Kenan-Flagler's Student Teams Achieving Results program, or STAR, sends teams of top MBAs and BSBAs to build comprehensive
and actionable strategies for eligible corporations and not-for-profits. STAR teams receive academic credit for their
4-month engagement with their client and are guided by both a faculty advisor and an executive from the client organization.
STAR projects are of two types — Domestic Business Projects and
Global Business Projects. In the Domestic Business
Project (DBP), teams of Kenan-Flagler MBAs and BSBAs work over the Spring semester with executives in their US headquarters and
in Chapel Hill to develop strategies for growth and profitability. In the Global Business Project (GBP), teams of MBAs and
graduate students from participating premier business schools work with multinational organizations as well as local organizations in selected GBP destination countries. GBP teams work virtually for ¾ of the project period and spend two weeks abroad during the project.
STAR teams assist businesses in North Carolina and across the globe. Since its beginning in 2005, STAR-DBP has assisted North
Carolina companies to develop strategies that have expanded their business and increase jobs. Beginning in 2009, domestic business
projects proposed by companies outside the state will be considered. STAR-GBP, originating in 2008, assists North Carolina businesses, as well as other US and US multinationals and some local companies in the GBP destination countries, which continue to be Brazil, China, and Japan for 2009.
Why We Offer US Organizations the STAR service
STAR is a part of Kenan-Flagler's Leadership Initiative, an integrated, experience-based program that provides multiple
opportunities for students to assess and develop their leadership skills and prepare themselves for their future
careers. We believe that STAR offers students and clients important benefits in the following ways:
- Students develop their leadership skills when they work side by side with business leaders
- Students get to apply what they are learning in the classroom to actual business situations with important consequences
- The experience keeps students close to real-business issues faced by potential employers
- Executives at participating organizations can see UNC students in action and assess the contributions they might make as full-time employees
- Clients receive valuable strategic advice that is focused, compelling, and actionable
Project Results
All STAR teams, whether working on domestic or global projects, begin the project by developing a scope of
work with the client and signing a confidentiality agreement. Over the life of the project, teams typically analyze the
market, assess the competitive situation, develop a strategy and define an action plan that includes financials, risk
assessment and a detailed implementation plan. For global projects in particular, project work involves interviewing customers
and client employees in the destination country's language and conducting the final presentation in that language.
Read news stories about past STAR projects.
For more detailed summaries of past and current projects, go to DBP and GBP pages.
Students' Skills and Experience
Organizations whose projects are accepted for STAR benefit from the help of students who are skilled at working with others and whose interests and expertise match the needs of each project.
- Our graduate and undergraduate business students have met rigorous criteria in order to be admitted to one of the nation's very best business schools.
- Many of our students come from business backgrounds; our MBA students work an average of 5 years prior to entering the MBA Program.
- Kenan-Flagler MBAs and others chosen for Global Business Projects often come from, or have worked in, the GBP destination country, and at least 2 members of each GBP team is proficient in the language of that country.
Student Eligibility
All Kenan-Flagler MBAs, UNC graduate students, and Kenan-Flagler BSBAs are eligible to apply for STAR's Domestic Business Projects. Only MBAs and graduate students are eligible to apply for STAR's Global Business Projects.
All Kenan-Flagler BSBAs interested in participating on a STAR-DBP team in Spring 2009 must enroll in BSBA 554, Consulting Skills and Frameworks, in Fall, 2008, taught by Paul Friga. STAR-DBP, or its equivalent approved by Professor Paul Friga, is a requirement of the BSBA consulting track.
All Kenan-Flagler MBAs interested in participating on an STAR-DBP or GBP team in Spring 2009 are encouraged to participate in
the Basic Consulting Skills Workshop and/or enroll in MBA 828, Consulting Skills and Frameworks; those MBAs who are selected
to lead a STAR team (either DBP or GBP) are required to have taken MBA 828 or its equivalent. To determine if other experience or
coursework fulfills this prerequisite requirement, MBAs should contact STAR Program Director Lynne Gerber at
or 919 962 2684.
Client Eligibility
The STAR program is open to all US companies and not-for-profit organizations. Those companies chosen for STAR are those that
- present a challenge for which there is a good match of interest and experience among student applicants to STAR
- commit two senior executives at the organization to work closely with the STAR team to create the project's Scope of Work, provide pertinent data, respond to and critique team recommendations and progress, and provide feedback to the team and faculty advisor at the project's completion
- Agree to cover a portion of the team's travel and project-related expenses *
* for Domestic Business Projects, no more than $2500 for projects
in North Carolina and no more than $5000 for clients from other states.
For Global Business Projects, costs varies, but the client portion is
approximately 25% of total costs (faculty oversight, DC and Hub City
weekends, international travel and in-country accommodations and meals,
which averaged $40,000 in 2008.
How to Apply
Client applications are accepted from August 20th through November 14, 2008
Student applications are accepted from September 12th through November 21st.
Matching of projects and teams will take place in early December and all student and client applicants will be notified of
results by December 12th.
More Information
For general information not answered by this page, or the
STAR-DBP or
STAR-GBP site, please contact
, or contact Dr. Lynne
Gerber, STAR Program Director at
or by phone at 919.962.2684.
For specific questions regarding STAR-GBP, contact
, Global Business Projects Coordinator
For specific questions regarding STAR-DBP, contact
, Domestic Business Projects Coordinator
Affiliate Organizations
Projects receive support from:
The Golden LEAF Foundation 
RBC Centura
The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
The UNC Center for International Business Education & Research
The North Carolina Department of Commerce
US Department of Education's International Education & Graduate Programs
Global Business Project Consortium Centers for International Business Education & Research
