More than 30 students from diverse Global Network for Advanced Management member schools virtually attend the module offered by EGADE Business School.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Students from 11 business schools participated in the module “Strategic Innovation and Management in Emerging Markets: Latin America”, offered by EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey, within the October 2020 online edition of Global Network Week.

This one-week course brought together, in a virtual setting, 31 students from EGADE Business School and from the following institutions that are also Global Network for Advanced Management member institutions:

• FGV Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil)
• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile School of Business (Chile)
• Fudan University School of Management (China)
• Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (India)
• UBC Sauder School of Business (Canada)
• University of Indonesia Faculty of Economics (Indonesia)
• Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University (Nigeria)
• Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (UK)
• Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO (Russia)
• Koç University Graduate School of Business (Turkey)

Participants, who encompassed 10 nationalities, explored post-COVID-19 leadership challenges in Latin America, strategic management beyond markets, brand extensions (Frida Kahlo case), and business culture, protocol, and etiquette in Mexico, among other topics.

THE EXPERIENCE WITH EGADE

Sergey Rezontov, a student from the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, commented:

“This module gives a unique experience, important insights, deep analysis on Latin America market as well as opportunity for real-life experience and practical test based on an entrepreneur’s project. It creates a great value for me to be part of this program! Thanks a lot!”

Saumya Nagpal, a student from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, said:

“The EGADE Global Network Week is very well-structured, so you get to work closely with people from different cultures even in an online scenario. I've loved the entire experience so far!”

Mertcan Cengiz, a student from Koç University Graduate School of Business, stated:

“EGADE Business School has a good reputation in the world and I wanted to be part of it. I like working with different cultures and learning from them. Furthermore, the topic of the week was interesting among others and I felt excited about all of the things that will contribute to me this week.”

Jorge Luis López Law, EGADE Business School student, remarked:

"As a Mexican, I thoroughly enjoyed this Global Network Week course; it fully submerges you in the industry’s culture and context, and, more importantly, in doing business in Latin America. The virtual format was very user-friendly and interactive. It was a great experience, highly recommendable.”

EGADE Business School’s module sessions were offered by Dean Ignacio de la Vega; the professors Iván Valdovinos, Christiane Molina, Everardo Elizondo, Edgar Centeno, Igor Rivera, Juan Carlos Rivera, Sascha Fuerst, and Valeria Sánchez; and business coach María Tereshchenko.

Guest speakers included Eduardo Rodríguez, President and Director of FlatStone Capital Advisors, and CEO and founder of Trident Xchange, and María Mercedes Peláez, Strategy and Innovation Manager at Organización Corona.

Other participants were Pedro Álamos and Brian Bauer, general manager and Circular Economy and Alliances leader at Algramo, respectively. This company set a challenge for students, who presented projects for breaking into the Mexican, Peruvian, and Colombian markets.

The participants also enjoyed cultural interactions, including a virtual tour of the Teotihuacán archaeological site and a tasting of traditional Mexican candy.

#GNW2020 AROUND THE WORLD

A total of 55 EGADE Busines School students, from the programs EGADE MBA, EGADE - UNC Charlotte MBA in Global Business & Strategy, Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Global OneMBA, participated virtually in 17 modules offered worldwide, within the October 2020 edition of the Global Network Week.

Global Network Weeks are held periodically from two to four times a year and are one of the main programs of the Global Network for Advanced Management, a network of 32 leading business schools from across the world.

The director of EGADE Business School, Guadalajara, offers a keynote conference to representatives of the ICT sector, within the ANADIC Virtual Congress 2020.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Digital transformation is not just about technology. In order to be effective, technological capabilities have to converge with the company’s culture and business strategy, stated Raúl Montalvo, Director of EGADE Business School, Guadalajara.

“There definitely has to be a concurrence. Technology is of no use if it is not adopted by the company’s culture; an aligned culture is of no use if there’s no access to technology; and neither of these components (technology and culture) will be of any use without the development of a strategy with the capacity to guide digital transformation,” he explained.

