2012 Domestic Corps Projects
Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA) - Chicago, IL - www.ccachicago.org
CCA is a nonprofit management consulting firm serving the City of Chicago through a unique public-private partnership with prominent consulting firms, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. CCA helps the City address its key strategic and operational issues by using a combination of CCA staff, staff on loan from for-profit consulting firms, and guidance from Chicago's most senior business and civic leaders. CCA's focus areas include: education, environment and transit, workforce development, public services and quality of life.
Projects: Two (2) MBA interns will complete high-impact projects for the City of Chicago, working side-by-side with CCA consultants and senior executives in Chicago government. Projects may be focused on environment, education, government, or public safety. The project will be developed as priorities are closer to being finalized and appropriate fit with the intern is determined.
Additional information regarding this project (pdf).
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) - www.edf.org
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) uses economic incentives to achieve transformational change within four key program areas - climate, oceans, ecosystems, and health. Through its Corporate Partnership Program, EDF works to harness the power of markets to unleash environmental salutations and innovations.
Project #1 (Washington DC or Boston, MA): Climate Corps Online Resource and Engagement - A BBA intern will develop and expand an internal network strategy for the Climate Corps network as they engage in activities that aim to reduce energy in the commercial building sector. (Details in pdf.)
Project #2 (Boston, MA): Energy Efficiency Financing - An MBA/MS (Erb Institute) intern will research and catalog best practices for identifying and prioritizing heavy machinery manufacturing energy efficiency opportunities. This will lead to creating a framework for corporate decisions on what energy efficiency projects should be financed through internal versus third party capital. (Details in pdf.)
Project #3 (Boston, MA): Nitrogen Pollution - An MBA/MS (Erb Institute) intern will identify and research key questions for exploring the viability and effectiveness of selected EDF projects that limit nitrogen pollution from agriculture. Potential projects include work with large corn growers, major poultry suppliers, or leading equipment suppliers such as John Deere who represent a significant percentage of this market. (Details in pdf.)
Project #4 (San Francisco, CA or Bentonville, AR): Stakeholder Engagement - An MBA/MS (Erb Institute) intern will take a lead role in further development and implementation of an NGO engagement strategy with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC), led by Walmart to credibly rate the sustainability of products through science and related tools. (Details in pdf.)
Project #5 (Boston, MA): Goods Movement Analysis -
An MBA/MS (Erb Institute) intern will examine current inventory management standard practices, with a focus on the consumer product and retail sector’s freight transportation choices. He/she will identify opportunities to enable companies to increase utilization of slower, less carbon-intensive options while keeping inventory costs low. (Details in pdf.)
Project #6 (Bentonville, AR): Consumer Product Sustainability - An MBA/MS (Erb Institute) intern will work with EDF staff, Walmart’s corporate sustainability team, Walmart merchants, and Walmart suppliers in different product categories to identify areas of potential product improvement that have significant greenhouse gas savings. (Details in pdf.)
Focus: HOPE - Detroit, MI - www.focushope.edu
Focus: HOPE is a nationally recognized civil and human rights organization in Detroit, with the mission of using intelligent and practical action to fight racism, poverty and injustice. Their programs include a food program for eligible mothers, children and senior citizens; education and training in information technology, manufacturing and engineering; community arts programs; community and economic development initiatives; a manufacturing operation; children's day care and education, conference facilities, and volunteer and outreach activities.
Projects: Two (2) interns - 1 MBA and 1 BBA - will develop a strategic business and implementation plan that builds on a feasibility report developed by 2009 Domestic Corps interns for a Center for Urban Learning and Leadership (CULL). CULL is already slated as a priority item for execution in late 2012; the interns will therefore provide a significant startup plan for the center and a sustainable business model for its implementation.
Additional information regarding this project (pdf).
Henry Ford Learning Institute (HFLI) - Dearborn, MI - www.hfli.org
The Henry Ford Learning Institute (HFLI) mission is to create small schools and hands-on learning programs that leverage a wide range of local resources to create thriving communities where education is everyone's responsibility. HFLI uses design thinking to advance innovative solutions in education, and is re-centering its efforts on the City of Detroit.
Projects (up to 2): Up to two (2) interns, both 1 MBA and 1 BBA, will tackle strategic and/or operational projects that align to the current comprehensive strategic initiative for the next 5-7 years. Probable projects include creating an operations manual/toolkit for high functioning schools in the Henry Ford Academies, and analyzing and operationalizing a specific strand of the strategic plan for implementation.
Additional information regarding this project (pdf).
Institute at the Golden Gate - San Francisco, CA - www.instituteatgoldengate.org
The Institute at Golden Gate disseminates innovative environmental solutions and drives sustainable change across communities by brokering long-term relationships between nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental groups. Headquartered at the historic Fort Baker at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Institute leverages its expansive network – from the Aspen Institute, World Wildlife Fund to Bank of America – to empower effective solutions to environment opportunities.
Project: An MBA intern will conduct market research on business models for "park prescription" insurance products, which specifically look at ways health care providers can work with public lands to get their patients more physically active and drive down health care costs.
Additional information regarding this project (pdf).
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