Joel Villanueva (MUA 23), Lucía Escalza (GBD 23), and Jessica Scherman (BBA 23) and Wen-Ning Hsu (BBA 23), in that order, were the winners of the Esade Alumni x Yamaha Final Project Recognitions, special recognition of the best final projects in the program. These awards reveal what topics are interesting the Young group and encourage them to join the community.
It is important to note that these recognitions are possible thanks to the coordinated participation of different teams. After being chosen by the directors of each program among the best projects by students in the Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA), the Double Degree in Law and Business Management (GBD), and the Master in Law (MUA) , the projects are assessed by members of the Esade Alumni Cross-sectional Clubs and the Esade Alumni direction bearing in mind their degree of innovation, their positive impact on society, and their practical application. Finally, the audience at the awards ceremony votes on their favorite thesis.
These awards reflect Esade students’ commitment to promote research that seeks a freer, fairer, and more prosperous society. Over the course of four years, the projects submitted have entailed a contribution to knowledge. For those reasons, at the presentation Patricia Valentí (MBA 02/Promociona 17), director of Esade Alumni, thanked the efforts of the sponsor, Yamaha, highlighting how much this alliance brings to the community, in addition to congratulating the finalists: “I want to ask you to be generous, to take the Esade brand very far, and to contribute to the network. You give us so much with your knowledge.”
Joel Villanueva (MUA 23) was the winner of this edition with his thesis on “Alternative mechanisms for the enforceability of shareholders’ agreements,” an idea that occurred to him given the lack of an effective solution that manages to guarantee the effectiveness of shareholders’ agreements within a company. “I thought it was necessary to explore alternatives that could provide grater legal security and efficacy in the enforcement of shareholders’ agreements through regulatory reinforcement of the Corporate Enterprises Act.” The goal was to turn obligations that were initially contractual into corporate obligations, and to do so, Joel came up with two solutions: the first is using the institution of ancillary obligations, and the second is to draw from the figure of conflict of interest.
Second prize went to Lucía Escalza (GBD 23) with the thesis “Circular economy in the textile sector. Rental: A solution to mass consumption?” Lucía knew that she wanted to tackle a study related to ESG criteria in a sector that motivates her. After looking into the circular practices that are being used in the textile sector, she decided to explore garment rental business models given their current rise and potential. “It’s a solution that’s becoming more popular among the most environmentally-conscious consumers to attempt to avoid mass consumption. The implementation of this model will enable ‘clothing underutilisation’ rate to drop while taking advantage of clothing’s functionality until it truly reaches the end of its shelf life,” she concluded after her project.
Third prize went to the team made up of Wen-Ning Hsu (BBA 23) and Jessica Schermann (BBA 23) with the thesis entitled “Enertems, Creating a Business in the Renewable Energy Branch.” Jessica Schermann stated that the idea for the study emerged by observing the ever-changing dynamic in Austria’s solar power policies. Wen-Ning and Jessica’s proposal, Enertems, enables wind and solar energy to be combined, giving customers greater autonomy while also making major environmental contributions.. “We took advantage of the experience of similar markets, like solar panels and traditional wind turbines, and we gained invaluable knowledge on the market dynamic.” They stressed that their ambition goes beyond just the profitability and scalability of the business, since they are committed to creating a business model that brings lasting value to both people and the planet. “The idea of starting a company to address a niche in the wind energy sector arose as a natural option. This company reflects our commitment to contribute to sustainable development and take advantage of renewable energy sources,” Wen-Ning Hsu added. Plus, as a scholarship recipient, she told us that she was motivated to contribute to the community with the hopes of allowing more promising talents to access and benefit from Esade’s exceptional education: “This cycle of support and empowerment is what I think makes the alumni network so powerful and impactful.”
The honorary distinction from Cáritas’s Organizations with a Heart and Universities with a Heart program went to Alexander Benjamín Calfee (BBA 23) and Alexander James Reeves (BBA 23), as reported at the event by Itziar Bravo, who is in charge of campaigns and awareness-raising at Cáritas.
