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Kamala harris skirts questions on ‘historic flood’ of migrants three times, whiffs on economic policy answer in tense ‘60 minutes’ interview  .

Kamala Harris whiffed on an attempt to explain how she’d help  boost small businesses  and repeatedly deflected when asked about the “historic flood” of migrants crossing illegally into the US since she’s been vice president in a   “60 Minutes” interview that aired Monday.

Harris, 59, was unable to describe how her fiscal policies would work in “the real world,” including passing both chambers of what is likely to be a divided Congress, after CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker accused her of being unrealistic.

“My plan is about saying that when you invest in small businesses, you invest in the middle class and you strengthen America’s economy,” Harris told Whitaker during the sit-down.

“Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy,” she restated.

“Pardon me, Madam Vice President, the question was, ‘How are you going to pay for it?'” Whitaker interrupted.

“Well, one of the things I’m gonna make sure,” Harris began, blinking repeatedly in apparent surprise at the questioner’s pushback, “that the richest among us — who can afford it — pay their fair share in taxes.”

“It is not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations. And I plan on making that fair,” she went on.

“But we’re dealing with the real world here,” Whitaker interjected. “How are you going to get this through Congress?”

“You know, when you talk quietly with a lot of folks in Congress, they know exactly what I’m talking about ’cause their constituents know exactly what I’m talking about,” the vice president said before repeating herself yet again. “Their constituents are those firefighters and teachers and nurses.”

Harris’ economic agenda — which includes increasing the amount in tax deductions offered for startups to $50,000 — is estimated to add $3.5 trillion to the national debt , according to a nonpartisan analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released Monday, even while raising taxes on corporations, the ultra-wealthy and others to the tune of $4.25 trillion.

Billionaires and other high-income earners also do not pay lower tax rates than teachers, nurses or firefighters, according to analyses by both the US Treasury Department and the Congressional Budget Office .

The top 1% income bracket shoulders 46% of the nation’s tax burden at a current taxation rate of 37%, according to economists.

The average tax rate for teachers, nurses and firefighters based on those occupations’ median income is 22% — but could be as low as 12% for married couples and heads of households.

Critics have harped on Harris’ word salads during her time in office, which have earned her comparisons to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ vacuous character Selina Meyer in HBO’s “Veep.”

Often, the vice president resorts to repetition when asked to clarify her positions — most recently in an interview last week with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, when Harris used the word “holistic” three times in 23 seconds .

Harris, who has embraced President Biden’s recent “crackdown” on illegal immigration, sidestepped when asked by Whitaker why the administration didn’t aim to stem illegal border crossings years earlier. 

The vice president blamed Congress for not taking up legislation to “actually fix” the border crisis. 

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“There was an historic flood of undocumented immigrants coming across the border for three years of your administration,” Whitaker noted in a follow-up. 

“Arrivals quadrupled from the last year of President Trump — was it a mistake to loosen the immigration policy as much as you did?” 

Harris called illegal immigration a “longstanding problem” and argued that “solutions are at hand, and from day one, literally, we have been offering solutions.”

“Was it a mistake to kind of allow that flood to happen in the first place?” Whitaker pressed. 

“The policies that we have been proposing are about fixing a problem, not promoting a problem,” Harris argued.  

“But the numbers did quadruple under your watch,” the “60 Minutes” correspondent shot back. 

To which Harris responded, “The numbers today, because of what we have done, we have cut the flow of illegal immigration by half.” 

Harris went back to her criticism of Congress when Whitaker tried to ask a third time whether the administration should’ve pursued those policies sooner. 

Harris was also asked by Whitaker to respond to criticism that she’s  flip-flopped on so many issues  — fracking, immigration and Medicare for all — that voters “don’t truly know what you believe or what you stand for.”  

The vice president argued that her policy shifts are part of an effort to build “consensus.” 

“I have been traveling our country, and I have been listening to folks and seeking what is possible in terms of common ground,” Harris said. “I believe in building consensus.”

“We are diverse people — geographically, regionally, in terms of where we are in our backgrounds — and what the American people do want is that we have leaders who can build a consensus,” she added, serving up some of her trademark word salad. 

“It’s not a bad thing,” Harris said of making compromises on policy, “as long as you don’t compromise your values.” 

Meanwhile, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz acknowledged that Harris has “probably disagreed” with the way he’s embellished stories from his past. 

“She said, ‘Tim, you know, you need to be a little more careful on how you say things,’ whatever it might be,” Walz said of what the vice president has told him since the  falsehoods  he’s told about his military record and  being in China  during the Tiananmen Square massacre have surfaced. 

