Phoenix Rising

by Rhonda Mullen

A new economy is arising that bears little resemblance to traditional bull and bear capitalism. The Phoenix Economy – introduced by London think tank Volans at the World Economic Forum in 2009 – works toward integrating a triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental values. Jieying Zheng, a graduate of Robinson’s Global Partners MBA program, was so inspired by the concept that she spent her program internship in London with Volans founder and “godfather of sustainability” John Elkington. The new model brings a focus on equity and sustainability to businesses and governments across national boundaries. It encompasses efforts like those of the Singapore Economic Development Board, which is supporting development of the clean-tech industry with estimates that the sector will generate $1.7 billion in value-added business and create 7,000 jobs by 2015. It also is seen in the United Nations’ call for one-third of the $2.5 trillion planned stimulus packages worldwide to be invested in greening the global economy.

Zheng focused her Phoenix-inspired internship through the lens of microinsurance. “I made use of my background in financial services and skills gained during my Global Partners MBA studies to map out the leading innovators of the microinsurance space globally,” she says. Prior to attending Georgia State, the mainland China native was the first participant with UK insurer Aviva’s Asia graduate development program in Singapore. In 2008 she began the Global Partners MBA, an intensive, 14-month program that draws on a partnership between the Robinson College, IAE (at the Sorbonne), and COPPEAD of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Students attend classes in Rio, Atlanta and Paris; conduct a business tour of China; and finish their degrees with a four-month international internship. “Increasingly, my thoughts have been turning to where the world is heading,” Zheng says. “The Global Partners MBA has helped me clarify how business needs to make a difference in the world. I aspire to apply what I have learned to positively contribute to a new economic paradigm."