Claudia Mobley, director of the Center for
Retailing Excellence at the University of Arkansas, represented the Sam M.
Walton College of Business as a corporate ambassador at the Association of
Algerian Managers and Entrepreneurs conference on Oct. 29 in Algeria.
The program was sponsored in part by Vital Voices, a nongovernmental
organization based in Washington, D.C., which has partnered with the Association
of Algerian Managers and Entrepreneurs and the Middle East and North Africa
Businesswomen's Network
Vital Voices' mission is to identify, invest in and bring visibility to women
around the world, increasing their leadership potential to transform lives and
accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities.
The Association of Algerian Managers and Entrepreneurs produced a one-day
event themed "Small-Medium Enterprise Competitiveness in a Global Market." The
conference focused on increasing growth, profit and competitive advantage of
small-medium enterprises through innovative strategies and effective
implementation in a globalized economy. The event included opening remarks and
three workshops under the larger theme of increasing competitiveness.
Mobley spoke on "The Keys to Competitiveness: Fostering Strong
Corporate-University Relations." She shared the workshop with professor Rafika
Kesri, president of the National Conference of Algerian Universities. She
provided an overview of how she has involved the private sector in increasing
educational and research opportunities with the Walton College. As head of the
Center for Retailing Excellence, Mobley has built an executive advisory board of
retailers and members of the retail supplier industry. She works closely with
the board members to partner on retail research and on the development of
students as future leaders in the retailing and related industries.
Vital Voices was created at the request of women attending a hemispheric
conference in Uruguay in 1998. As a matter of foreign policy, women throughout
the world were routinely invited to participate when U.S. government officials
met with representatives of emerging democracies. These women asked for
continued help with education, health care, business skills and assistance in
fighting abuse. Along with two colleagues, Walton College alumna Donna McLarty,
B.S.B.A.'68, responded to these requests by creating Vital Voices, and today the
organization has programs in 150 countries, reaching 200,000 women each year.
"When we support women, we are also lifting families, strengthening
communities and enhancing prospects for peace," McLarty said. "I have seen it
myself, as the women we work with `pay it forward' - like the Russian woman who
created a crisis center network to help victims of domestic violence; the
Cambodian woman who launched a microcredit program for other women; the
Palestinian and Israeli women who joined with others from Northern Ireland to
share ideas on building peace; or the Kuwaiti women who, in 2005, fought for and
earned the right to vote for the very first time.
McLarty now serves as a liaison between Vital Voices, the Walton College and
the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Ark., to tap faculty
expertise and create student internships.
CONTACT
Claudia Mobley, director, Center for
Retailing Excellence
Sam M. Walton College of Business
479-575-2643, cmobley@walton.uark.edu
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