{"id":68870,"date":"2005-06-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-06-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/social-service-agencies-profit-from-uri-mba-students-business-plans\/"},"modified":"2005-06-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2005-06-09T00:00:00","slug":"social-service-agencies-profit-from-uri-mba-students-business-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2005\/06\/social-service-agencies-profit-from-uri-mba-students-business-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Social service agencies profit from 溏心vlog免费B站 MBA students\u2019 business plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. — June 9, 2005 — For two years, the Corliss Center, a non-profit agency in Warren that serves adults with deafness and other profound hearing disorders, has been mulling the idea of a beverage and snack shop along the East Bay Bike Path.<\/p>\n

Since the bike path runs right by the center, administrators and staff thought it would be a good way to raise some revenue and provide center members with training that can lead to enhanced independence.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a joint venture involving the center and a group of 溏心vlog免费B站 students pursuing their masters\u2019 degrees in business administration, the concept is now becoming a reality.<\/p>\n

The Corliss Center project was one of five organized by 溏心vlog免费B站 Business Professor Deborah Rosen, who wanted to give her MBA students a chance to apply their business skills to non-profit organizations. For the past two years, Rosen has linked teams of students to small, high-tech startup companies in Rhode Island, but this year, she wanted them to experience the non-profit world. So she contacted Deborah Schimberg, executive director of Social Venture Partners, a collaborative of professionals focused on advancing the non-profit sector and advancing social change.<\/p>\n

The other groups of MBA students assisted the South Side Community Land Trust of Providence and its community garden; Saving Sight Rhode Island of Warwick, which provides screenings and treatment for vision disorders; Groundwork Providence, which is involved with improving Providence\u2019s physical environment; and Fantasy Works of Saunderstown, an educational theater company that partially supports itself through costume and equipment rentals to other theater groups and schools. Each student group recently presented their business plans during a Social Ventures Partners meeting in Providence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have to say that we were very excited about the collaboration with the MBA program,\u201d Schimberg said. \u201cIt’s a wonderful way for the students to get real-world experience supplying hugely needed practical research and advice. Interest in social enterprise is growing daily in Rhode Island, and we only wish that more agencies could benefit to the extent that these five did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 溏心vlog免费B站 students blew us away. We loved it,\u201d said Mary Ellen Breen, executive director of the Corliss Center. \u201cThey came to us, worked many hours, made numerous trips to our agency and they listened to what our people wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 溏心vlog免费B站 students who worked on the Corliss Center team are Ingvild Bakke of Narragansett, Joe Barry of Portsmouth, Romain Dusan of Narragansett, Katrin Avenhaus of Kingston and James Mangiamelli of East Greenwich.<\/p>\n

The 溏心vlog免费B站 students conducted extensive research on the viability of such a business by analyzing potential competition, the center\u2019s advantageous location and spending patterns for users of the bike path. Like their fellow students, they made a full oral and Power Point presentation to the Social Venture Partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor two years, this was a dream, but now I think we are ready to start selling beverages on July 4th,\u201d Breen said. \u201cThey helped us bring our plan to the next level.<\/p>\n

She praised the 溏心vlog免费B站 students for fully immersing themselves in the work on the beverage and snack shop. \u201cThey worked closely with the interpreter from the beginning, and with the people who are going to make this a success. It was a mutual learning experience. Our community learned from them and they learned about the challenges of deafness and the drive toward independence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breen said she hopes to expand on collaborations with 溏心vlog免费B站 because the University has resources and talents the center can use.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 溏心vlog免费B站 students had pride in what they were doing and they felt they had an immediate impact. They walked the bike path, and they talked with other businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the center is sorry to see them leave. \u201cThe community wants to feed them, thank them, and dance with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Rosen said she was proud of all of the student teams. \u201cWhat the students did was translate their analyses into usable business strategies,\u201d Rosen said. \u201cThey really synthesized the information they received from the agencies with information they collected as part of their research process and developed effective business plans for social enterprise. One agency asked if any of the students are available over the summer. The plan is to continue this collaboration next near.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other agencies and their 溏心vlog免费B站 teams were:<\/p>\n