Program Overview

Highlights
– Immerse yourself in a five-day intensive learning experience led by Kellogg Professors Sergio Rebelo and Alexander Chernev.
– Reconnect with Kellogg. Reunite with friends and classmates from the Kellogg global network. Reignite your passion for lifelong learning.
– Experience the harvest at a vineyard in Portugal, including picking grapes and learning the wine-making process.

Dates 
September 7 – September 12, 2024

Location
– Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is a city filled with ancient architecture, delightful restaurants, interesting shops, and inspiring views (Lisbon 1 and 2)

– Alentejo has beautiful plains planted with oaks and olive trees. The region has produced wine since Roman times (Lisbon 1)

Accommodations
– Lisbon: Pestana Palace hotel, a palace built in the beginning of the 20th century by the Marquis of Valle Flor with the profits from cocoa production. The palace quickly became a fashionable gathering place for celebrities. In 1992, it opened as a luxury hotel and a member of the “The Leading Hotels of the World,” offering breathtaking views of the Tagus river and an elegant interior.
– Alentejo: Convento do Espinheiro (about 90-min drive West of Lisbon) is a 15th century convent surrounded by vineyards and olive groves that has been converted into a 5-star luxury hotel.

Program Schedule

Saturday, September 7: Lisbon
3:00 pm Check-in Pestana Palace
5:00 pm–5:30 pm Introductions (Room Lusitano 1 across from the hotel)
5:30 pm–7:00 pm Mastering the art of enjoying wine
7:00 pm–10:00 pm Welcome dinner at Pestana Palace

Sunday, September 8: Évora
7:00 am–9:45 am  Breakfast, Pestana Palace
10:00 am    Departure for Évora
12:00 pm Arrival at Convento do Espinheiro, Évora
12:15 pm–1:45 pm Lunch, Convento do Espinheiro, Évora
2:00 pm–5:15 pm Academic sessions (Alex Chernev)
5:15 pm–7:30 pm Free time
7:30 pm–9:00 pm Dinner, Convento do Espinheiro, Évora

Monday, September 9: Évora
7:30 am – 9:00 am  Breakfast, Convento do Espinheiro
9:00 am – 12:15 pm Academic sessions (Sergio Rebelo)
12:15 pm – 1:45 pm  Lunch, Convento do Espinheiro, Évora
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm  Academic sessions (Sergio Rebelo)
3:30 – 5:00 pm Free time
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm   Visit Évora, a Roman city in the heart of wine country
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm   Dinner, Arraiolos

Tuesday, September 10: Évora
7:30 am – 9:00 am Breakfast, Convento do Espinheiro
9:00 am – 12:15pm Academic sessions (Alex Chernev)
12:15 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch, Convento do Espinheiro
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Academic sessions (Sergio Rebelo)
3:30 – 5:00 pm Free time
5 pm – 7:00 pm Visit Estremoz, a walled city dominated by a Medieval castle
7:00pm – 9:00pm Dinner, Estremoz (Quinta de Dona Maria)

Wednesday, September 11: Évora
7:30 am – 9:00 am Breakfast, Convento do Espinheiro
10:00 am – 1:00 pm Harvesting grapes at the Monte da Ravasqueira winery, Arraiolos
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm Lunch, Monte da Ravasqueira winery, Arraiolos
1:45 pm – 6:30 pm Wine design and branding (Alex Chernev and Sergio Rebelo), Monte da Ravasqueira winery, Arraiolos
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Celebration dinner, Monte da Ravasqueira winery, Arraiolos

Thursday, September 12: Lisbon
7:30 am – 9:00 am  Breakfast, Convento do Espinheiro
11:00 am  Departure for Lisbon
1:00 pm  Arrival, Pestana Palace

Friday, September 13: Lisbon
7:00 am–10:00 am  Breakfast, Pestana Palace
12:00 pm checkout

What Participants Say…

“Mostly strangers a few days ago, Harvest got us together, got us a little learning, a little wine, and most important of all—a chance to connect with each other. Well done Kellogg…truly grateful to you all for the lasting memory.”

“Truly lifetime memories with remarkable people and a flawlessly planned/executed first year program. Thanks to everyone for showing up authentically. The chemistry felt so easy from start to finish. Full of gratitude and feel very fortunate to have had such a terrific opportunity.”

“Really wonderfully experience, thoughtfully executed in every sense! Thank you!”

“Great job to the team and faculty for putting this together! Bravo!”

“Overall, I enjoyed the Harvest Experience immensely. I would highly recommend to a fellow alumnus after I had secured my spot!”

“Really terrific group of people who attended. It was also a great mix of academic information to make the learning worthwhile, with social and experiential activities. Flawlessly planned and executed by great staff.”

“I loved all of it. It was great to meet new alumni, enjoyed the curriculum, the fun events and loved that it was all planned. It was nice to just show up and have it all scheduled.”

