EM-Cisco - Siming Zhu AEM 4420 Emerging Markets November 5 2008 Case Summary Cisco Entrepreneur Institute For more than 20 years Cisco has improved the

Siming Zhu AEM 4420 – Emerging Markets November 5, 2008 Case Summary: Cisco Entrepreneur Institute For more than 20 years, Cisco has improved the quality and efficiency of communication by connecting people and businesses around the world. As an innovative IT company with the establishment of sound corporate citizenships as one of its core values, Cisco has extended the reach of its technologies as a mean of empowering local entrepreneurs in emerging economies through the development of the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute. The goal of Cisco Entrepreneur Institute to empower entrepreneurs through education is aligned with its firm-wide value of establishing corporate citizenship that is both positive and profitable. Furthermore, Cisco’s innovative approach to entering emerging markets that are often economically unstable results in a win-win situation for both sides of the party. Cisco Entrepreneur Institute’s development model essentially eliminates default risk because it does not provide microfinance loans to poor individuals.