The Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade - · PDF fileThe Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade Inititatives The graduate students enrolled ... Dalia Prashker Co-founder, New

merage foundation forU.S.-Israel Trade


Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade

4350 Von Karman Avenue, Fourth Floor

Newport Beach, California 92660

For more information, please call Marshall Kaplan, Executive Director, at (949) 474-5882,Tim Bolin, Associate, at (949) 474-5883,or Sherwin Pomerantz, Israel Liaison, at 972-2-571-0199.

The Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade

The Merage Foundation is dedicated to

increasing Israeli exports to the United States as

a means to promote economic growth in Israel.

The Foundation provides leadership training

and education initiatives concerning U.S.

marketing strategies to Israeli executives and

top Israeli MBA students. Foundation initiatives

focus on helping to build the strategic capacity

of Israeli companies to successfully market their

products and services in the U.S.

THE VISION…

The Merage

Foundation for

U.S.-IsraelTrade

Paul Merage, President and Founder of the

Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade:

I firmly believe that Israeli business

demonstrates tremendous entrepreneurial

spirit and skills. Israel has the intellectual

capital and the business leadership to

significantly expand exports to the U.S.

It can and indeed must do so to sustain

a vigorous growing economy and to

provide a better life for its citizens.

E x pa n d i n g I s r a e l i E x p o rt s to t h e U . S .

Foundation Initiatives

The U.S. has been and will continue to be a key,

indeed, critical trading partner with and provide

a major export market for Israel.

According to interviews with many Israeli

business leaders and research initiated by the

Foundation, improved knowledge about effective

U.S marketing strategies will permit Israeli firms

to increase their penetration into U.S. markets.

The Foundation is building a strong partnership

with Israeli and U.S. business, government, and

university leaders. The Foundation, working with

its Israeli and U.S. Advisory Boards, administers and

sustains two major capacity-building initiatives. They

are the Israeli Executive Leadership Program and the

MBA Student Summer Education Program.

The Israeli Executive Leadership Program

The Foundation administers two ten-day Executive

Leadership Training Programs annually. They

focus on increasing understanding of U.S.

“best practices” concerning marketing, sales

and distribution, procurement, negotiation, and

networking strategies. To encourage discussion,

participation is limited to fifteen outstanding Israeli

business leaders for each program. Faculty members

include leading U.S. professors with extensive business

experience as well as very successful business leaders.

Each program includes lectures, interactive

discussions, role play, case study, and the development

of marketing strategies. Participants visit the leaders

of key companies with an interest in Israel. The

leadership training programs take place in Newport

Beach, California, a major conference center located

near the headquarters of many important U.S.

companies and the University of California.

Upon completion of the leadership program,

participants become Merage Foundation Business

Leadership Fellows. The Foundation provides Fellows

with mentoring, continuous learning and networking

opportunities.

Specific criteria for choosing among applicants

from Israeli companies include the following:

n Senior responsibility in marketing.

n Leadership experience and export responsibilities.

n Comparative advantage and/or competitiveness in

U.S. markets of the products/services provided by

the applicant’s company.

n Commitment of the applicant’s business to develop

and initiate U.S. exports.

n Availability of or ability to secure resources necessary

to mount successful U.S. export strategies.

Applications are reviewed and participants nominated

by the outstanding Israeli CEO Advisory Board. The

Foundation’s U.S. Advisory Board reviews nominated

participants and makes recommendations to the

Foundation, based on the relevance of the nominees

backgrounds and their companies products and

services to U.S. markets.

The Foundation covers the full costs of

program development and delivery, including the cost

of hotels, food, and training facilities for participants.

Participants pay only for round trip transportation

to and from Israel.

MBA Student Summer Education Program

The graduate students enrolled in Israeli business schools

are the future leaders of Israeli businesses.

Every summer, the Foundation administers

a twenty-one-day educational program for fifteen

outstanding Israeli MBA students. The summer program

includes nationally respected business-wise professors

from highly ranked U.S.

business schools as well

as top business leaders.

Classroom sessions are

supplemented by office

visits, presentations, and

discussions with top

CEOs and marketing

experts. Through

lectures, role play, case

study, and the

development of export-

related marketing plans

for real as well as

hypothetical Israeli

companies, Israeli

students are provided

the tools to initiate

successful marketing,

sales and distribution,

networking, negotiation,

and procurement

strategies in the U.S.

