to create real and meaningful impact at national and global companies. Not only do students grow as teammates and construct innovative ideas and initiatives (skills they can apply in their future careers), but they’re also able to network directly with global organizations.

A Legacy of Impactful Change

Since 2020, students from all over the country, representing more than 90 universities, have competed in the competition, pitching their ideas for change to leaders of Fortune 500 companies. The case competition has resulted in 36 corporate racial justice action plans to date.

“JLCC [attracts] amazing students who could eventually also be pipeline talent to your organization. It’s also a business lever you can utilize for your diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. Then to have the actions actually result in meaningful, impactful change for your business,” said Katrina Thomton, chief equity, inclusion, and belonging officer of Taco Bell, one of the sponsors for the 2022-2023 case competition.

This year’s corporate sponsors will be announced in December. Past sponsors have included Taco Bell, Delta, Accenture, Moderna, UPS, and IBM.

“Given our location in Atlanta, Georgia, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, we draw inspiration from the history of social change driven by icons like U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis,” says JLCC Faculty Advisor, Lynne Segall, associate dean of Management Practice Initiatives and associate professor in the practice of organization and management.

This competition provides a platform for student leaders to influence how organizations think about their businesses in ways that can improve racial equality.

Lynne Segall

The top three finalists win a cash prize that they split 50-50 with a nonprofit organization of their choosing that advances racial justice. These organizations have received over $100,000 since the competition’s inception. Past nonprofit recipients have included National Black Leadership Commission on Health, GirlTrek, Step Up For Students, and Opportunity Hub.

Applications are open from November 1 – November 17. All undergraduate and graduate students may apply, regardless of major or concentration. Learn more about the application requirements, and register your team today!

The semi-finals and finals will take place on February 22-23, 2024, in Atlanta.

Learn more about how you can get involved in the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition.

The post Calling all Student Teams: Apply Now for the Fourth Annual John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

More than 30 student teams from 20 leading universities across the country participated in the competition this year. An esteemed panel of judges reviewed each finalist presentation to determine the overall champion. Jerrick Lewis, nephew of John R. Lewis and executive director of the John R. Lewis Legacy Institute, presented the competition awards.

Team “Café con Leche” from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business earned the top prize this year for their “Ringing the Bell” strategy, a three-pronged plan designed to help sponsor organization Taco Bell achieve a more diverse supplier base with a goal of 10 percent disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) spend. The team will split their $20,000 prize down the middle with chosen charity Urban Canopy, an organization pioneering the local food cycle to create a more sustainable and equitable food system on the south side of Chicago. The team also received the Audience award, accompanied by an additional $3,000 prize.

Team “I am Ready” from University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business secured runner up for their four-tiered approach to help Taco Bell expand opportunities for diverse supplies. The team will split their $10,000 prize with chosen charity, GirlTrek, a health and self-care movement dedicated to healing and health justice for Black women.  

Making the Case for Change

Student teams across the country started their journey last fall when they submitted their preliminary applications in November. Twelve teams advanced to the semi-finals. On January 20, the pool narrowed to four finalist teams who were invited to Goizueta Business School’s campus for the inaugural in-person Making the Case for Change weekend. The immersive experience offered meaningful engagement with Delta Air Lines and Taco Bell on the necessary work their companies can do to address racial inequality.

Racial justice issues are prevalent in most companies. Working with sponsors that are not only actively engaging on these issues, but also looking to the next generation of leaders to do so is a unique opportunity for both groups to learn from one another.

Stephanie Faucher 23MBA

This year’s competition posed two questions for student teams to address. Delta Air Lines asked, “How can Delta help marginalized communities get ‘unstuck’ in the pursuit of employment?” Finalist teams “Energy Everywhere, All at Once” from Georgia Tech College of Engineering, and “Leaders of Equity” from University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business addressed this issue. Taco Bell questioned, “How can the brand significantly elevate its sourcing, attraction, partnerships, and hiring of underrepresented vendors and suppliers across all functions within the organization?” Responding to this issue were finalist teams “Café con Leche” from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and “I am Ready” from University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Participants were invited to attend the “Good Trouble, Good Business” welcome reception in Delta Air Lines’ 747 exhibit at the Delta Flight Museum. After a self-guided tour of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, all shared in dinner and table chats on inclusion and racial inequity, facilitated by Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute and collaboration partner Inclusivv.

“With a full lineup of guest speakers, the conference offered different perspectives from government, business, and academia to learn, explore ideas, and brainstorm solutions,” says Brandan Gillespie 23MBA, the competition’s managing director.  

This competition is the reason I enrolled at Goizueta. It was really important for me to see that there was a space for individuals like me who were inclined to social justice and racial equity. It’s been so meaningful to give back by serving as the managing director this year!

Brandan Gillespie 23MBA

“Over the course of the competition, the sponsors connect with students who are passionate and innovative,” Faucher says. “This provides them with new ways of thinking about the opportunities in the racial justice space.”

Participants learned from keynote guest speaker Congresswoman Nikema Williams of the 5^th Congressional District, U.S. House of Representatives, in conversation with international economist Jeffrey Rosensweig, associate professor of finance and director of Goizueta’s Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government. Williams is known as a fierce advocate for social justice, women, and families.  

Omar Rodriguez-Vilà, Goizueta professor of marketing practice, provided an overview of his current research on the nature of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the marketplace including a synopsis of practices and outcomes associated with inclusive brands. Erika V. Hall, associate professor of organization and management, introduced “The Path to Diversity & Inclusion: Problems and Solutions.”

The weekend concluded with a talent pipeline collaboration on Goizueta’s campus with sponsor leaders. To encourage continued growth and introduce successful formulas for activism, environmental youth activist Charitie Ropati guided the final session for individuals to follow Congressman John R. Lewis’ call to get into “good, necessary trouble.”

“We have seen past sponsors implement recommendations from JLCC teams. Moving forward, JLCC continues to provide student leaders and sponsoring organizations with a unique opportunity to engage together to address issues of racial inequality. The student teams are not constrained by organizational realities, allowing them to develop bold, innovative ideas and bring fresh perspectives to the sponsors,” says Lynne Segall, associate professor in the practice of organization and management and faculty advisor for JLCC at Goizueta.

