2007
Ralph Christy
Professor of Emerging Markets, Department of Applied Economics
and Management
Emerging Markets Field Course
The Emerging Markets Field Course, offered by the Emerging Markets Program in
the Department of Applied Economics and Management, is offered each spring and
is a core element of the department’s training in entrepreneurship, international
business and economic development. It involves assigning a team of 4-6 students
from Applied Economics and related disciplines, to a company in an emerging economy,
where the students will offer small business development services to the firm.
The projects involve targeting an issue, problem, or decision that is central
to the firm’s strategy, with project types ranging from market entry strategy,
product line extension, value chain definition and analysis, product delivery
channel definition and analysis, and competitive strategy.
The course offers a unique opportunity for students to engage in service-learning,
providing the much needed technical assistance and analytical support to underserved
businesses and rural communities, while gaining practical business experiences
in emerging markets. In the spring, the team completes a full report, often in
the form of a case study that is present to the management of the client firms.
Ralph Christy is Professor of Emerging Markets within the Applied Economics and
Management Department at Cornell where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate
students, conducts research, and organizes executive education programs on the
economic performance of markets in low-income communities. He advises industry
leaders and public policy makers on food marketing strategies, economic development,
and the organization of the global food economy. Christy is founder and CEO of
Market Matters, Inc, a non-profit company with offices in New York and South Africa
that works to build the capacity of small-to-medium enterprises in emerging markets.
A PhD graduate of Michigan State University, he is former President of the American
Agricultural Economics Association, and is currently a Board Member of the Winrock
International, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the African Agricultural Capital
Fund and the Committee for Economic Development.
