In fact, what astonishes me the most is when I ask them what others think of their idea/business concept and they say, “I don’t know, no one’s ever asked me.” Really? Digression warning: These brilliant young minds have been thinking about these issues for some time. The perceived societal issues and the solutions they come up with to solve them amaze me. This shouldn’t surprise anyone reading this if you are familiar with KO’s client base. Why? Because I’m a Michael Porter groupie and I completely buy into the concept of Creating Shared Value and the need, and the opportunity, for business to solve societal ills. While I am a big believer in the need for non-profit business structures, I challenge these students to solve a societal need by creating a for-profit business. Solve a societal need – provide a solution to what they believe to be a critical social issue.They are to design, in groups, a business that must:

My favorite part of the class, and where I tend to learn the most from them, is the challenge I give them within the first few minutes of class. Past company visits include: Nike, Franz, Columbia Sportswear, Costco, Adidas, Fred Meyer and Wieden and Kennedy to name just a few. Following lunch, they visit local companies to learn how business school practices are put into practical application in the real world. I’m with them every day from 9AM to Noon. Participants are either entering their Junior or Senior year of high school – a few just graduated. PSU’s Summer Business Institute provides high school students an introduction to the Business School and a brief glance at college life during a 4-day, 3-night on-campus visit. Whether it’s their naivety, their curiosity, or just their unwavering faith, it never ceases to amaze me how much I learn from their constant inquiry, “Why not?” Especially since the previous two years have revealed my prediction to be undeniably true. I start each class the same, “Believe it or not, I’m going to learn more from you than you do from me.” This being my 3 rd year teaching the Summer Business Institute at Portland State University, I saw no reason to change my intro.

Fred loopman sarasota florida