Roots in Justice, Strength in Opportunity and Equality

The first of its kind in the country, the student led JLCC was co-founded in 2020 by student Willie Sullivan 21MBA in response to the national reckoning in 2020 over racial inequities and deaths of George Floyd and others. Sullivan called upon his fellow students to act, raise social justice awareness, and empower businesses to do better. 

“Our students recognized an opportunity to connect future business leaders with current leaders to take bold action in addressing racial inequality,” says Goizueta’s John H. Harland Dean Gareth James. “This competition celebrates the power of our students’ voices and underscores the unbreakable intersection between business and the broader world.”

Learn more about how you can get involved in the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition.

Sign up to host or attend a “Good Trouble, Good Business” Civic Dinner, presented by Goizueta’s Business & Society Institute, and take part in a conversation on inclusion and racial inequity.

The post Goizueta’s 3rd Annual Student-Led John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition Shares Insightful Solutions for Delta Air Lines and Taco Bell appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

When Entrepreneurs Share Their Failures, Early-Stage Founders Benefit from the Experience

In an Instagram-perfect world that seems obsessed with success, Christy Brown is more than happy to talk about her failures. In fact, she’s proud of them. “I have founded and exited four of my own companies,” says Brown. “I’ve had a lot of successes, but the way I can help early-stage founders the most is from my failures. In my opinion, that’s where we learn.”

A serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience, Christy Brown is now an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) for The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. She lends her expertise to Goizueta students who dream of starting their own businesses, and she gives it to them straight.

“All entrepreneurs think that our ideas are amazing, but that does not mean that anyone is going to buy it. I give founders the tools to really ensure that there is consumption for their idea,” says Brown. “My interest in working with founders is focused on how to save them time and money and on customer conversations and customer discovery. Entrepreneurs must have organic conversations with potential customers to determine if anyone even cares about the problem they’re solving.” Read the full story.

Goizueta Students Travel to Norway & Explore Social, Cultural, and Geopolitical Landscape

To prepare students to become principled leaders in an interconnected world, Goizueta developed Global Experiential Modules (GEMs), which are delivered multiple times per year for MBA students.

“Empathy and cultural competence are critical in the development of principled leadership. Goizueta’s Global Experiential Modules align with our strategic priorities to deliver truly distinctive lessons on business and its role in service to humanity,” says Brian Mitchell, associate dean for Goizueta Global Strategy and Initiatives. “These are so much more than just ‘trips’ because the experiences are contextualized by experts in history and culture.” Discover more about GEMs.

Students and Speakers Unpack Artificial Intelligence in Media and Entertainment Industry at the 2022 MSBA Conference

At the fifth annual Goizueta Business Analytics Conference, topics included AI and machine learning in decision making, media personalization, and audience targeting. Industry experts in the crowd were also Goizueta alumni, including women data scientists from the MSBA program who participated in the alumni panel, “MSBA Women in Media and Entertainment.” The women spoke about what drew them to their roles and this industry, advice for graduating students, and what it’s like to be a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field of data science.

“The MSBA program equipped me with strong data science and analytics skills, and it also enhanced my problem-solving skills. The conference was a great chance to learn and discuss opportunities and challenges in the media and entertainment industry,” says Lancy Mao 18MSBA, business data scientist at Google. “As we are exploring better personalization in a more privacy-preserving way, AI and machine learning have become more important.” Learn more about what’s new in AI and data analytics.

Certified B Corps: Students Explore Business as a Force for Good

With more than 5,300 certified B Corps globally and rising, “We are educating students about B Corps by taking part in the movement,” says B Corp Learning Lab instructor Brian Goebel 09MBA, managing director of the Business & Society Institute. “It’s a win-win all around.”

The B Corp Learning Lab and a growing number of other social and environmental impact activities (such as the Start:ME accelerator program, Net Impact Club, Peachtree Minority Venture Fund, and Grounds for Empowerment) demonstrate Goizueta’s strategic belief that business and society together can deliver a more equitable and sustainable world. When businesses and business education shift, other stakeholders benefit, too.

“The B Corp certification is a powerful and transparent way for companies to verify their social and environmental commitments,” says Wes Longhofer, academic director of the Business & Society Institute. “Because the assessment process is so tangible, students get hands-on experience on how companies can both measure their impact and set meaningful targets and goals. It also fits the educational mission of our Institute of putting theory into practice.” Dig into the process in the full story.

Inaugural Emory Real Estate Conference Draws Influential Leaders for a Sold-Out Crowd

Goizueta Business School hosted the inaugural Emory Real Estate Conference for more than 550 real estate professionals and investors. The keynote address was delivered by Sam Zell, founder, and chairman of Equity Group Investments, a self-made billionaire who serves as chairman of several companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In addition to a panel discussion on “Capital Market Insights: Trends and Disruptors,” Colleen Keating, CEO, FirstKey Homes, offered her perspective on the rise of single-family rentals (SFR) as an asset class.

One of the nation’s top real estate markets, Atlanta has seen significant growth over the last few decades. Given Emory University’s location and the growing renown of Goizueta’s 15-year-old real estate program, the conference’s student co-chairs John Schellhase 23EvMBA and Bernard “Bern” Clevens 22MBA saw hosting an Emory and Goizueta-branded conference as a great way to unite real estate professionals, serve the greater Atlanta community, and showcase the Emory and Goizueta brands. Gain more real estate insight.

Executive MBA Ranks 6th in Nation by Financial Times

The Executive MBA program at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School continued to climb in the rankings, recognized as the 6th ranked EMBA program nationwide, according to a recent Financial Times report. Delivering on its promise to provide world-class educational experiences and opportunities, the program also garnered notable gains internationally, rising to 36th in the world.

At Goizueta, the Executive MBA program provides the breadth of business acumen and depth of expertise that a seasoned professional or current executive needs to drive organizational value.

Jackie Conner, associate dean of the Executive MBA program

“It offers a personal, deeply immersive, and hands-on experience that expands an individual’s leadership capacity,” says Conner. Read the full rankings report.