Montalvo offered the keynote conference “Digital transformation and industry 4.0” to representatives of more than 400 companies from the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, within the ANADIC Virtual Congress 2020.

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The academic stressed that another important aspect of digital transformation is to know who is driving it in organizations.

According to the Altimeter Digital Transformation Survey, he commented, the executive that most commonly leads and supports digital transformation is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), reaching 54 percent.

The next positions are Chief Executive Officer (CEO), 42 percent; Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO), 29 percent; Chief Digital Officer (CDO),15 percent; and Chief Experience Officer (CXO), 5 percent.

“The latter two positions (CDO and CXO) are becoming increasingly significant nowadays,” said Montalvo.

The congress was organized by ANADIC de México, a national association of distribution companies from the ICT sector.

Leading the digital era, EGADE Business School offers an online executive program, Strategic Digital Transformation, and two graduate degrees, the Specialization in Digital Strategy and the Master in Business Analytics.

Presentation of the BP Energy Outlook, 2020 edition, a report based on three possible paths for the global energy transition

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Possible paths for the development of the global energy landscape up to 2050 were addressed by industry experts during the presentation of the 2020 edition of the BP Energy Outlook, in the framework of the EGADE Future Forum series.

In the webinar “Three scenarios to explore the future of energy,” Jorge Blazquez, Lead Economist for Power Renewable Energy and Carbon Markets at BP, and Rolando Fuentes, Research Professor at EGADE Business School, explored the energy transition through the three main scenarios presented in the BP report:

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• ​Rapid: This first scenario assumes the introduction of political measures which would result in a 70% decline in emissions derived from energy use by 2050. It corresponds to limiting the increase in global temperatures with respect to pre-industrial levels to well below 2ºC for 2100.
   
• Net Zero: This second scenario assumes that the policy measures introduced in the Rapid scenario are reinforced by significant changes in consumer and social behavior and preferences, such as an increased adoption of circular and collaborative economies and a shift to low-carbon energy sources, thus reducing carbon emissions from energy use by 95% by 2050. It corresponds to limiting the increase in global temperatures with respect to pre-industrial levels to 1.5ºC for 2100.
   
• Business-as-usual or BAU: This third scenario assumes that government policies, technologies and social preferences continue to evolve in a manner and at a speed similar to the recent past. Thus, carbon emissions derived from energy use would reach their highest level in the mid-2020s, not decreasing significantly, but rather representing a reduction in emissions in 2050 of less than 10% compared to 2018 levels.

"This presentation is important not only because the energy sector is key in business, but also because the focus of this report is the energy transition and this is precisely what we at EGADE are interested in: innovation, technology, new business models and strategy,” highlighted Fuentes.

The entire webinar can be viewed here.

La Cosita Chula, a platform co-founded by a Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship alumna, is participating in the Inédito 2020 exhibition.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

A functional design project of La Cosita Chula, an innovative platform that promotes the Mexican artisan industry and cofounded by EGADE alumna Mónica Camacho, was selected to participate in the sixth edition of Inédito, within Design Week México 2020.

The piece, called “Tríada Cobata”, comprised of three utilitarian objects and three hanging lamps, was made with lava stone, and laminated stainless steel by artisans from Tlajomulco, Jalisco.

The creation, which measures 70 centimeters at the tallest point and weighs 60 kilos, represents the power of women and their importance in society across three generations, drawing inspiration from the colossal Olmec “mother culture” sculptures of Mesoamerica.

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“This expression of our country’s talent, which combines innovation and tradition to perfection, reflects our feeling towards Mexican women, the cornerstone of our society,” explained Camacho, a graduate of the Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

La Cosita Chula is a platform for over 100 artisans in the Mexican states of Nayarit, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacán, Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Chiapas, which seeks to develop and professionalize the artisan industry in Mexico.

Inclusive workplace practices and social impact strategies enable artisans to market their arts and crafts in formal markets, thereby ensuring that they receive a fair price.