“I think folks know who I am, and I think they know the difference between someone expressing emotion, telling a story, getting a date wrong, rather than a pathological liar like Donald Trump,” the Minnesota governor said. 

“I think I can,” Walz said when asked whether he can be trusted to tell the truth. “I will own up to being a knucklehead at times, but the folks closest to me know that I keep my word.”

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Business and Development Studies

Meet the students.

Click on the students to learn more about what it is like to be a student on BADS

Come to Open Days 6 February 2025

You get the chance to hear about the different programmes, talk to students, and learn more about the admission process.  Read more about Open Days

Join admission info meetings

Join the admission info meeting and get answers to all your questions. Read more about the info meetings

If you have questions concerning content of the programme, the study environment or admission to CBS graduate programmes, you are welcome to contact us. Find the relevant  contact information.

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MSc in Business, Language and Culture - Business and Development Studies

About msc blc.

MSc in Business, Language and Culture consist of 2 concentrations:

• Business and Development Studies 
• Diversity and Change Management

MSc BLC gives you a scientifically based set of interdisciplinary, analytical, and communicative skills and qualify you for a career in globally oriented companies, institutions and organizations, private and public.

Interdisciplinary approach In MSc BLC, you will learn to investigate the theory and practice of international business and management from an interdisciplinary vantage point at the intersection of the social and human sciences, bringing together insights and methods from several academic fields: 

• international business administration and economics 
• social, political and culture studies 
• language and area studies

This interdisciplinary approach allows for a broad perspective on business, taking into account how regionally embedded values, norms, practices and interests impact the ways in which organisations operate in and across multiple contexts in the global economy.

The interdisciplinary approach is increasingly relevant to understand business at the intersection of global and local forces in particular regional contexts. Such an understanding helps not only to overcome obstacles related to cultural, social, political and economic differences between regions, but also to further one’s capacity to see and use contextual differences as potential resources when doing business.

More and more European firms are extending their activities to emerging markets and developing countries, through trade, through direct investments, or through networks. The BADS programme focuses on firm strategy, organisation and management in such countries.

Emerging markets and developing countries Emerging markets and developing countries are characterised by huge development challenges, but also by rapid economic growth as well as profound industrial and institutional transformation. Operating in such contexts raise particular challenges and opportunities for firms and organisations. BADS seeks to understand these challenges and opportunities.

During your studies you will learn to understand the complex relationship between the business strategies of firms and the development strategies of governments. This will allow you to assess the role that companies and organisations play in economic development processes, and analyse the particular conditions of formulating, implementing and managing strategy in developing countries and emerging markets.

On this background you are able to plan, design, organise and manage investment projects and development interventions in developing countries and emerging markets.

Development and challenges You will also learn about market and private sector driven development, including aid interventions in support of local business development and poverty relief. And throughout the programme you will learn to consider the strategic and cross-cultural challenges when working in developing and emerging markets, as well as the ethical challenges and dilemmas you might meet in relation to such contexts.

The faculty teaching in BADS has long standing experience working with and in developing countries and is organised in the research centre  Centre for Business and Development Studies .

Language and culture You will explore and gain general knowledge within area studies while speaking your second foreign language (French, German or Spanish). You will learn about political, cultural and social issues in areas where your second language is spoken, as well as gaining knowledge on organisations, management and leadership practices in these regional contexts. This will prepare you to work in an international setting while taking different cultural and international values and practices into account.

Customise your programme

During the programme, you have various opportunities to create your own academic profile.

Electives On the 3rd semester, you can choose to study courses of your specific interest. CBS offers a large number of electives within a wide range of topics. You can also choose to take electives at other Danish universities. The electives you choose have to be relevant for your programme. A number of electives are specifically designed to complement the core courses of BADS. Among those are:  Poverty, Sustainability and the Private Sector (CCBLV1601U) (autumn),  Marketing in Emerging Markets: Seizing the market opportunities in the world’s main growth economies (CCBLV1703U) (autumn),  Field study: Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development in Uganda (CCDEV1135U) (spring)

See the current selection of CBS electives on Single courses and electives - Master

Minor On the 3rd semester, you can also choose to study a so-called minor. A minor is a package of electives within a specific academic area. Typically, it consists of 3 courses. By taking a minor, you strengthen your competences within a specific area of interest, and you can use it to qualify for specific jobs or industries.

See the current selection of CBS minors on Minors - Master

Exchange Many students choose to go on exchange on their 3rd semester; usually at one of CBS’ more than 300 partner universities. When you go on exchange through CBS, you do not have to pay for the teaching at the foreign university (with a few exceptions), and you can bring your SU (student grant).

