A case study on improving the lives of farmers earned a group of five students from the University of the Philippines Diliman the top prize at the recent competition of Nestlé Philippines.
The young contestants presented to the company’s top management case studies on Creating Shared Value (CSV) focusing on subjects such as nutrition, solid waste management and rural development.
Stanly Chan, Bettina Songco, Phoebe de Jesus, Cheskalene Sia and Kelvin Yu of UP took home the first prize of P75,000.00 for the case study on rural development, while two groups from Ateneo de Manila University won second and third prizes with case studies on nutrition and solid waste, respectively.
The competition was part of a program called ACCESS, a CSV Youth Forum conducted in partnership with the Management Engineering Association of the ADMU. The forum was conducted over three days. The first day consisted of presentations by keynote speakers from various industries. The second day involved immersion in market stalls in Makati, a laminates recollection and eco-brick hub facility in Bulacan, and a coffee farm in Batangas. The third day saw the students pitching their final presentations to the judges.
Nestlé Philippines’ executive committee headed by Chairman and CEO Jacques Reber praised the students for their fresh and passionate ideas.
“I’m impressed. The fact that you integrated the many key elements of a CSV program—that is really impressive work,” enthused Reber.
Coffee and Creamer Creations Business Executive Manager Don Howat, speaking of the winning case study, said, “Small differences can have a big impact on the lives of the farmers. What was interesting about your presentation is that you were showing us different ways to improve their lives, a really excellent presentation.”
CSV is a strategic approach to doing business which reaches beyond merely creating value for shareholders, by creating value for society at the same time. CSV finds opportunities within a business value chain that can benefit both the business and society. The forum was conducted because Nestlé believes that the youth can provide tremendous insight on finding new ways to contribute to social development and how business in particular can be of value.
