Hi Hidden-Techers, As an MBA student at UMass Amherst, I am actively trying to get our MBAs connected into the community as a resource. Two graduate clubs, NAWMBA and NetImpact, have a conference coming up, and it is my hope that we will be able to engage both MBAs and local businesses for a more interactive conference than the traditional "panels only" style. As such, we are reaching out to both established businesses and startups around the region for an opportunity to present a challenging question for round-table workshopping with MBAs and other professionals. We have room for 10-12 challenges and seek a diversity of issues so that conference attendees may have some variety to choose from. Below is a link to sign up if you're interested - I would really love it if we get some of you involved!! --- Call for applications! Do you have a "wish list" business issue that you just don't have time to work on? Are you tired of the same issue and want a different perspective into a solution? Are you facing a challenge and want the opinion of creative, experienced and informed professionals and MBAs? NetImpact UMass <http://isenberg.umass.edu/netimpact/> and NAWMBA UMass<http://isenberg.umass.edu/nawmba/> are actively seeking businesses and startups who would be interested in presenting their own real-life challenge for small collaborative workshopping by participants in our fall conference. *CONFERENCE INFORMATION:* *Saturday, November 19th, 2011* *8:30am to 1:00pm* *UMass, Amherst* ** The first part of the conference will include a panel that will discuss how businesses with sustainability as a focus of their mission transitioned into larger firms, corporations, or maintained their mission during and after a buyout. While we are actively seeking participation from all regional businesses, we will give some preference to business problems that relate to an aspect of sustainability - and everything that broad term encompasses** (see below) If interested, please use the link below to contact us with your basic information and Claire Spencer, PR Chair of NAWMBA will be in touch shortly. Business Workshop Application - November 19th, 2011<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEF5TWdMQW1zVDJYdkVlbndnT1JBNVE6MQ> Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEF5TWdMQW1zVDJYdkVlbndnT1JBNVE6MQ Claire Spencer MBA Candidate 2012 The Isenberg School cspencer at som.umass.edu (413) 847-1126 **Sustainability <http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Sustainability> - Institutional sustainability: i.e. can the strengthened institutional structure continue to deliver the results of the technical cooperation to the ultimate end-users? The results may not be sustainable if, for example, the planning unit strengthened by the technical cooperation ceases to have access to top-management or is not provided with adequate resources for the effective performance after the technical cooperation terminated; - Economical and financial sustainability: i.e. can the results of the technical cooperation continue to yield an economic benefit after the technical cooperation is withdrawn? For example, the benefits from the introduction of new crops may not be sustained, if the constraints to marketing the crops are not resolved. Similarly, economic (distinct from financial) sustainability may be at risk, if the end-users continue to depend on heavily-subsidized activities and inputs. - Ecological sustainability: i.e. are the benefits to be generated by the technical cooperation likely to lead to a deterioration in the physical environment (thus indirectly contributing to a fall in production) or well-being of the groups targeted and their society? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20110927/efffe9dc/attachment.html