Goizueta Supports Active-Duty Service Members and Veterans with Student Scholarships, Fellowships, and Public Service Award

“One of the most important aspects and strengths of the Goizueta military and veteran community is how they support one another through their transition, MBA journey, and pursuit of their goals,” says Ken Keen, Lieutenant General, Retired, U.S. Army and Goizueta associate dean for leadership development and senior lecturer of Organization & Management who also serves as Goizueta’s military advisor. “We seek to make it personal and help every veteran as they apply their skills and leadership experiences gained through military service toward seeking careers in the business world.”

“Goizueta does a great job of making the veterans feel valued,” says Goizueta Military Scholarship Recipient Matthew Ball 23MBA. Ball served as squad leader for the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment with six combat deployments across Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. At Goizueta, he leads the Goizueta Veterans Club for 2022-2023, which has 18 full-time MBA students and 21 Executive MBA and Evening MBA students for a total of nearly 40 active members. “To me it is even more impactful that donors want to take part in assisting the educational growth and career advancement of our student vets.” Learn more about Goizueta’s commitment to veterans.

Goizueta Business School Faculty Rank in the Top Two Percent of Scholars Worldwide

Seven faculty members of Goizueta Business School were honored in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists, a prestigious worldwide ranking of researchers for their career-long impact.

The study, published in the journal PLoS Biology, is based on the bibliometric information contained in Elsevier’s Scopus database that includes more than 160,000 researchers from the more than 8 million scientists considered to be active worldwide, taking into account 22 scientific fields and 176 subfields. Read more about our esteemed Goizueta faculty.

Goizueta Trailblazers Pave the Way for Growth and Opportunity in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

“Our history is illuminating,” says Jill Perry-Smith, senior associate dean of strategic initiatives. Perry-Smith is charged with leading the school’s DEI strategies and notes, “It is important to recognize trailblazers and have an opportunity to think through the events of the country and world as they collide with our local history.”

In recognition of our journey, Goizueta created Black History at Goizueta, a timeline of significant milestones throughout our institution’s history. In 2020, Goizueta launched the Common Read program, providing a forum for self-education and a safe space for honest dialogue for those seeking to be allies. Last fall, Goizueta launched the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund through The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation—a million-dollar venture capital fund focused on empowering underrepresented founders. In December, Goizueta announced the addition of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concentration for Full-Time MBA programs. And earlier this year, Goizueta announced the winners of the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case competition, engaging leading students to examine how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations. Learn more about Goizueta trailblazers.

Do Grammy-Winning Pop Artists Take More Creative Risks Than Their Runners-Up?

Taylor Swift has had a career marked by an evolution in sound and style. Swift emerged into the industry a country star and was later rebranded a pop icon. She’s gone on to explore alternative rock and indie folk sounds.

Research by Giacomo Negro, professor of Organization & Management and professor of Sociology (by courtesy), suggests Grammy award wins may be credited as the catalyst for these changes. Gain more insight from this faculty research.

Emory Business digs into stories that matter. Keep reading to meet the change makers, the trend setters, and the leading influencers shaping business today.

The post 2022 in 10 Timeless Goizueta Stories appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Managing Director Brandan Gillespie 23MBA shares that in hosting an in-person component, “The goal is to create an experience that validates participants’ drive to find solutions around racial injustice in the workplace. We aim to give participants greater exposure to company leaders and industry experts to reinforce their passion for making a change. The Making the Case for Change conference allows students to do just that: make a case to business leaders using energy, vigor, and passion to come together in finding solutions to such a massive issue.”

This year’s corporate partners will be announced on November 22. Previous partners have included powerhouses such as HP, Accenture, IBM/Call for Code for Racial Justice, Moderna, Taco Bell, Momentive.ai, Yahoo Finance, UPS, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce, Southern Company, SurveyMonkey, Truist, and Poets & Quants.

Team applications are now open and will close November 18, 2022. All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply, regardless of major or concentration. The final rounds will take place in person in Atlanta during the February 16-19 Making the Case for Change experiential weekend.

Real and meaningful change has come about because of previous competition entries. Moving forward, “JLCC continues to provide student leaders and sponsoring organizations with a unique opportunity to engage together to address issues of racial inequality. The student teams are not constrained by organizational realities, allowing them to develop bold, innovative ideas and bring fresh perspectives to the sponsors,” says Lynne Segall, associate dean of management practice initiatives and senior lecturer of Organization & Management.

The JLCC Evolves from Concept to International Impact

In response to the national reckoning in 2020 over racial inequities and deaths of George Floyd and others, competition founder Willie Sullivan 21MBA was inspired by a Harvard Business School case note on racial inequalities in American history. Sullivan rallied his classmates to act on a meaningful scale by posing the question, “How could we take a business case note and have students come up with strategic frameworks for a major corporation to do something about large societal issues?”

Honoring the late John R. Lewis (1940-2020), the civil rights icon and U.S. Representative from Georgia’s 5th district, the prestigious competition has continued to evolve.  

Jason Wild 99MBA, then senior vice president of transformation and innovation at Salesforce, shared that JLCC was “a truly world-class event, one many of us will look back on one day as a catalyst.”

The student teams assigned to us were full of passion and inquisitiveness. They challenged us. They probed and asked for data. Then, they went to work. The results were amazing in each case.

Shelina Ramnarine, product director for Payer Marketing Cardiovascular & Metabolism at Johnson & Johnson, agrees with Wild.

The first JLCC saw 105 applicant teams from more than 52 universities competing for more than $76,000 in prizes and grants. Twenty-four corporate racial justice action plans were created, and more than 1,300 audience members virtually attended the final presentations.

Finishing in second place was Emory’s Bonnie Schipper 23JD/MBA, Bryan Shepherd 22MBA, Simone Trotman 22MBA, and Rutendo Chikuku 22MBA. Their teamproposed a dynamic discounting program that pays HP suppliers quicker and at a lower discount rate. HP Global Supplier Diversity Program Manager Terrell Smith said his company is measuring how many of its current minority suppliers opt into the new discount payment system and tracking the growth of diverse suppliers who are attracted to HP because of the discounting. The students’ “phenomenal” work, Smith said, persuaded HP that “liquidity and long payment terms are a major barrier of entry that turns diverse suppliers off from engaging with larger companies and corporations.”

