Sponsored Projects

A123 Systems designs, develops, manufactures and sells advanced, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and battery systems.

Project: A123 Systems was interested in a competitive assessment of the industry, including the top 10 cell product competitors. The SGE Immersion team researched and analyzed a range of competitive attributes, including product features/benefits, product costing, manufacturing process and costs, and competitor financial structures. Competitors ranged from large multinationals (e.g., Sony, LG, Johnson Controls/Saft) to smaller start-ups (e.g., BAK, BYD). The team developed a decision tool to provide specific information about the competitive landscape, as well as detail the underlying processes which enabled A123 to continue to refresh the data and hence the quality of the competitive assessment over time.

The Hersha Group of Companies includes: Hersha Hospitality Trust (www.hersha.com), an NYSE listed real estate investment trust (REIT); Hersha Hospitality Management (www.hershahotels.com), a nationally recognized hotel management and asset management organization; and Hersha Development Corporation, one of the nation’s leading hotel development companies.

Project: Sustainability was becoming a more salient issue for the hospitality industry, and while most brands had sustainability guidelines, there was great variation between and among them. It was not uncommon for there to be a large gap between stated guidelines and actual implementation. Few hoteliers had thought deeply about the revenue generation opportunities that might emanate from a more nuanced understanding of sustainability as a driver of innovation and competitive advantage. Hersha wanted to develop a more comprehensive sustainability strategy that would not only benchmark industry best practices, but would also begin to identify potential revenue generation opportunities for the company. The SGE Immersion team developed a strategy by benchmarking existing guidelines and standards across the industry and major brands, identifying short and mid-term investment opportunities, crafting a strategic marketing strategy for the company’s sustainability activities, and identifying emerging trends within the industry that could present Hersha with opportunities for competitive advantage in the marketplace.

SNV, a Dutch social enterprise committed to eliminating poverty and inequality in emerging markets, is an operating foundation, a management consultancy, a think tank and a social investment fund. SNV’s blended model allows them to leverage their local operations in more than 100 offices in 32 countries in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and Latin America while maintaining a strategic global outlook critical to building synergies and catalyzing knowledge across regions. SNV offers strategic advisory services that build the capability of public and private actors to develop solutions that increase income and employment opportunities for the low income segment while increasing their access to basic services, such as education, energy, health, and water and sanitation. As a key partner in development at the local, sub-national, national, regional, and global levels, SNV’s role is that of a catalyst for sustainable and scalable development critical to ensuring that the poor are protagonists in shaping their own future. SNV has a presence in seven countries in Latin America, including Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. With a team of approximately 200 advisers, SNV Latin America (SNV-LA) is building its practice around the principle of economic inclusion, working to integrate the majorities into economic as well as social and public systems as an integrated solution to poverty and inequality. The organization had developed the concept of inclusive business over the prior two years in alliance with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the alliance was developing 70 inclusive business initiatives in Latin America.

Project: The SGE Immersion evaluated a new business opportunity for a pharmaceutical company to deliver its products and services to low income consumers in Bolivia.

Beginning in 1886 as a parquet flooring company, SC Johnson has a reputation for consumer-driven innovation. The company produces a host of well-known consumer brands, including Shout, Windex, Ziploc, Glade, Vanish, Raid, OFF!, and Pledge sold in more than 70 countries. SCJ is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, doing more than $9 billion in sales.

Project: Using SC Johnson’s CCS business partnership in Kenya as a focal point, the SGE Immersion team evaluated existing tools and frameworks meant to assess BoP business success, and made recommendations to the company regarding an appropriate business assessment framework for SC Johnson. The assessment considered the information valuable for entrepreneurs to run their business more competitively; for corporate managers to link BoP business to competitive advantage as a driver of business success for their companies; and for others (NGOs, multilaterals, etc.) to effectively communicate the sustainability value BoP business initiatives.

New York City Transit (NYCT) is the largest agency in New York’s MTA regional transportation network, which also includes Staten Island Railway (part of NYC Transit’s Department of Subways), Long Island Rail Road, Long Island Bus, Metro-North Railroad, Bridges and Tunnels, and Capital Construction. NYCT operates 24-hour-a-day bus and subway service throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Project: New York City Transit was always seeking new ways to enhance revenues and manage costs. Its Capital Program Management’s Innovation and Technology Group was initiating an innovative effort to create enhanced entrepreneurial activities within NYCT. The SGE Immersion team assessed how an Entrepreneurial Business Development Cell (EBDC) — a small, tightly focused entrepreneurial business development group that incorporates internal subject matter experts with external technology and business development expertise — might maximize value added to the NYCT organization from solar energy investments. The SGE Immersion team evaluated MTA business opportunities associated with solar energy in mass transit operations.

MicroVest Holdings is a capital-mobilizing intermediary for microfinance institutions (MFIs) that makes direct debt and equity investments in promising, sustainable, existing MFIs across broad geographic developing areas.

Project: The SGE Immersion team evaluated a commercially-oriented BoP investment strategy appropriate to the company’s goal of having $600 million under management by 2014.

Insinger Machine Company is a family owned and privately operated company that delivers warewashing equipment and service to the hospitality, healthcare, education, corrections, and military markets worldwide.

Project: Insinger dishwashers were energy efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly; designed for easy operation, simple daily maintenance, and service; and delivered high rack capacities with low operating costs. In many cases, Insinger models were seen to deliver superior environmental benefits as compared to the competition. However, recent trends in the marketplace made it clear that these benefits were not translating into revenue. The SGE Immersion team developed a proactive, forward-looking sustainability strategy consisting of two elements: a strategic marketing plan and a technology evaluation process. The strategic marketing plan identified customer segments where the holistic value of Insinger products could be communicated as a more effective way to grow the company’s revenue base. The technology evaluation process was meant to assess whether there any promising technologies — either not yet commercialized or currently being applied in other industries for other uses — might revolutionize dishwashing and become a basis for developing new markets for the company.

GE is a global manufacturer of a wide range of products for the home and business, including Appliances, Consumer Electronics, Home Comfort and Safety, Lighting, Automotive, Aviation, Commercial, Energy, Healthcare, Retail, Security, and Transportation.

Project: The SGE Immersion team developed a marketing strategy for GE’s global wind services business. The team developed customer segmentation insights for global wind services through evaluation of the installed base and interviews with various parts of the value chain.

American Governor Company (AGC) provides critical support and equipment to over 90% of the North American hydropower market.

Project: American Governor Company has a straightforward traditional business model for the hydroelectric industry – selling parts, providing field service, performing repairs, and administering training. This project focused on developing a new business model to aid AGC in its transition towards a “service” model based on multi-year contracts with hydro owners who receive guarantees about operations and performance to better serve the core needs of its customers

American Governor Company (AGC) provides critical support and equipment to over 90% of the North American hydropower market.

Project: There are tens of thousands of dams in the United States, but only about 2,000 are used to produce power. Many of these sites are excellent locations to develop small/mini/micro hydroelectric plants. The SGE Immersion team developed a business model to pursue these projects.