In early February, I organized LIVE CHAT sessions with my classes to discuss The Blonde Salad Harvard Business School Case Study. In small groups, students examined and discussed super-influencer Chiara Ferragani’s pathway as an entrepreneur turning her digital property, The Blonde Salad, into a multi-million dollar business.
As an extra twist to this assignment, this year some of the LIVE CHAT sessions were set up in Humber’s brand new Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE). After a few weeks of prep, small student groups gathered in the G204 Boardroom for in-depth discussions of the case and how it relates to the current landscape of the blogging industry and fashion marketing. Chiara’s entrepreneurial spirit, always seeking out change, innovation and continuous improvement, is a huge take-away from the case. The CfE was a fitting place to think critically about the strategic decisions she has made to adapt her business in the quickly-evolving digital world.
The overall LIVE CHAT experience had numerous benefits for my students. Not only did they engage with leading-edge industry content in a unique assignment format, but they also were able to explore a great new student focused addition to Humber’s Lakeshore Campus. It was a constructive afternoon, stepping outside the classroom and exploring this destination on campus. We thank the CfE team for making this memorable experience possible!
Student Feedback:
Thanks for this unique exercise! It was a very enjoyable experience to think critically w[ith] fellow students. I’d like to add that the intimate environment allowed everyone the opportunity to speak up, this was great considering how many different cultures and personalities are part of our cohort. Your grading guideline for the case was helpful in determining areas of external research, it was clear that you were encouraging us to think from different angles and bring new ideas to the table.
– Fashion Management and Promotions Postgraduate Student
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