Find a list of all CBS partner universities here

Academic internship In BADS, you can choose to replace some or all of your electives with a so-called academic internship. The academic internship consists of an internship period at a company, which is then completed with a project report. You can do the internship at a company in Denmark or abroad. The internship must have an international or intercultural scope, and the project report and work assignments have to be relevant to your study programme. When doing an internship you get the opportunity to relate theory to practice and reflect on the academic training you receive at CBS in a practical setting.

CEMS - Master in International Management programme On BADS, you can apply for the CEMS - Master in International Management programme. CEMS MIM is a double degree programme, which gives you the opportunity to add a second degree in international management to you CBS degree. This means that you will get both the MSc degree and the CEMS in International Management degree.

CEMS is a 1-year programme, which you study in combination with your CBS degree in your 3rd and 4th semester. Part of it  takes place at one of the other CEMS universities abroad.

Learn more about CEMS / Master in International Management

Master's thesis Your 2nd year is completed with a master's thesis. You choose the topic you want to write about, which allows you to focus on a specific topic of your interest. Typically, you write your master's thesis with a fellow student.

What to consider

Interest in developing countries and emerging markets Many students have an interest in Africa, Asia and Latin America, since developing countries and emerging markets are found in these regions. In general, the students are interested in the intersection between business and development, and many students value the focus on ethical and corporate social responsibility aspects of business activity in emerging markets and developing countries as well as language and culture.

Large curriculum The courses involve significant readings in general approximately 800-1200 pages of course curricula per course. This is a challenge to some students but can be overcome if you plan your studies carefully.

2nd foreign language For some students the 2nd foreign language is a challenge. You will have courses in area studies taught in your 2nd foreign language. These courses deal with business, cultures and societies in regions in which the language is spoken. This means that you will read and discuss fairly complex academic texts in your 2nd foreign language.

Quarter and semester structure Some of the courses are taught on a quarter basis. That means that you complete your courses within two month and the studies of these subjects are highly concentrated.

Studying in English If you do not have a bachelor’s degree taught in English, we recommend that you read more about what to consider before applying for an English taught programme. 

Read more about  Teaching and litterature in English  on Teaching and working methods.

Study environment

Students from many countries BADS is one of the most international master programmes at CBS. Students come from many different countries and many students have different academic bachelor backgrounds. Around 40-50% of the students are from other countries around the world.

Mulitcultural and supportive environment The students are generally very open-minded and explorative, and they socialize with students from the other MSc concentration in Business, Language and Culture. The environment is very multicultural, given the many different nationalities of students studying this concentration. Academically, there is a supportive environment among the students, and the intercultural environment offers great exposure to other ways of doing things, especially during group work.

Student life at CBS Studying at CBS is much more than just preparing for and going to classes.

At CBS, there are more than 20,000 students with different backgrounds and nationalities. Teamwork is an essential part of studying at CBS both in classes and in extracurricular activities. 

With more than 100 student organisations, you also have plenty of opportunities to engage and connect with students across programmes and classes. 

Learn more about the vibrant student life at CBS, the student organisations, and the international environment on  Student life

For internationals If you are an international student, we have gathered a lot of information about what it is like to be an international student at CBS and how you can prepare for life in Denmark.

Read more on  For internationals  

Studying at CBS is more than just preparing for classes. Learn about the student life at CBS, the countless student organisations you can join, and the international environment.

Teaching and exams

Teaching  The teaching in Business and Development Studies has a strong focus on mixing theoretical learning and practice. The 1st semester introduces you to mainly theoretical material, while the 2nd semester introduces you to how to put theory into practice. This is done by writing business projects and cases, presenting different cases in class and having representatives from multinational companies to act as guest lecturers. Read more on  Teaching and working methods

Exams Each course is concluded with an exam. This means that you will have exams after each quarter and semester.

The exam types in BADS are a mix of the exam types offered at CBS in general. This includes everything from written to oral exams.

Read more on  Exams at CBS

Time consumption You should know that it is demanding to study in a graduate programme, and both the curriculum and workload is  significantly higher than at bachelor level. 

If you are studying on a full-time graduate programme, you should expect spending approximately 37 hours on average on your studies each week. The workload will vary during the year.

The time leading up to assignment submissions and exams can be hectic, and you can easily work more than 40 hours a week in this period. Preparing for oral exams can be especially time consuming, because you have to be able to explain and discuss the covered concepts and theories and learn things by heart.

Read more on  Teaching and working methods

Student job Most programmes are quite flexible in terms of combining studies with a student job. Most students work a maximum of 15 hours a week in order to have sufficient time for their studies.

