We just got back from a whirlwind visit to Redmond and Seattle to kick off our MAP project for Microsoft. Two words sum up my current mental state: 1) overwhelmed; 2) excited!
We spent last Monday, March 15, flying in to Seattle and settling into our hotel in Bellevue, WA. We had a team dinner at Cheesecake Factory and glorified in our first reimbursed meal since starting school. We ran into our sponsor, Karen Leavitt, in our hotel lobby and all took an instant liking to her.
Tuesday morning we headed into the Microsoft campus in Redmond and kicked off a day of meetings with Matt Rossmeissl, Mike Novasio and Ross Alum Ganga Venkatasubramanian, who were all interested in the research we would be doing on emerging markets e-commerce. In the afternoon we got deep into the details of our actual project. Over the three days we worked there, we learned a great deal about Microsoft and got a chance to get an unique insider's perspective on the company's strategic direction.
Wednesday evening we made our first trip into Seattle for a Seattle Ross Alumni Happy Hour at the Black Bottle. We got a chance to meet up with the other domestic Microsoft teams, and the Amazon team. The food and wine were amazing!
Thursday was spent working on our initial project documents and fleshing out our scope, Letter of Engagement, and work plan. Here is a brief version of what we're hoping to accomplish for Microsoft in the next month:
- Create a map of
industry capabilities related to local e-commerce in key emerging markets
- Define an Action
Plan recommending the top capabilities in which MS should invest in emerging markets
Don't let its simplicity fool you - the full version of our scope is intimidating, but incredibly interesting. We're hoping that our work will be used to help Microsoft guide and shape its emerging markets strategy. What a great opportunity!
On Friday, part of our team traveled back to Ann Arbor, and part of us stayed to get a better look at life as a Seattlite. I was part of the group that stayed, and I had a blast hanging out with the other Seattle-based teams. More on this, with photos, to come!
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