Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/201447
research Growing Microbusinesses Stephen Anderson-Macdonald, a doctoral candidate at London Business School, is studying the most effective ways to assist microentrepreneurs in South Africa and Ghana—many of whom live on less than US$2 a day. Through an ambitious research project, AndersonMacdonald wants to address largely ineffective foreign aid and microlending efforts by developing new approaches that will help owners of very small enterprises achieve profitability and scale. In Ghana, AndersonMacdonald and LBS professors are working with a local institution, Financial Republic, to test a new loan product tied to the purchase of assets such as equipment, construction, or vehicles. They will offer this loan to more than 3,500 businesses; then they will compare its effectiveness to that of typical cash loans not tied to asset purchases In South Africa, Anderson-Macdonald has partnered with Building Bridges, A representative of Financial Republic (left) with small an NGO founded by LBS business owners in Ghana. management professor traditional research entrepreneurs and commuMichael Hay, to nity stakeholders. This has tasks, he and his offer mini-MBA been one of the most importeam also must training sestant points I've learned from continuously raise sions in either running our randomizedfunds, complete marketing and controlled trials." grant reports, sales or finance Anderson-Macdonald conduct market and accounting plans to expand his examiresearch, train to about 1,000 nation of microlending pracsurvey teams, microentreStephen Andersontices to Uganda and Malawi. negotiate partner preneurs. The Macdonald He is working with Rajesh relationships, and researchers will Chandy, an entrepreneurtravel internationally. compare outcomes ship professor at LBS, and "This type of risky for these trainees to outBilal Zia, an economist at research project does not comes of members of a The World Bank. To supmove forward if people do control group that received port the project, Andersonnot roll up their sleeves no training. Macdonald and LBS have and get their hands dirty— Conducting such a secured funding from orgaoften quite literally," says large-scale research project nizations such as The World Anderson-Macdonald. "It requires a great deal of Bank, USAID, and the U.K.'s requires getting out of the entrepreneurial initiative and Department for International 'ivory tower' and spending legwork, says AndersonDevelopment. time in the field talking with Macdonald. In addition to UPCOMING & ONGOING I INSIDER LAUNCH DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago has launched The Business Education Insider, an online resource for national data, survey results, news, articles, and conference information pertaining to 58 November/December 2013 graduate business education, particularly programs for working professionals. The site, www.business educationinsider.com, tracks trends in graduate business programs in areas such as recruiting, enrollment, and student experience. For more information or to read BizEd BEI's first survey about parttime MBA program innovation, visit www.business educationinsider.com. I MEASURING RISK The Yale School of Management has launched the Yale Program on Financial Stability to provide case studies, research, and training to regulators in macroprudential financial regulation, which focuses on identifying, measuring, and managing systemic risk in financial markets. Established with a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the program also includes the creation of