Daniela's Profile

Really interesting article, Angelica. I completely agree with you that HBS should integrate technology into the MBA course. Looking at how our world has evolved in the last 100 years, it is shocking that classrooms still look the same today as they did a century ago. I do agree with previous comments, however, that it can be difficult to maintain the same level of quality online. I think a potential mitigant is the hybrid education model, incorporating certain technologies into our classroom without taking over. Another mitigant could be the e-live platform model similar to HBX live, but we need to make sure that control over potential identity fraud and other risks is enhanced.

Very interesting article, Raphael. I agree with most of your points, but one thing I was left wondering is whether changing Digg’s interface was in fact completely wrong. I agree that they should have listened to user feedback, but Facebook has been able to get away with this in the past. How many times has Facebook changed its features (cover page, news feed, layout, etc..) and we get angry at first, but then get used to it? It tends to be easier for us to evaluate an action after the fact, but I wonder on what the right approach would be change and disrupt interfaces without actually losing users. I agree with you that there might not be a secret or one definite answer, but it is worth thinking about.

Thanks for the article, Arthur. I agree with you that this market is ready for disruption and it’s great for both consumers and the economy that a new player is challenging the big players. However, one thing that concerns me is the scalability of the business model. You mentioned that there is already a waiting list to receive credit; do you think that they have already reach the maximum of their potential? I am worried that credit orifue=kes will deteriorate if they try to speed up their growth or go into other products.

Thanks for the article, Anto. It was really interesting to read about such a different reality from what we are used to the in the US. One thing I’m wondering is how does the university find funding to develop these IT initiatives? I can’t imagine it would be easy to get funding for this type of project despite its potential positive impact. Another initiative that the university could do is to raise awareness or partner with foreign universities that already have developed such programs.

Thanks for the interesting article, Michael. I found your recommendation very insightful, but I was wondering if you think that they should completely let go of the segments where they already lost to Apple and Google. In my view, it would be very hard for them to compete against Google maps and gain that market share back, but maybe if they invest in a breakthrough technology and develop partnerships, they could enter the space again. I’m also intrigued to see how their new product line will look like for the other segments and whether they really learned the lesson.

Thanks for the interesting post, Anto. I agree with your approach towards natural gas in developing countries while making their plants more environmentally friendly. However, I also wonder how Exxon could be a player in the shift in certain countries in Latin America toward a “cleaner” coal or a more energy efficient coal. Some companies have been investing in carbon-efficient coal plants, but Exxon could potentially come in a strong source of natural gas and help drive more investment in that type of energy generation.

Thanks for the interesting post, Will. I agree with you that this has to be a priority for these Caribbean countries in order to survive. I found particularly interesting your point regarding coral reefs and their importance. I agree that coral reefs are an important protection for islands from big storms, but do you think that the CCCCC’s actions are enough to protect them? It seems that they are trying to conserve them, but as water temperatures increase, wouldn’t these reefs be harmed despite these conservation attempts? Also, it would be interesting to see if they are able to get outside aid to help them develop new technologies and prevention strategies rather than only having emergency response aid.

Thanks, Majken. I agree with you that this is a serious issue for Nestle and it was very interesting hearing about the conflict between increasing demand of water with global warming with limiting supply for Nestle. In your last paragraph, you say that Nestle should strive to be viewed as a collaborator and a partner to protects its water supply, but do you think that this is doable? I agree with you that it would be great, but I’m not sure whether they could actually achieve it. It seems that me that there an environmental group could call them out for being hypocritical.

Thanks, Alan. The company is more reactive rather than proactive when it comes to fishing seasons being cancelled/lost. They try to maintain decent cash reserves and are confident with their ability to take out loans, but the reality is that they don’t have mechanisms in place to really cope with it. It becomes a vicious cycle, when a fishing season is lost like in 2014, their financial metrics are impacted and rating agencies downgrade them, further harming their financial metrics. I agree that fish farms could be an interesting idea. Currently there aren’t any anchovy farms that I know of, but I believe that it is an idea worth looking into.

Thanks for the questions, Zach. Unfortunately, the anchovy population is dying rather than migrating to other more suitable climates. Warmer waters decrease the nutrients provided by the upswelling in the coast of Peru, harming the current population and decreasing reproduction as well. I also wonder why Exalmar hasn’t created fish farms yet. It could be because of costs or another more technical reason, but I agree with you that they really don’t have many options.

Thanks for the sharp article, Arthur. I agree with you that this is a very important topic, especially as most of us fly on planes so much. I wanted to challenge some parts of it. You mentioned that they could increase R&D as a percent of sales to meet competitors, but due to it’s smaller size, do you think that it would be worth it? In my view, that money would be better spent investing in third party research as well as partnerships, as you mentioned. Another question I have is how sustainable is biofuel produced from sugarcane. As sugar prices have been very volatile in the last couple of years, this could be a challenge for the industry with quite a few companies facing financial distress. Although this research and new source of sugarcane demand could be a boost for the sugar producers and a great opportunity overall, do you think that the industry is ready?

Thanks for the article, Billy. I found the part about the new potential routes through the Arctic’s Northern sea really interesting. Is this something that shipping companies, including Maersk, already planning around? Could this be positive enough to offset the negative effects from tougher weather? If the positive impact is large enough, then maybe Maersk does not have a strong incentive to fight global warming, but could consider to ride it out. Also, I agree that with global warming food trade routes will likely shift, but could it happen that the product mix that Maersk are shipping will potentially shift away from food to more emergency aid and other types of products?