Studying in Denmark - for internationals If this is your first time studying in Denmark, you may find teaching and exam formats, the grading scale and the academic calendar very different from what you are used to.

Read about everything you need to know as an international student studying at CBS on  For internationals > Academic information   

What gets you the job? The international focus of the concentration and the introduction into theoretical areas combined with actual real life cases exposes you to different companies and institutions.

You are also introduced to working across cultures as part of your studies, which prepares you for work in an international environment. You will have the tools and methodologies for working with investments, projects and interventions in developing countries and emerging markets.

As a graduate in BADS, you:

• understand business in an intercultural and international context.
• have knowledge of how business and development can be united, and of the different market and country specific dynamics you can meet when doing business abroad.
• know about the different challenges of doing business abroad and in developing and emerging markets in particular.

Career opportunities With a degree in Business and Development Studies you can work within different fields.

Examples of jobs held by graduates:

• Employee at the UN and other international organisations
• Project manager in developing country subsidiaries of international firms
• Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility
• Marketing function related to emerging markets
• Project manager in NGO working with developing countries
• Civil servant in foreign affairs ministries
• Consultant in development oriented consultancies

Competence profile  In the competence profile you can read more about the purpose of the programme and the competencies you achieve in the programme:

Competence profile for MSc BLC

Course overview

You can read more about the programme, academic content and exams in the programme regulations for MSc in Business Language and Culture

Track courses

Regional track courses with language

The courses are taught in French, Spanish, German for students studying these languages, and in English for students with Chinese and Japanese. Depending on your choice of language, you will study one of the following courses:

Project management

The role of the cost breakdown structure (CBS) in effective project planning

“About 8.5% of projects finish on time and budget. We have tested it across different sample sizes and it holds up. Now our colleagues have begun doing similar studies to ours and are finding similar results. So we trust the number as valid and reliable.” ~ Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, author of How Big Things Get Done

Projects have lots of moving parts that can make it difficult for agencies to create an accurate budget. But while that’s true, not having an accurate budget can result in negative consequences, like not having enough money allocated or being too optimistic and ending up missing deadlines — which can significantly impact client satisfaction.

Using a cost breakdown structure (CBS) allows agencies to wrangle budgets into submission and get a transparent view of project costs, helping you plan more effectively for future client work.

Below, we’ll unpack everything you need to know about using a CBS, including a step-by-step breakdown of how to create one for your agency.

• What is a CBS?

A CBS, also called a should-cost analysis, is a comprehensive document breaking down the expenses a project will incur. Each line item represents a cost type. By logging every piece that goes into the final deliverable, a project manager can accurately estimate the total actual cost.

A CBS breaks down values into direct and indirect costs, arming the project manager with a way to access granular information throughout the project’s lifecycle. This insight helps with cost control and risk management.

• Common costs included in a CBS

Arriving at an accurate cost of the project requires taking several types of estimated costs into account.

Human capital costs may be a big chunk of your overall project budget, which is why they need to be accurately estimated. Otherwise, you could spend too much, and the project could go wildly off-budget.

Labor costs are broken down on a CBS by category, and then the hours and cost rate are added into the mix. Labor costs are direct costs since they can be tied to the final product or service.

Material costs include tangible and intangible items the agency purchases for the project.

Tangible material costs include raw materials that it takes to create the deliverable. These are things you can touch.

Intangible material costs include things like insurance, intellectual property, and freight. While you can’t physically touch these items, they’re necessary nonetheless.

Some agencies choose to blend equipment costs into material costs, but we recommend separating them in your CBS for greater clarity. This line item includes all equipment used in the workflow throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Be sure to add any equipment components utilized during the project to the materials line item.  

At first glance, it might seem difficult for you to pinpoint a project’s overhead costs, since they may not be directly involved with the task itself. But to create an accurate CBS, these expenses must be included in the final analysis.

Overhead costs are the expenses agencies pay to figuratively and literally keep the lights on. These can include rent, electricity, internet, and other utilities.

See how profitable you are at a glance

Keep track of project performance in real time, from start to finish, so you always know what's going on.

• A step-by-step guide for creating a cost breakdown structure

It’s interesting to note that not all companies use a CBS for project planning. Some opt for a work breakdown structure (WBS), which lists deliverables and tasks using a single hierarchy. While a WBS doesn’t require the considerable time it takes to build a CBS, it also doesn’t provide the granular detail and accurate costs that create an accurate project estimate.

A CBS works parallel to a WBS to create a real-time analysis for a more in-depth level of detail.

Here’s how to employ a CBS for your agency:

1. Define the project scope

Only 61% of organizations create a scope as part of planning.

