Fighting to Rebuild Communities: Business on the Frontlines

Professor Viva Bartkus and students from Notre Dame’s Business on the Frontlines course are traveling the world to examine commerce’s role in rebuilding war-torn societies.

God, Country, Notre Dame. For Keith Flatley, MBA ’09, the words are more than a familiar phrase; they are a call to action. In 2008, the former member of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, along with fellow MBA students from the Mendoza College of Business, traveled to Bosnia as part of the college’s innovative Business on the Frontlines course. In Bosnia, they witnessed the horrific effects of civil war and ethnic cleansing, and in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, created an economic relief model that eased the path for refugees to return and start businesses.

Taught by Viva Bartkus, associate professor of management, Business on the Frontlines is demonstrating to students—and to the world—the powerful impact business can have in pulling populations out of poverty and stabilizing society following a war or violent conflict.

Mendoza College of Business asks students like Keith to “ask more of business.” The University of Notre Dame asks you, “What would you fight for?” Learn more about Business on the Frontlines.

What Would You Fight For?

The University of Notre Dame’s award-winning “What Would You Fight For?” series, now in its sixth season, showcases the work, scholarly achievements, and global impact of Notre Dame faculty, students, and alumni. These two-minute segments, each originally aired during a home football game broadcast on NBC, highlight the University’s proud moniker, the Fighting Irish, and tell the stories of the members of the Notre Dame family who fight to bring solutions to a world in need.

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