“It was really such an amazing trip, and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make things go so smoothly is truly appreciated. I would highly recommend future EMBA alumni trips to friends and absolutely consider going on another one, though I’m not sure anything can top this experience.”

Academic Program

Overview: Developing Environmental, Social, and Governance Strategies for Growth
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are increasingly important in all aspects of today’s business. In this context, developing a meaningful ESG proposition is critical in the value-creation process. Thinking about and acting on environmental, social, and governance issues in a proactive manner has gained importance following the 2019 “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” from The Business Roundtable. The statement declared that companies should serve not only their shareholders but also deliver value to their customers, invest in employees, deal fairly with suppliers, and support the communities in which they operate. This program will give you a working knowledge of the fundamentals of managing environmental, social, and governance issues, which can serve as the foundation for developing a sound corporate ESG strategy. The academic content includes a combination of lectures and practical implementation assignments designed to enhance the learning experience.

Sessions 1–2: Understanding Climate Change (Sergio Rebelo)
This session aims to empower participants to talk knowledgeably about climate change. We discuss key concepts of the science of climate change, including the energy budget, the carbon cycle, the Planck feedback, the greenhouse law, and the ocean’s role in moderating the temperature rise. We also study the economics of climate change, including the role of carbon taxes and the drivers of the damage function that underlie widely used estimates of the economic effects of the temperature rise. In addition, we discuss Wright’s law, an essential concept for understanding which green technologies will scale and be widely adopted.

Sessions 3–4: Behavioral Insights for Designing Impactful ESG Strategies (Alex Chernev)
Behavioral science has become an important tool for companies and organizations seeking to uncover effective and cost-efficient ways to attract, serve, and retain customers in an increasingly competitive marketplace. In addition to creating customer value, behavioral science can play an important role in designing impactful environmental, social, and governance strategies that enable companies to achieve their long-term goals in a way that creates value for society. In this session, we will examine how insights from behavioral science can help organizations promote social change and nudge their customers and employees to embrace sustainability in their daily lives.

Sessions 5–6: Sustainability and Growth (Sergio Rebelo)
In this session, we discuss strategies that make ESG policies compatible with growth. These strategies include measuring impacts and risks, identifying opportunities, avoiding greenwashing and ineffective solutions, designing a road map for sustainable growth, communicating in a way that promotes trust and transparency, and studying market opportunities for new products and services.

Sessions 7–8: From Profits to Purpose (Alex Chernev)
The focus of the ultimate corporate goal has evolved. Traditionally defined as maximizing the profit of shareholders, corporate goals have broadened over time to encompass all activities—including charitable donations and other acts of social goodwill—that directly and indirectly can create value for shareholders. More recently, the definition of corporate goals has been extended even further. It has moved away from viewing shareholder value as the ultimate goal of corporate activities and includes other stakeholders—customers, employees, business partners, and society—as beneficiaries of the company’s actions. In this session, we will discuss how a company should set its goals and priorities and, specifically, how it should balance profits and purpose.

Faculty

Sergio Rebelo
Professor Rebelo has published widely in macroeconomics and international finance. His research focuses on the causes of business cycles, the impact of economic policy on economic growth, and the sources of exchange rate fluctuations. He has won numerous teaching awards at Kellogg, including the Executive Master Program Outstanding Professor Award and Professor of the Year Award. Professor Rebelo has also served as a consultant to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, European Central Bank, McKinsey Global Institute, and Global Markets Institute at Goldman Sachs. He received his PhD in economics from the University of Rochester.

Alexander Chernev
Professor Chernev teaches marketing strategy, strategic brand management, and behavioral decision theory in the MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programs at Kellogg. He has received numerous teaching awards, including the Top Professor Award from the Executive MBA Program. Professor Chernev is an academic trustee of the Marketing Science Institute and advises companies around the world on issues of marketing strategy, brand management, consumer behavior, behavioral science, and new product development. He holds a PhD in psychology from Sofia University and a PhD in business administration from Duke University.

Register

The program is open to Kellogg Executive MBA Global Network alumni and their partners. Seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The program cost is $6,500 per person, including six nights of luxury accommodations, meals and beverages, ground transportation, and the academic program. Spouses/partners sharing accommodations receive a 50% discount. This allows them to fully participate in all academic programing and recreational activities. To secure a seat, a $2,000 deposit is requested at registration (refundable until March 1, 2024), with a full payment deadline of June 1, 2024.

For cohorts that were unable to join global electives due to the covid pandemic (116-123), accommodations, meals and beverages, ground transportation, and the academic program are covered by the EMBA Program. Spouses/partners sharing accommodations receive a 50% discount of the regular rate. To secure a seat, a $2,000 deposit is requested at registration (your card will not be charged unless you cancel after March 1, 2024, at which point the deposit is nonrefundable).

All participants must have a proof of travel health insurance prior to departure.

To register, please click here: https://cvent.me/dN1ByR

For additional information, please contact the EMBA Team at emba-alumni@kellogg.northwestern.edu