The second JLCC drew 77 applicant teams from more than 40 universities. Students from the Yale University School of Management took first place, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business team took second place, and the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business team took home the Audience Award.

Driven by their personal experiences with racial gaps in health care, Goizueta Business School students Shanae Smith 23MBA, Katie Hoole 23MBA, Michael Laguna 23MBA, and Aliya White 23MBA presented a plan for the consulting giant Accenture to “make a huge dent” in attracting and helping people of all races to receive the health care they deserve. Their technology-driven strategy catapulted them to the finals as Emory’s highest finishing team.

“Our vision for the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is that it continues to grow as a catalyst for action among participating organizations to invest in their local communities, creating a more just society where everyone can prosper,” shares Brian Mitchell, associate dean of Full-Time MBA programs and Goizueta global strategy and initiatives.

It is not enough to have good intentions when it comes to racial justice. It takes the passion and creativity that we have seen from the student teams, and it takes the financial commitments that the students have secured through the competition.

Learn more about how to enter the John R Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition. Follow along on social media with #JLCC23.

The post The Case for Change: University Students Encouraged to Enter John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

At the turn of 2020, a mysterious illness we now know as COVID-19 began to grip the world with life-altering fear, sparking “what if” questions that challenged experts. A public health emergency was declared, air travel was restricted, case numbers rose, and the world officially entered a pandemic by March of that year.

With tensions high, just days before Sedatole’s role as interim dean was to begin, George Floyd was murdered while in police custody in Minneapolis, setting off a prolonged period of national racial unrest and difficult conversations.

Sedatole has said, “At Goizueta, we work to reimagine and redefine a different, better way of doing business to solve the world’s greatest challenges with ingenuity, integrity, and grit.”

These truths were clear. As one of the best business schools in the nation, Sedatole guided Goizueta students, faculty, staff, and alumni through the chain of events and remained steadfast in her principled leadership. During her tenure, the once familiar day-to-day campus routine morphed into something more responsive, flexible, and innovative.

“Karen has a deeply empathetic spirit, and that perspective has informed all her decisions as our interim dean,” says Julie Barefoot, interim chief of staff and associate dean of engagement & partnerships.

With a heightened focus on critical conversations and program adaptability, Sedatole guided the launch of a comprehensive remote learning solution to ease the impact of the pandemic. Emphasizing student experience, she listened to the ever-changing needs of her community and adjusted protocols as necessary. Barefoot adds, “She has focused on maintaining our school’s strong culture during the pandemic and created a more equitable and inclusive community.” 

Moving Goizueta Forward by Expanding Student Experiences and Programming

Sedatole led the organization during the transitions of the present but always had a laser-focused eye on the future, including how to elevate the student experience and attract the best and brightest to our school. Last year marked the launch of three next-generation global classrooms on campus to enhance digital learning, eliminate the limitations of geography, and allow for classes to engage with global business leaders. Real-time polls, breakout room options, whiteboard technology, and engagement analytics enable faculty to be highly responsive and flexible. With Sedatole’s guidance and support, Goizueta also invested in the development of hologram-like technology and augmented and virtual reality projects to create dynamic and interactive student experiences.

“Karen made numerous courageous decisions – acting quickly and confidently – that made an impact on the school and business community,” says Jill Perry-Smith, senior associate dean of strategic initiatives and professor of Organization & Management. “She said yes, when many others may have said no, leading to meaningful programming, such as the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund and John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition.”

Alongside Sedatole’s support and guidance, the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition (JLCC) was launched to invite national collegiate teams to address vital issues of racial inequity in business. Inspired by its civil rights namesake, the student-run JLCC entered its second year in 2022, with more student leaders consulting for major corporations seeking to drive social change. The competition is focused on examining how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations and in society. This year, students expanded its scope by engaging in deeper partnerships with top business schools across the country.

During this event, Sedatole shared, “In all of my years of academia, this competition represents one of the most poignant examples of the power of student voice and the unbreakable intersection between business and society.”

As a visionary, Sedatole also supported leaders throughout the kickoff of two major initiatives: The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which offers multi-disciplinary and cross-vertical experiences to develop the entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, investors, and innovators of tomorrow; and the Business & Society Institute, which reflects the school’s elevated commitment to social impact and seeks to transform business to solve society’s challenges.

“Dean Sedatole was also instrumental to the launch of the Peachtree Minority Venture Fund (PMVF). The idea for the fund was proposed by a team of MBA students. Although the idea was compelling, the path to implementation was unclear,” says Robert Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization & Management and academic director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “She identified the needed capital and facilitated a thorough-but-rapid series of administrative reviews and approvals. The PMVF exists today due to her commitment to the idea and her willingness to see it through to full implementation. We greatly appreciate her support and active engagement.”

Sedatole continued her focus on expanding academic and co-curricular offerings with personalized experiences that prepare students to thrive in and drive toward the future of business. During 2021, Goizueta launched the Master of Analytical Finance degree, which enrolls its first class in Fall 2022. Led and designed by Wall Street professionals, the program offers hands-on experiences to support next-gen careers in sales and trading, investment management, fintech, and investment banking. Goizueta also announced a new online format of its Executive MBA program–the highest-ranked EMBA nationwide to offer an online option.

“It is with great esteem that I acknowledge the many contributions of Interim Dean Karen Sedatole to Goizueta Business School and Emory University. Her ability to enhance the Goizueta student experience and strengthen the school’s connection with the community while leading the school through a pandemic is greatly appreciated,” Emory Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Ravi Bellamkonda shared recently. “Dean Sedatole has been an integral part of our student flourishing initiative, and we owe her deep appreciation for her leadership during this critical period for Goizueta Business School.”

Sedatole will pass the torch to Goizueta Business School’s new dean, scholar, and researcher Gareth James on July 1, 2022. Learn more about our next leader here.

