News & Notes

Every spring, first year fulltime MBA students integrate Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology Management and Marketing in an intense five week course that galvanizes their teams, tests their intelligence, tries their patience and works their nerves. Global Business teaches the social, legal and political implications of doing business in an international environment, and in the process, prods students to become informed executives regardless of organizational responsibility

Linda Krzykowski, Assistant Dean of Campus MBA programs, who supports the teaching efforts of Marketing Professor Chris Buss, explained, “It's a way to integrate everything they've learned. Students evaluate the product and marketing mix, and ask, ‘Are they missing anything?' and ‘Are they getting to the right people?'”

Student teams choose a company, and then evaluate it within its industry and the world marketplace. Professors Krzykowski and Buss, a “retired” professor who has been drawn back into the School of Business, teach how to examine the company, but students find, dissect and analyze data with their teams. In 2005, Dell, Boeing, Chevron, UPS, Wal-Mart and AIG were evaluated.

Throughout the 5-week course, student teams make two presentations each week, powerfully critiqued by their professors. Krzykowski noted, like American Idol, “Some participants look for Paula Abdul, and all they get are two Simon Cowells.” But this isn't American Idol, but real world Global Business.

Listen up Big Business. Here are recommendations from the class of 2006:

Boeing needs to increase point-to-point flights instead of using their competitor's hub and spoke model. They decried Boeing's lack of innovation.

Chevron should grapple with the issue of oil as a non-renewable energy by building strong relationships with Russia to delve further into the natural gas arena.

If UPS increases their international presence, they'll blow DHL, the current worldwide leader, off the road.

Wal-Mart needs to spiff up its image and break into urban markets by building more Neighborhood Markets. Diversified sourcing will improve cultural adaptation and allow the giant to move into new foreign markets.

AIG (American International Group) should remove the middleman (brokers) and get into the rebid business.