Students are nominated by the Foundation’s

Partner Deans at Israeli business schools. The

Foundation’s Israeli CEO Advisory Board interviews

nominees and recommends candidates to the Foundation.

Generally, nominees are required to have finished at

least 50% of the course credits associated with their MBA

program. Other selection criteria relate to academic

performance and potential business leadership as well as level

of professional experience. Participants are required to

demonstrate a clear desire to build a leadership career based

on helping their future

employers increase

exports to the U.S.

Upon finishing

their summer studies,

participants become

Merage MBA Fellows.

The Fellows program

provides participants

with important help and

support as they build

their business careers

and implement strategies to increase Israeli exports

to the U.S. Through the Foundation, Fellows secure

the following:

n Professional development and mentoring.

n Opportunities to share business experiences with other

Fellows through electronic newsletters and Forums in

Israel.

n Opportunities to access leadership networks in

the U.S. and Israel.

The Foundation administers the summer educational

initiative and covers its total costs, including the costs

of student transportation, lodging, and food.

The Merage Foundation for U.S .- Israel Trade Inititatives

The graduatestudents enrolled in Israeli business

schools are thefuture leaders

of Israeli businesses.

The Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade

President Paul Merage

Executive Director Marshall Kaplan

Associate Tim Bolin

Israel Liaison Sherwin Pomerantz

The Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel

Trade was created by Katherine,

Paul and Lilly Merage in 2004.

The Foundation reflects their deep

commitment to the economic health

and wellbeing of Israel and their

understanding of the reciprocal

economic benefits associated with a

strong U.S. Israel economic partnership.

Financial support is provided by the

Andre and Katherine Merage Family

Foundation and the Paul and Lilly

Merage Family Foundation.

E x pa n d i n g I s r a e l i E x p o rt s to t h e U . S .


About the Foundation


The

Merage

Foundation

for

U.S .- Israel

Trade

Israeli Advisory BoardRon Gutler Chairman of the Board, NICE Systems Ltd.

Chair of Israeli Advisory Board

David Blumberg Chairman, Bank of Jerusalem

David Brodet Chairman, Hadassah University Hospital

Ami Erel President and CEO, Discount Investment Corporation Ltd.

Dan Goldstein Chairman and CEO, The Formula Group

Rami Kalish Managing General Partner, Pitango Venture Capital

Dov Lautman Chairman of the Board, Delta Galil Industries Ltd.

Leo Leiderman Chief Economic Advisor, Bank Hapoalim B.M.

Erez Meltzer CEO, Netafim Group

Chemi Peres Managing General Partner, Pitango Venture Capital

Dalia Prashker Co-founder, New Dimension Software; Entrepreneur

Zvi Yemini CEO and Chairman of the Board, ZAG Industries Ltd.

Business School Deans Advisory BoardSimon Benninga Tel Aviv University

Jonathan Kornbluth Hebrew University

Ilan Meshoulam Haifa University

Dov Monderer Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Arie Reichel Ben Gurion University

Oded Sarig IDC

Jacob (Yaacov) Weisberg Bar Ilan University

Andrew J. Policano U.S. Representative, University of California, Irvine

U.S. Advisory Board (in formation)Paul S. Berger Senior Partner (Retired), Arnold & Porter LLP

Arnold Brenner Director, U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation

Lester Crown Chairman, Henry Crown and Company

Marvin Lender Chairman of M & M Investments

Marvin Levy Chairman Emeritus, Miller International Inc.

Joel Slutzky Chairman of the Board and Director, Iteris Holdings Inc.

Ralph Stern Former CEO of CareCredit, Consultant to General Electric

1

4350 Von Karman Avenue, Fourth Floor • Newport Beach, CA 92660 • 949-474-5880

Application for the Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Tr a d e ’s Summer MBA Initiative, 2005

We are pleased that you are applying to be a participant in the Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade Summer MBAIntiative. The three-week program will occur in the Irvine and Newport Beach, California from July 31 to August 20, 2005.

The Merage Foundation initiative focuses on increasing MBAstudent capacity to develop and successfully implementcompany-based strategies to expand exports to the U.S. Thecurriculum includes modules concerning cultural differencesbetween the U.S. and Israel affecting Israeli exports; effectiveU.S. market analysis, marketing, and networking; robust salesand distribution alternatives; successful U.S. negotiation andprocurement options; and U.S. trade policies. Teaching andtraining approaches include lectures, live case studies,interactive discussions, role play, presentations by U.S.executives, visits to corporate headquarters, and initiation of real-world business projects. Faculty members are leading,experienced business scholars and practitioners in the U.S.