The post With Steady Leadership Through Turbulent Times, Interim Dean Karen Sedatole Has Guided Goizueta Toward a Bright Future appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Their technology-driven strategy landed them in the recent finals of the 2022 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition (JLCC), where they earned a $5,000 award as Emory’s highest finishing team.

A program of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, JLCC is the first student-run case competition focused on racial justice. Participants research the history of systemic racism in the U.S. and provide bold, innovative, and actionable recommendations for Fortune 500 companies seeking to solve racial inequality inside and outside their organizations.

For Shanae Smith 23MBA, the competition gave her a way to fight back.

“It was hard seeing the disparities that exist in our society and choose not to do something about it. JLCC gave us all the platform to not only say, ‘here are the issues,’ but also ‘here is what you as a business can do about it,’” she said.

This competition really challenges the companies we work with to essentially put their money where their mouth is. Given the potential impact I could have, it was an opportunity I was not going to pass up.

Shanae Smith 23MBA

Inspiring Words from Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young

Director of The Robson Program for Business, Public Policy, and Government and Associate Professor of Finance Jeffrey Rosensweig arranged for Andrew Young – the esteemed Robson Distinguished Lecturer – to step into the role of addressing participants of the JLCC this year. “This competition is likely the most significant new program at Goizueta in many years,” he said. “It has addressed a very real need and shares real-world solutions to our nation’s very deep systemic inequities and racial inequality.”

Rosensweig invited Young—the former United Nations Ambassador, Atlanta mayor, and iconic civil rights leader—to speak to competition participants. In a conversation guided by Natalie Allen, former CNN News Anchor and the primetime anchor for Newsy, the two discussed the evolution of the movement for civil rights change, the hurdles overcome, and the work yet to be done.

In a perfect synergy of the competition’s mission and purpose, Young shared personal stories and spoke about how students with vision and courage will change the way business is done and change the world.

A colleague and friend of Martin Luther King Jr., Young recalled the achievements of their vibrant student days. “We wouldn’t have a civil rights movement without students,” said Young. “Students have the courage and the vision, but they also have the opportunity to grow up together.”

The Racial Gap in Health Care

For Goizueta, Smith joined Katie Hoole 23MBA, Michael Laguna 23MBA, and Aliya White 23MBA to compete as Team Disruption. The name reflected their desire “to create solutions that disrupted the norm,” White said. “The goal of the competition was meant to be bold, and we are addressing racial injustices from a business context, something businesses don’t normally do. The name Team Disruption embodied our boldness, our challenge to the status quo, and the potential for something new.”

They advanced to the JLCC finals by having the strongest proposal related to consulting and professional services. Accenture’s problem statement: “How can we lessen the inequity of quality of care between Black, Indigenous, people of color, and white people?”

Team Disruption’s presentation vividly portrayed the racial gap in health care. They pointed out that Black women today are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, and Black and brown Americans are over two times as likely to die from the impacts of COVID-19.

In a 2020 Kaiser Foundation poll, 7 of 10 Black Americans said they are treated unfairly by the health care system and 55 percent said they distrust it. Of the 28 million Americans who are uninsured, 13 million are Hispanic or Latinx, and 5 million are Black.

Understanding How Historic Inequity Relates to Treatment Today

The reasons are systemic. Over centuries in the U.S., people of color were used as test subjects in dangerous medical research such as syphilis “and today we continue to have policies that marginalize communities of color,” Hoole said. “This has all led to distrust between communities of color and the health care industry. It is imperative that we address this issue now.”

“For some, the global pandemic shed light on the disparities of access for health care, but for Black and brown communities, this is something that we’ve known all along and have been experiencing for years,” White said. “This is why we decided to focus on the health and public sector. It is something that we’re passionate about. It’s relevant to us all. And it’s been affecting all of us for a long time.”

The four had first connected through the Consortium, a program dedicated to enhancing diversity and inclusion in global business education by striving to reduce the significant underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in business school. To add authority to Team Disruption’s recommendations, the four revealed their own experiences with health care inequities, which had motivated them to form the team in the first place.

Smith’s parents, after moving from Jamaica, struggled to find affordable health care for her grandmother. Laguna’s parents came from Romania and Panama and had to find health care for him and his siblings. White’s mom survived breast cancer, including surgery on the wrong breast. Hoole, a former Title I schoolteacher with Teach for America, saw that her students’ lower socioeconomic status led to lesser health care.

When John Lewis passed away, his casket was on display at the Capitol Rotunda and I went to pay my respects. John Lewis has always been well respected and an icon in the Black community and I have always been in complete awe and respect of John Lewis and his mission in life. One of the reasons I can go to Goizueta and pursue my MBA as an African American is because John Lewis fought to end legalized racial segregation in the US. When I first learned of the competition, I knew this was an opportunity to address racial inequality from a different lens and get into ‘good trouble’ as John Lewis would say.

Aliya White 23MBA

Access, Training, and Advocacy

Team Disruption’s recommendations leveraged Accenture’s existing technology to build bridges with Black, Indigenous, and people of color who need health care. Accenture is a global professional services company across more than 40 industries, employing 674,000 people and serving clients in more than 120 countries; its first-quarter 2022 revenue in the health and public service sector was $2.7 billion.

Using interviews with leaders in the health care value chain, and surveys of 350 health care consumers, Team Disruption presented a three-part proposal:

Part One: Accenture’s virtual assistant, Ella, who provides medication reminders, vitals tracking, and appointment scheduling, could be programmed to better relate to diverse audiences and increase access. Ella could provide local transportation options to health care providers, make health insurance recommendations based on socioeconomic status, point to advocacy resources, and offer language assistance.

This is important because Kaiser Foundation data showed that 18.4 percent of uninsured adults said signing up was too hard or confusing.

Language barriers, age, lack of financial resources, and limited access to health care and resources could mean life and death for some individuals.

Michael Laguna 23MBA

Part Two: Accenture can harness its Avenues virtual reality training technology to train hospital staff on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and measure its effectiveness. Avenues currently is used for caseworkers, and 75 percent of trainees feel more prepared to succeed. If used for health care workers in Georgia, this technology “could impact 127,000 health care workers in succeeding in situations involving racial bias,” Smith said.

