UK charity collaborates with MBAs to improve cancer care

More than 40 students from business schools in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas will assist World Child Cancer this summer. Since being founded in 2007 by Geoff Thaxter, the UK charity has worked closely with international hospitals and volunteer healthcare workers to help children in developing countries suffering from cancer. Now, MBA skills are expected to have an impact on the charity’s existing strategy.

The FT MBA Challenge asks teams of students to tackle business problems faced by the Financial Times’ seasonal appeal partner, which this year is World Child Cancer. Each team will be partnered with a mentor and required to submit a business plan in September on a set topic. The seven teams and dedicated topics are as follows:

Angel of hope

Five students from five different business schools will create a business plan that shows how WCC can raise £1.5million in the UK. Schools represented are: Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in the US, London School of Economics, Imperial College Business School and the University of Oxford Saïd Business School in the UK and Fudan University in Shanghai.

Chipo

Four students from Thunderbird School of Global Management in the US have partnered with students from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Warwick Business School in the UK and Nanyang Business School in Singapore to improve access to training local healthcare workers such as paediatric oncologists.

Cut out Cancer

Three students from London Business School have partnered with one student from Fudan and another from the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business. They will explore how WCC can successfully harness technology to raise funds and awareness.

Doin’ it for the kids

Four students from Fuqua and Spain’s Esade Business School, are working with an arts graduate from Yale University and a Masters in management student at National University of Singapore to see how WCC can improve access to affordable, reliable drugs.

Green Light

Three MBA students from IE Business School in Spain and Monash University in Australia are working with an executive MBA student also from IE to show how WCC can enable Bangladesh become self-sustainable in treating childhood cancer.

Ripple

Seven students from Lagos Business School in Nigeria, European School of Management and Technology in Berlin and Berkeley Haas will create a business plan that shows how WCC can enable Ghana become self-sustainable in treating childhood cancer.

The Fuqua Scholars

Eight students from Chicago Booth, Fuqua and University College London will create a business plan that shows how WCC can implement micro-finance solutions in Ghana and / or Bangladesh.

Over the next seven weeks, profiles of each team will feature on the MBA blog. The winning team will be announced in October.

www.ft.com/mba-challenge2014