What are those other 39% thinking ?

Clarify what your project will cover and what it won’t. This definition ensures you can plan your budget and resources properly and give stakeholders (internal and external) an understanding of what they can expect. Above all, a clear project scope helps you avoid resource-sucking scope creep .

To define your project scope:

 Outline its main objectives: Start by imagining what success looks like.

Draft a resource management plan: List all the resources that you need available and how you’ll use them.

  Write a project scope statement: Succinctly explain what type of work the project does and does not include.

 Secure stakeholder buy-in: Get approval from stakeholders before you set the scope in (almost) stone. This gives you a chance to tweak it if it needs it, which is much harder to do once the workflow’s underway.

Set a change process: Large, complex projects will inevitably need some changes and deviations as they move forward. Proactively eliminate confusion by creating a plan for requesting and deciding on changes.

2. Identify main cost categories

What are the areas of the project that will cost money? By identifying and segmenting those out, you can keep your finger on the pulse of the total costs of the project.

Some of the cost categories may be:

Raw materials: The cost of finite materials you’ll need to build and deliver the project should be in this category.

Equipment: Any equipment (laptops, copiers, etc.) you use goes here.

Labor costs: How many people need to work on this? How many hours will each one of them bill? This data goes into this category. 

3. Assign monetary values to the categories

Once you determine the categories, it’s time to translate the work into a monetary figure. Break each task down and figure out the cost that should be assigned to it.

Understanding cost estimation is vital for this step to work. Choose from several estimation strategies to arrive at accurate numbers. Many times, you can plug in cost data from previous projects.

Some of the other cost-estimating methods are:

Parametric estimation: This technique adjusts previous project data to allow the differences that exist across every task.

  Analogous estimation: By using previous project data, this technique estimates the completion time.

Expert judgment: The least scientific of all the others but still popular, the expert judgment strategy uses the project manager’s experience and gut feelings to arrive at a project cost. It tends to work best when estimating plans similar to ones that have been completed in the past.

Three-point estimation: This method assigns three numbers to a task, representing optimistic, most likely pessimistic. Then, you average the numbers to arrive at your actual estimate.

What is cost estimation in agency project management?

Learn everything you need to know about cost estimation in agency project management in this comprehensive guide.

4. Factor in contingencies and uncertainties

Project-based agencies should always build in a little cushion that can cover potential roadblocks in the workflow. It doesn’t matter how strictly you create a budget; issues can crop up and cause tasks to cost more than planned. Some examples are:

A critical team member could get sick, causing you to run short of labor hours. This issue could also require another employee (who may be paid more) to step in and take over.

The supply chain might hold up materials. Whether it’s manufacturing or shipping issues, your project timeline will need to change if you don’t have the material to create the deliverable.

Depending on your location, you may have to deal with hurricanes, snowstorms, or tornadoes that can rip out electricity and internet for several days. These natural disasters can wreak havoc on your project.

Even the best-laid plans can go awry, so your CBS should have cost and time allocations built in.

5. Utilize CBS software tools

Embracing project management automation in your plans can save you significant time and keep estimates accurate. CBS software tools facilitate your project cost management efforts by:

Keeping you organized: Being able to log every task in a single location, assign it to stakeholders, and monitor progress decreases the risk of something falling through the cracks.

Improving your accuracy: CBS software links estimates to the scope and available resources. You’re never getting that type of support from a plain Excel spreadsheet.

Encouraging collaboration: If everyone knows where they should go for information and idea sharing, it’s easier to communicate effectively with other stakeholders and mitigate potential issues.

Promoting smart decision-making: By pinpointing the project’s cost drivers, CBS software paves the way for solving problems and reaching solid data-driven decisions.

• Find out how Teamwork.com helps with cost tracking

Agencies that put the time into creating a CBS reap powerful benefits like gaining better insight into project spending and managing costs effectively. Formulating a strong structure on the front end minimizes the chance of costs getting out of hand and the project going over budget.

Using project management software like Teamwork.com is essential for monitoring your assignments and keeping them on track. 

From our user-friendly templates to our workload management and resource allocation features, you can save time, track costs , increase collaboration, and proactively address bottlenecks.

Amplify your next project’s success and exceed your clients’ expectations by getting started with Teamwork.com today .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Define the project scope
• Identify main cost categories
• Assign monetary values to the categories
• Factor in contingencies and uncertainties
• Utilize CBS software tools

Ben is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Teamwork.com. Having held content roles at agencies and SaaS companies for the past 8 years, Ben loves writing about the latest tech trends and work hacks in the agency space.

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