This change could help sickle-cell anemia patients, for example, get pain medication. In one study, 63 percent of nurses treating sickle-cell believe “that addiction manifests itself in sickle cell patients, which is not true, and 30 percent of those nurses didn’t want to give those patients pain medication,” Smith added. “We believe that with a little bit more training on implicit bias we can really help these patients to feel heard.” 

Part Three: Through its Change Management Program, Accenture should hire program managers for health equity, who would ensure the Ella and Avenues programs were implemented and would serve as an advocate for Black, indigenous, and people of color.

A program manager for health equity “is an integral change that needs to be made to the organizational structure of a hospital to really bridge the gap in care,” Smith said. “We found that through our research if there is a DEI initiative, it’s usually on the doctors to discover any error, implement solutions, and make sure that change gets executed. The program manager for health equity would be able to take all of that work off the doctors’ shoulders so they can focus on care.”

In summary, White said Team Disruption sees “the cost to Accenture as very minimum, but the potential of entering this new space is going to be huge for access and training. Accenture will be able to make a huge dent in addressing these disparities.”

Local Beneficiary: Hungry Atlantans

The 2022 JLCC drew 76 applicant teams from more than 40 universities who competed for monetary prizes up to $20,000. The field narrowed to 20 semifinalists: four teams going head-to-head to solve one of five racial justice problems posed by Accenture, IBM/Call for Code for Racial Justice, Moderna, Taco Bell, and UPS.

“The John Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is a bridge connecting students’ intellect, training, and creativity to business solutions for the pressing needs of society today,” says Lynne Segall 99MBA, associate dean for management practice initiatives and the competition’s faculty advisor. The teams “have given our sponsors a lot to think about and act on.”

During this year’s competition, students from the Yale University School of Management took first place, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business team took second place, and the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business team took home the Audience Award.

Team Disruption moved into the finals, and a chance for the grand prize, by outpacing three semifinalist teams: Techquity Agents (representing Cornell SC Johnson Graduate School of Management), Carry the Torch (from Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School), and Team Act (from The Wharton School). Cornell was among Emory’s four JLCC co-sponsors, including Howard University School of Business, Rice Jones Graduate School of Business, and Yale School of Management.

The five finalists delivered 20-minute live presentations on January 21. They were judged on the potential for impact, the feasibility of recommendations, the creativity of solution, boldness, research quality and evidential support for recommendations, story structure and narrative, slide craft, and presentation delivery.

Each prize-winning JLCC team donates half to a nonprofit involved with racial justice work. Team Disruption donated to Free99Fridge, which provides high-quality produce at no cost to anyone who wants or needs it via their community fridge network in Atlanta.

“We discovered a shared interest for addressing food insecurity,” White said of her teammates. “We wanted to support an organization that was local to Atlanta, supports people of color, and where we could see an impact—$2500 worth of groceries could feed a lot of people.”

Future Growth in Racial Justice Begins with Awareness

Since its inception, the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Competition has raised awareness for business and community to unite in crafting solutions and implementing meaningful change. “This competition is about so much more than the win,” Rosensweig said.

“Our process begins an important dialogue between our corporate sponsors and their top-level executives and some of the best and brightest student minds in the country,” he said, noting Goizueta’s role in hosting the competition each year. “JLCC has staying power, and as its renown grows, we expect our corporate sponsors will compete for the opportunity to benefit from student competitors’ intellectual and analytical thought process as well as their boots-on-the-ground perspective of what racial justice truly means within our communities. JLCC is the springboard for necessary and ongoing change across the United States.”   

As the competition’s faculty advisor, Segall encourages readers to learn more about how you can participate as a team member, corporate sponsor, volunteer, or audience member at Goizueta’s annual John R. Lewis Racial Justice Competition.

The post Disrupting Health Care Inequities Earns MBA Team $5000 JLCC Prize appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Competition Connects Leading Students and Corporations to Drive Racial Justice and Equity

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School today announced the winners of the 2022 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition. The first of its kind competition, launched in 2021, was spearheaded by Goizueta MBA alumnus Willie Sullivan to examine how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations. During this year’s competition, students from the Yale University School of Management took first place, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business team took second place, and the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business team took home the Audience Award.

“At Goizueta, we work to reimagine and redefine a different, better way of doing business to solve the world’s greatest challenges with ingenuity, integrity, and grit,” said Goizueta Interim John H. Harland Dean Karen Sedatole. “In all of my years of academia, this competition represents one of the most poignant examples of the power of student voice and the unbreakable intersection between business and society.”

Lynne Segall 99MBA, associate dean for management practice initiatives and the competition’s faculty advisor noted, “The whole point of the competition is for student teams to propose bold initiatives. Once again, I am so impressed with the creativity of the recommendations and their grounding in evidence-based research. These student leaders have given our sponsors a lot to think about and act on.”

In December, the 76 applicant teams from more than 40 universities were narrowed to 20 teams of students from leading universities across the country. For this year’s competition, entrants were invited to complete industry-specific applications for the categories of consulting and professional services, food and beverage, healthcare, technology, and transportation and logistics.

The winners of the second annual John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition will divide their monetary winnings between the team and the racial justice/inequality organization of their choice. With members of the late Congressman John R. Lewis’s family in attendance, presenting the awards was John’s nephew, Jerrick Lewis.

• First Place ($20,000) – Team JAVELN of Yale University School of Management worked with IBM/Call for Code. Half of the winnings will be donated to Black Women Talk Tech.
• Second Place ($10,000) – Team Bridging the Business Gap of University of Southern California Marshall School of Business worked with Taco Bell. Half of the winnings will be donated to OneTen.
• Audience Award ($10,000) – Team Racial Justice League of Georgetown University McDonough School of Business worked with UPS. Half of the winnings will be donated to Dreaming Out Loud Inc.