Camacho commented that, for the past four years, La Cosita Chula has focused its efforts on driving fair trade for Mexico’s artisans, who usually live in vulnerable situations given the industry’s informality, impacted by replicas, foreign imitations, and haggling.

At present, the master artisans work with diverse techniques, such as copper, openwork clay, black clay, palm leaves, stone, Huichol beading, and Talavera pottery.

Camacho remarked that, last year, the platform achieved a double-digit growth in business, giving artisans a 30% profit margin, which is far above that of informal markets.

The La Cosita Chula piece exhibited at Design Week México 2020 is competing for the Inédito Prize, worth 80,000 pesos, or one of the eight honorable mentions.

This work of art can be viewed in the Inédito 2020 exhibition, which will be open until February 8, 2021, at Espacio CDMX Arquitectura y Diseño.

Admission to the exhibition is free. Visitors can book in advance here.

Rolando Fuentes contributes as the first author of a policy brief published by Think20, an advisory group for the world's leading industrialized and emerging economies.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Climate change goals can be achieved by decarbonizing the electricity sector and electrifying sectors that currently use other fuels.

This is stated in a policy brief developed by Think20 (T20) ahead of the G20Leaders- Summit 2020, that will be held virtually on November 21st and 22nd and chaired by Saudi Arabia. Rolando Fuentes, a research professor at EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, contributed as first author of this policy brief.

"The T20 is one of the Group of Twenty’s research and advisory groups. In our report, we propose a novel way of contributing to reducing the problem of climate change through technological innovations in the electricity and transport sectors," explained the academic.

The policy brief, entitled Sector Coupling, Regulatory Convergence and Climate Change, provides a series of research-based energy policy recommendations to mitigate climate change that will be shared with world leaders for their consideration.

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In the document, Fuentes and his co-authors indicate that the electricity sector is undergoing significant technological disruptions that are changing the essence of its regulatory and commercial landscape.

Similarly, other sectors that are good candidates for electrification, such as transportation, are experiencing new technological interruptions, leading to paradigm shifts.

"It is possible that new business models in electricity and transportation will converge, and the two sectors will focus on services marketed on a digital platform, leading to their horizontal integration," they argue.

A side effect of this process would be an increase in the use of electricity for mobility, thereby reducing emissions if the electricity is generated from carbon-free sources.

"Governments, both individually and collectively, should ensure the removal of barriers to the convergence of these sectors, avoiding inadvertently delaying the horizontal integration of sectors with fragmented approaches," the researchers recommend.

Together with Fuentes, Matthias Finger, of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Lester C. Hunt of the University of Portsmouth, UK; Baltasar Manzano, of the Universidade de Vigo, Spain; Juan José Montero, from Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain; and Nora Nezamuddin, from the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Saudi Arabia, are authors of the document.

As one of the eight engagement groups of the G20, the T20 brings together think tanks and academics from the international community to generate policy proposals that are formally presented to world leaders.

The topics the T20 studies include climate change and the environment; sustainable energy, water and food systems; social cohesion; and investment in, and financing of, infrastructure.

The full policy brief can be found here.

Leaders present a Decalogue for the Economic & Business Refounding of Mexico in a webinar of the EGADE Future Forum series

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Leaders from the business world and the media discussed EGADE Business School’s Decalogue for the Economic & Business Refounding of Mexico, in a presentation that was part of the EGADE Future Forum series.

Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, served as webinar moderator and explained that the document was created to contribute to finding collective solutions for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.

At the beginning of the session, he reviewed the 10 proposals of the Decalogue, aligned with EGADE Business School's committed vision for the transformation of Mexico, among them: developing a more conscious business model; building resilient societies and organizations; and establishing the entrepreneurial ecosystem as the core of recovery.

"In our Decalogue, we speak of the need to drive economic recovery through sustainability and innovation, notably through redefining the companies and sectors that receive investment. How can we articulate this change in company mindset towards a model that is fairer and more responsible for society?” he questioned.