The Merage Foundation covers all costs of the SummerInitiative. Participants who successfully complete the programof studies may receive MBA course credit at their businessschools with approval of their Deans.

Subsequent to completion of the Summer MBA Initiative,participants become Merage Foundation Fellows. MerageFellows receive mentoring concerning career objectives as

well as continuous opportunities to explore key ways to increaseIsraeli exports to the U.S.

Criteria for Nomination and SelectionApplicants must be Israeli citizens and fluent in English. Except under special circumstances approved by their Dean, applicants musthave completed at least 50 percent of the coursework (credit hours)re q u i red for the MBA degree. Nomination is based on high academicachievement, proven leadership ability, professional excellence, andethical behavior. Selected Fellows demonstrate the capacity andcommitment to assume key decision-making roles in the export of products and services from Israel to the U.S.

Selection Process Ti m e l i n eStudents must submit applications by J a n u a ry l5, 2005 to the Dean of their business school. Deans of seven outstanding part i c i p a t i n gbusiness schools in Israel each nominate up to four MBA students byF e b ru a ry l5, 2005. The Deans submit their nominees, applications and supporting materials to Sherwin Pomerantz, Merage Foundations,Israel Liaison Office, POB 45005, 91450 Jerusalem; Tel. 972-2-571-0199, Fax 972-2-571-0713.

Deans’ nominees are reviewed by the Merage Foundation’s Israeli CEO Advisory Board and the Foundation’s staff in Israel.1 The Foundation selects fifteen MBA students to participate in the initiative by April 1, 2005.

1The CEO Advisory Board and/or Foundation staff may schedule interviews with nominees.

Complete and submit this application to your Dean by January l5th, 2005.

Please type or print neatly.

General Background:

N a m e

A d d re s s :

A re you an Israeli citizen? Ye s N o

Do you speak English fluently? Ye s N o

What other languages do you speak?

A p p l i c a t i o n F o r m

2

Academic Backgro u n d

W h e re are you pursuing your MBA degre e ?

When were you admitted into the MBA pro g r a m ?

How many credits have your earned in the MBA pro g r a m ?

How many credits must you earn to complete your MBA degre e ?

What is your concentration/focus/specialization, if any (e.g., Finance, Marketing, Strategy, etc.)?

When do you expect to receive your MBA degre e ?

Please attach a transcript of your MBA coursework and grades up to the end of Summer 2004.

Leadership and Management Roles

Please describe leadership and or management positions you have held, internal and external to the University, if any, while a student in the MBA

p rogram and during the three years preceding your MBA studies (e.g. military, business, community, non-profit groups, etc).

Ti t l e / P o s i t i o n O rg a n i z a t i o n / G ro u p D a t e s R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s / A c h i e v e m e n t s



3

P rofessional Experience

Please attach a complete résumé of your experience, including present employment, if you are employed.

C a reer Objectives

If you are presently employed with an Israeli company, do you expect to remain with that company upon receiving your MBA?

What will your responsibilities be? Title?

If you do not expect to remain with the company, please indicate why.

If you are not presently employed, do you have a job lined up subsequent to your receiving your MBA? Ye s No

If your answer is yes, where will you work? (Please identify the business/employer and economic/industry sector.)

What will your responsibilities be? Your title?



4

If your answer is no, what kind of job would you like subsequent to receiving your MBA? Please identify the type of business/employer and

e c o n o m i c / i n d u s t ry sector. What sort of responsibilities would you like to have?

C a reer Statement

Please describe, in 300 words or less, your objectives concerning a business career in Israel, particularly your objectives related to developing

and implementing strategies to help your employer increase exports to the U.S. Please attach this statement to your application.

MBA Summer Program Statement

Please describe, in 300 words or less, why you think you will benefit from the Merage Foundation’s Summer Initiative. Please attach this statement

to your application.

Letters of Recommendation

Please attach three letters of recommendation from academic, business, or community leaders who attest to your academic achievement,

leadership ability, professional excellence, and ethical behavior.

If you have any questions about the Foundation or the application process, please contact Sherwin Pomerantz, Israel Liaison (972-2-571-0199);

Marshall Kaplan, Executive Director (1-949-474-5882); or Tim Bolin, Associate (1-949-474-5883).



Documents

The Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade - · PDF fileThe Merage Foundation for U.S.-Israel Trade Inititatives The graduate students enrolled ... Dalia Prashker Co-founder, New