The five finalist teams and their targeted industries were:

1. Emory University—Team Disruption, consulting and professional services
2. University of Southern California—Team Bridging the Business Gap, food and beverage
3. University of Florida—Team I.D.E.A., healthcare
4. Yale University—Team JAVELN, technology
5. Georgetown University—Team Racial Justice League, transportation and logistics

This second annual competition, named for the late Atlanta Congressman John R. Lewis, was sponsored by Accenture, IBM / Call for Code, Moderna, Taco Bell, UPS, Momentive.ai, and Yahoo! Finance. Goizueta was joined by university partners Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Howard University School of Business, Rice Jones Graduate School of Business, and Yale School of Management who hosted preliminary and semi-final events and recruited top students, sponsors, and judges nationwide.

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, civil rights leader, and confidant to Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young delivered the keynote address as Goizueta’s Robson Distinguished Lecturer. Young served as the 55^th mayor of Atlanta and served as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia. He was a key strategist and negotiator during civil rights campaigns that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Business has taken the lead,” Young shared in reflection on how times have changed. He went on to say, “Business is far more powerful for dealing with social change than is government.” His two words to guide students in their quest for racial justice? “Vision and courage.” On inspiring college students to become leaders, he encouraged a balanced life, reassuring them that “You will know when your time comes.”

Other ceremony participants included Goizueta MBA students and Managing Director Kegan Baird 22MBA and Co-Managing Director Jasmine Burton 22MBA, John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition founder Willie Sullivan 21MBA, and Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves.

“This competition is all about education and action,” said Baird. “It gives students like me really powerful, hands-on experience and organizations access to some of the brightest emerging leaders in business. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

The John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is part of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute. The Institute represents an elevated commitment by Goizueta Business School to address complex challenges confronting people, the planet, and the business community.

Learn more about the John R. Lewis Case Competition and how you can get involved.

The post Goizueta Business School Announces Winners of the 2022 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School today announced the semi-finalists of the 2022 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition.

To broaden the nationwide impact of this vital initiative that launched in 2021, Goizueta Business School serves as the overall competition organizer and host school. Goizueta has partnered with Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business, Howard School of Business, Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business, and Yale School of Management. Goizueta also welcomes its corporate sponsors Accenture, IBM / Call for Code, Moderna, Taco Bell, UPS, and Momentive.ai.

As the focus of the competition this year, entrants were invited to complete industry-specific applications for the categories of consulting and professional services, food and beverage, healthcare, technology, and transportation and logistics. This year’s competition drew 76 applicant teams from more than 40 universities who will compete for monetary prizes ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. All prizes are a one-to-one split, with 50 percent given to the winning team and 50 percent donated to an organization advancing racial justice of the winner’s choosing.

“I’m thrilled with the quality of the applications this year. It is clear these student teams invested in research to understand their chosen industry and they provided thoughtful ideas about the issues they identified,” says Lynne Segall 99MBA, associate dean for management practice initiatives and senior lecture of Organization & Management. “I hope each team that submitted an application feels proud regardless of whether they are advancing, and I encourage them to keep these issues front of mind as they move on in their careers, as we need all leaders focused on addressing systemic racism.”

In the preliminary round, applicant teams were judged on their ability to identify issues of racial justice in their specific industry and describe business’ role in solving said issues, their problem-solving approach, their rationale for selecting an organization to which their winning would be donated, and their demonstration of why their team represents diversity.

In the semifinal round, applicant teams will be judged by corporate partners, racial justice nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners, faculty, and elected officials who used a numerical scoring system across the following criteria: potential for impact, feasibility of recommendations, creativity of solution, boldness, research quality and evidential support for recommendations, story structure and narrative, slide craft, and presentation delivery.

Twenty Semi-Finalist Teams Announced

Goizueta is proud to announce that the semi-finalist teams advancing to the next round of the competition are:

• Accenture (Consulting & Professional Services)
  • Cornell University, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
  • Emory University, Goizueta Business School
  • Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School
  • University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Business School
• Taco Bell (Food & Beverage)
  • Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
  • University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
  • University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
  • Yale University, School of Management
• Moderna (Healthcare)
  • University of Florida, Hough Graduate School of Business
  • Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
  • Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
  • Rice University, Jones School of Business
• IBM / Call for Code (Technology)
  • University of California – Berkeley, Haas School of Business
  • University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
  • University of Washington, Foster School of Business
  • Yale University, School of Management
• UPS (Transportation & Logistics)
  • Earlham College
  • Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business
  • Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
  • The University of Texas at Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Business

The Origins of the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition to Address Systemic Racism and Racial Inequality

This first of its kind competition was held January 21, 2021, spearheaded by Willie Sullivan 21MBA to examine how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations. A team from the USC Marshall School of Business took first place, the Goizueta Business School team took second place, and the Harvard Business School team took home the audience award.

The 105 team applicants were narrowed to 24 teams of students from across the country that investigated how their assigned corporation could best use its resources to address issues of racial injustice and disparities in wealth, health, and education. Named for the late Atlanta Congressman, Fortune 500 companies including Walmart, Salesforce, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Southern Company, and Truist Bank joined as corporate partners to serve as models to help their organizations address structural racism.

“2020 was a time of reckoning; it enabled those who could not or historically chose not to see the deep roots of inequity in America to not only open their eyes to these realities but also to intentionally move in solidarity with black communities in the name of racial justice. While we are no longer sitting in that moment, the need for transformative racial justice work in both business and society persists, as it has for centuries,” says Jasmine Burton 22MBA, co-managing director. “As a coordinating leadership team, we are thrilled to see that diverse students across the country are continuing to use their skillsets and mindsets to showcase their commitment to racial equity, while also seeking to support companies in making lasting change to their DEI practices both within their companies and beyond.”

A program of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition brings together current business leaders and top students from across the country to go beyond short-term solutions and bring lasting change. The final round will be virtual and hosted by Emory University. Please register to join the final Zoom presentation on January 21, 2022. #JohnLewisCC22

The post Goizueta Business School Announces Semi-Finalists in the 2022 John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

The students—Bonnie Schipper 23JD/MBA, Bryan Shepherd 22MBA, Simone Trotman 22MBA, and Rutendo Chikuku 22MBA—proposed a dynamic discounting program that pays HP suppliers quicker and at a lower discount rate. HP Global Supplier Diversity Program Manager Terrell Smith said his company is measuring how many of its current minority suppliers opt in to the new discount payment system, and tracking the growth of diverse suppliers who are attracted to HP because of the discounting.

