A second trip was planned for March 2007 over spring break with 16 graduate students and two faculty members attending. The returning group broke into two teams – one that implemented the school’s new business model; and a second team that conducted a two-day seminar in Managua for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners.

At the MVI School, the Schools of Business students implemented a simple but effective accounting system. Paper receipts are used to track individual sales transactions and entered into QuickBooks Pro, a common turnkey accounting application for small businesses. QuickBooks Pro was purchased, installed and customized by the Schools of Business team to fit the raw materials, cost structure and client base of the MVI School.

At the same time, the marketing team set about determining the key characteristics of the MVI School brand and defining the product range. Building upon the quality of the students’ production, the marketing team determined the MVI School’s products should be positioned as a medium to premium product promoting its hand-made quality as well as the ability of its sale to support the school and its students. The marketing team also created promotional items including business cards and brochures, and it is continuing to develop a Web site.

The operations team focused on optimizing the floor plan, storage space and other organizational techniques of the MVI School. After several days of studying the various processes, the team met with Deibert to determine the optimal flow of personnel and materials in creating a new flow and storage plan.

Across the city, the two-day business seminar used situational problems to introduce business concepts to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. Perhaps more importantly, the seminar also served as a vehicle to facilitate discussion, teamwork and networking among the attendees. With concepts ranging from managing inventory to break-even analysis to advertising and marketing, the seminar was a huge success. After the seminar’s first day, word of its value spread fast through the business community and attendance increased on the second day.

The Schools of Business students, who were immersed in a new culture, shocked by the acute poverty and challenged to apply clean class concepts to gritty real-life situations, called the trip “a life-changing experience,” “truly-rewarding” and “extremely moving.” Megan Glaser, a member of the marketing team, said “I couldn’t imagine any way for this trip to have gone any better.”