November 30, 2011—FreeCause is pleased to announce that it has been selected by a student group from MIT Sloan School of Management to participate in a semester-long organizational process project tasked with analyzing the organizational implications of future FreeCause product initiatives. FreeCause was chosen due to its strong growth trajectory, market-leading technology, and its innovative and growing product suite.
The project is part of the Organizational Process curriculum at MIT Sloan, and the Sloan team will utilize the organizational analysis framework known as “The Three Lenses”, which facilitates the analysis of organizational change through three different perspectives: strategic, political, and cultural.
Under the scope of the project, the team will work closely with FreeCause to review and gather information necessary to understand the history and planned implementation of future initiatives and the potential effects on the organization. In addition to reviewing company materials, the team will spend time in the FreeCause office, conduct interviews, observe meetings and operations, and conduct a staff survey.
This class project will provide FreeCause an external analysis that will be utilized by management to improve the steps the company is currently taking to implement these new technology and product initiatives. “Being chosen by the team from MIT Sloan is a tremendous honor for our company,” said Michael Jaconi, CEO of FreeCause. “Leveraging the brilliant minds that MIT Sloan has to offer will be a tremendous asset for our company, and we plan to incorporate the lessons we learn from this project in our operations moving forward.”
The final project findings are expected to be presented to FreeCause by the end of December.
About FreeCause
FreeCause is a full service technology and marketing firm that develops and enhances loyalty rewards programs for major brands, airlines, hotels, sports teams and social games. Headquartered in Boston, MA, FreeCause offers a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading technology and expertise that allows organizations to accelerate lasting, profitable relationships with their customers and supporters. With more than 20 million subscribers, the FreeCause advanced loyalty and engagement solutions drive user behavior and strengthen brand loyalty while simultaneously generating new revenue streams for organizations through an extensive network of merchants and partners. FreeCause is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755).
About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), is one of the world’s leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer and business-focused services including e-commerce, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal & media, online marketing and professional sports. Rakuten is expanding globally and currently has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit http://global.rakuten.com/group.