The students’ “phenomenal” work, Smith said, persuaded HP that “liquidity and long payment terms are a major barrier of entry that turns diverse suppliers off from engaging with larger companies and corporations.”

The stakes are immense: HP provides minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and other small businesses an equal opportunity to supply materials and services to HP, and also to act as resellers of HP products and services. In 2020, HP spent $570 million with these suppliers, creating a $1 billion in overall economic impact, Smith said.

We chose to sponsor the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition in large part because we believe that youth and young professionals in particular are key drivers of innovation.

Terrell Smith, manager of HP Global Supplier Diversity Program

And HP is only one company in this nationwide bind.

“Even though African Americans own more than 7 percent of U.S. businesses and make up over 10 percent of the U.S. population, most American corporations struggle to spend a proportionate amount of their first spend with Black and African American suppliers,” Smith noted. “We chose to sponsor the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition in large part because we believe that youth and young professionals, in particular, are key drivers of innovation.” 

Innovative Thought Leaders Tackle Racial Barriers in the Supply Chain

The Goizueta MBA students wanted to get at the root of the problem (why isn’t the supply chain more diverse?), not just address the symptoms (help HP spend more with diverse suppliers). They focused on this bigger question: What should be the role of business in society, specifically in matters of racial justice?

“Companies have to dig deep and address diversity on multiple levels instead of slapping a Band-Aid on this issue. Our recommendation to HP’s Global Supplier Diversity Program can easily be adjusted to address issues of racial disparity in countless other areas of business, including hiring and talent retention.  

Bonnie Schipper 23JD/MBA, a global and direct procurement intern at HP

Through focus groups with more than 30 industry leaders, the students identified three barriers to supply chain diversity: access to capital, access to people, and accountability. They came up with the dynamic discounting program as “a way for HP to pay their diverse suppliers sooner rather than later, to relieve a lot of the strains on their cash flow, which would allow them to grow along with the company and to undertake new initiatives and help create products that HP needs without worrying during that 90-day period before they get paid,” Schipper said.

Currently, some suppliers pay up to 9 percent APR to speed their payments; in the next fiscal year, HP hopes to offer .5 percent APR.

“We hope it really helps us lower this barrier of entry to doing business with HP,” Smith said. “This is something that hopefully other companies will be able to look at as a solid operating model to help negate this issue.”

Throughout the project, they framed their recommendations within HP’s strategic growth and sustainability goals. Dynamic discounting is “a way to generate short term value so that your bigger vision can live,” Shepherd said.

Just as Lewis’ legacy is one of action, so are the students’ recommendations—which Smith said is exactly what HP wanted. “We must be bold, we must be brave, and we must be courageous and find a way to get in the way,” he said, quoting Lewis.

Students Share Hiring Insight with Human Resources Professionals

Shepherd, Schipper, and Smith presented their progress in August at the 2021 Hire with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Virtual Conference. Human Capital Institute organized the event for human resources professionals seeking strategies for hiring with diversity, equity, and inclusion as priorities.

The students competed as Team I Have a Dream, to honor the friendship between Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. Goizueta MBA students founded the case competition as a response to the national reckoning in 2020 over racial inequities and deaths of George Floyd and others. Culminating during King Week, the competition featured 24 semifinalist teams (selected from more than 100 applicants). More than 800 people watched the online final round showcasing the top six teams.

The second John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition is underway, with semifinalist teams scheduled to be announced December 6.

Learn more about the 2022 competition. Learn more about Goizueta’s initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and gain insight into the work of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute. Sign up to attend here.

The post Real-World Impact: Goizueta Students Tackle Supply Chain Diversity at HP appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.

Applications are now open for Goizueta Business School’s second John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition. The competition seeks student leaders to investigate how companies can address racial injustice within their organizations. The 2022 competition expands its leadership by including students from prominent universities across the country to organize the event and host the semifinals. The application deadline for student teams is November 19, 2021.  

Partner universities include Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business, Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business, Yale School of Management, and Howard University School of Business.

“At Goizueta we know the issues of injustice and inequality are so big that we can’t be territorial,” said faculty sponsor Lynne Segall, associate dean for management practice initiatives. “We need to lock arms and be in this together, leading a broader coalition of university students to make a difference.”

This year, volunteer judges will select 20 semifinalist teams that will be assigned to one of five corporate partners. In December, each team will be given a case prompt specific to their corporate partner’s racial justice and equality goals. The students will then work to create bold, innovative and actionable racial justice and equity initiatives targeted to create lasting change.

“At Goizueta, we prepare principled leaders to have a positive impact on business and society,” said Karen Sedatole, Interim John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School. “I am so proud to see our students and partners coming together to push for critical change to strengthen business and communities alike.”

The John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition was started in 2021 by MBA student Willie Sullivan. He saw dozens of businesses releasing statements on racial injustice and wondered what actionable steps were being taken. With business representing the most trusted institution throughout the country and globally, he asked, “What are companies doing to address issues of racial injustice?”

In its inaugural year, the first-of-its-kind competition had more than 500 students from 52 universities participate. 

• The winning team from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business created a plan for Johnson & Johnson to use products and incentives to inspire one million Black girls to study STEM. 
• Other companies that participated in the 2021 competition include Walmart, Salesforce, HP, Southern Company, and Truist. 

The competition is part of The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute. The institute represents an elevated commitment by Goizueta Business School to explore how businesses can create long-term value, while addressing the social and environmental challenges of our time. The goal is to reimagine business to solve society’s biggest problems.

“Cornell, Rice, Yale, and Howard will help extend our reach to more applicants, new sponsors, and more people interested in the finals,” says Kegan Baird, Goizueta Business School 22MBA, who serves as managing director of the case competition. “It’s incredibly unique to have the opportunity to participate in or lead something like this in an MBA or academic career. It feels wonderful to take action and make something meaningful happen.” 

To learn more about how you can get involved with the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition, visit emory.biz/jlcc.

The post John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition Expands in Second Year appeared first on EmoryBusiness.com.