Michigan Ross BBA and MM Students are Tackling 20 High-Impact Projects for Global Organizations and Minority-Owned and Local Nonprofits for Capstone MAP
As part of the Capstone MAP course this term, 79 BBA students and 17 Master of Management students at the Ross School of Business are taking on complex business challenges and impactful initiatives facing a variety of companies and organizations around the world, including many from small businesses in Detroit.
The Capstone MAP course pairs student teams with sponsoring organizations — ranging from established Fortune 500 corporations to small startups and nonprofits — to conduct original research, develop a project framework, and ultimately deliver strategic recommendations to their sponsor organization.
Guided by faculty, Capstone MAP provides BBA and MM students with an opportunity to apply knowledge from their Michigan Ross business education to real-world organizational opportunities and problems. By tackling these hands-on projects for companies, students develop and refine skills necessary to succeed in the workplace, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration skills.
This year, there are 20 Capstone MAP projects representing a diverse range of industries, including financial services, tourism, real estate, sports, and education. In addition, seven of the projects were sourced through U-M's Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project with minority- and women-owned small businesses.
Below, learn about the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship projects and other interesting projects.
Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship MAP Projects
Personal Apportion Dwellings
Personal Apportion Dwellings is a Detroit-based, minority-owned real estate development think tank, which offers an adaptive approach to the residential housing market. Through a multiphase research, financial, and planning project, students are helping convert an existing warehouse in Southwest Detroit into a mixed-use facility.
Action Levels
Action Levels is a STEAM-based education toy company that ignites joy and curiosity through play. Students are working to create a business model, market strategy, and financial strategy for this pre-launch company.
Farmacy Food
Farmacy Food is a Detroit-based food startup that makes health and wellness accessible by providing locally sourced, healthy meals that are also good for the economy and local communities. Students are tasked with creating a growth marketing strategy that builds out their acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and revenue pipeline.
Fit4Life Health and Fitness LLC
Fit4Life Health and Fitness LLC is a local health and wellness company that promotes healthy living in a fun, community environment by offering a personalized experience to help people to reach their best regardless of their fitness level and background. Students are working to help the company pivot after the pandemic by recommending a growth strategy that is client focused.
Mami Wata
Mami Wata and Textures By Nefertiti is an established female-owned and minority-operated Detroit salon. Students are developing a business and marketing plan for a hair product line for people with naturally kinky curly hair as a new revenue stream.
Scrap Soils
Scrap Soils is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing food waste and harmful greenhouse gas emissions one compost bin at a time, while also educating the community on the power of composting and making the process accessible for everyone. Students are creating a more effective and sustainable operational plan for food scrap collection and compost operation in Detroit and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Thumbprint Fulfillment
Thumbprint Fulfillment is a Detroit-based, boutique fulfillment center that offers customized services for the complete range of warehousing, packaging, and shipment services. Students are analyzing profit offerings, product mix, and pricing structure to help increase profitability for the organization.
Other Interesting Projects
University of Michigan Athletics
University of Michigan Athletics houses 31 varsity sports teams and 16 facilities where teams practice and fans watch. Students are working with U-M athletics to determine optimal setup and staffing plans for concession stands at U-M’s athletic venues, taking into consideration staffing limitations, spacing, and operational constraints. Their goal is to maximize efficiency and speed of service of quality food for the fans.
OneMagnify
OneMagnify is a Detroit-based company that has provided marketing, technology, and analytics services to Fortune 500 companies for over 50 years. Students are working with the global company to identify potential corporate acquisition targets that meet the company’s strategic goals and align with core business tenets in order to create new value and expand their market footprint.
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation’s mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Students are working with the nonprofit to provide directional analysis describing the impact of drug advertising on users of continuing medical education content.
Matthew Trevor, Senior PR Specialist
mtrevor@umich.edu