María Ariza, Chief Executive of the Institutional Stock Exchange (BIVA), pointed out that companies play an essential role in economic recovery, since they can offer better conditions for development and well-being.

"Wealth is generated in companies and companies move this country forward, in this crisis, as in any other. Investment and growth bring opportunities, jobs, a future, and even taxes for social programs," she said.

Alberto Bello, editor-in-chief of Grupo Expansion, underscored that leadership that is open to collaboration and teamwork will be key to recovery.

“We have to learn to be more transparent in our relationships, and seek new formulas for Mexican companies and new leadership to build bridges. We are all in this together," he said.

For his part, Carlos Salazar Lomelín, President of the Mexican Business Coordinating Council (CCE), warned that, bearing in mind the COVID-19 crisis, the country's economic recovery will take the entire current six-year presidential term.

"If you add up what analysts say about how we are going to end 2020 and what happened in 2019, not until 2024 will we be returning to the economic size we had in 2018," said Salazar Lomelín.

He also observed that this situation will result in a lack of social mobility and opportunities for young people, which is why he urged employers to have a sense of social responsibility, to show their concern about pensions, and about the workers and their development.

The complete webinar can be seen here.

The Decalogue for the Economic & Business Refounding of Mexico was published on July 6th, 2020 on the EGADE Business School website.

The students have joined the global movement, created by UN Women, with the launch of the student club to drive commitment to action against gender inequality.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

To create gender equality awareness in the student and academic community, the EGADE Business School students’ Club HeForShe initiated its activities with a virtual talk on women’s participation in public policy.

HeForShe is a global movement created by UN Women in 2014, inviting men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women by joining forces to defend gender equality.

Amparo Orozco, EGADE MBA student and president of the club, invited all the attendees to get involved and sign the HeForShe commitment to take action against sexist prejudice, discrimination, and violence in order to enjoy the advantages of equality.

“We know that this change won’t happen overnight, but, as agents of transformation and students of EGADE Business School, it is crucial to bring conversation in gender equality to the table and start the transition towards a more equitable, conscious society,” she commented.

The club's board of directors is also made up of students Astrid Machado, vice president; Daniel Álvarez, secretary; Emilio Rabiela, treasurer, and Ariselda González, communication and events.

Within the framework of the launching of Club HeForShe, the students invited Reyna Torres Mendivil, Consul General of Mexico in Chicago, to offer the conference "The Role of Women in Public Policy".

The complete conference can be found here.

Follow the club on social media: Facebook, Twitter y LinkedIn.

In the pandemic, collaborators commonly feel distressed, but leaders can make a difference in consolidating resilience and constructively positioning organizations, according to an expert.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

More than half of all collaborators across the world have been reporting intensified levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue, or fear produced by isolation and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was explained by Jaime García Narro, Associate Dean of Executive Education, in the virtual conference “Emotion and Organizational Anxiety Management”, offered for the EGADE Business School graduate community.

The overwhelming effects of the current crisis, he stated, quoting an article by the consulting firm McKinsey, remind us that the fundamental role of a leader is to make a positive difference in people.

“Leaders can take an interest in each person, consolidate resilience, and constructively position the organization, reimagining the post-crisis future,” commented the also emotional intelligence coach and instructor.

To achieve this, he added, leaders need to cultivate their consciousness, vulnerability, empathy, and compassion internally, and then look outwards once more to address the concerns of all the related parties.

García Narro suggested several anti-anxiety actions, such as limit exposure to the news, stop resisting and accept reality, avoid multitasking, meditate, and serve others.

In order to achieve a positive impact, he recommended that leaders should be approachable and listen actively and frequently, setting up group check-ins, generating individual appointments, and creating multidisciplinary support groups.

“How can you connect with everyone? Show empathy, take the diversity of realities into consideration, give meaning to the here and now and the future, and create cohesion and a sense of unity,” he said.

In the current situation, feeling distressed is common, but anxiety can be useful and leaders can make a difference, since by serving others they are also serving themselves and the organization, he concluded.

Watch the complete webinar here.