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“It’s great to talk about the concepts and theories that make a successful business or an exceptional business person, but it's impossible to become competent and confident about using those theories until you apply them,” Macari said. “You cannot sit back in a classroom, take notes and a final exam, then wait for learning to seep in anymore than you can just show up for work every day and expect to be promoted. The Welch MBA requires active participation, critical thinking and the ability to stretch yourself beyond your current expertise.” That's why Sacred Heart’s John F. Welch College of Business offers as part of its nationally-recognized MBA program a two-semester, 12-credit, integrated “Dynamic Business Management” course that requires students to not just simulate the creation and launch of a product, but to make decisions related to all aspects of running a business, including accounting, staffing, marketing, facility operations and strategic planning. The program is team taught by both SHU professors and a group of New York and Connecticut senior business executives who serve as program adjuncts. Each section is led by a full-time faculty member such as Dr. Stephen M. Brown, who serves as both instructor and facilitator to ensure that all of the components fit together. Under their guidance this past semester, teams of four to five students focused on creating new products appropriate for Colgate-Palmolive. Products were presented in early April in a set-up similar to the ABC reality television show Shark Tank, in which would-be entrepreneurs stand alone on a stage, in a spotlight, and pitch their ideas to no-nonsense investors. Students at Sacred Heart present to the C level executive team of the company. For most students, it’s a nerve-wracking experience that requires them to be persuasive, prepared and professional, demonstrating not just what the product does and why consumers would want it, but whether it will create value for the company. Among the products students pitched in the most recent round of presentations were toothpaste for dogs, a sports mouth guard and a kids’ electrical toothbrush designed to appeal to moms. Among the “Sharks” instructing and critiquing students were CIT Group Banking Executive Vice President Raymond Quinlan, Rockit Solutions Partnership (part of Rockefeller and Company Inc.) Tax Director David J. Orticelli, Watch Hill Partnership President and CEO Paul D'Andrea and Ned McMahon, partner at Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggerio and Perle, LLP. Other executives regularly teaching in the program include Tim Crader and Matt Iovine from General Electric.
Sacred Heart MBA student Rachel Mitchell, a Wilton mother of two looking to start a business in the beverage industry, believes one of the greatest benefits of the kind of hands-on learning Dynamic Business Management provides is that every student gets the opportunity to manage and lead. “It’s not passive learning, but active learning that’s helped me build on my strengths and create new ones,” Mitchell said. “One of the biggest things this course has done is help me fine-tune my presentation skills. But the opportunities for professional growth are wide-reaching. Classes touch on every aspect of today’s competitive business environment, which we students will definitely encounter outside the classroom.” That idea of knowing what to expect because you've already experienced it is one of the cornerstones of the program, Macari said. “Because of these classes, our students go to work each day better prepared than the day before,” he concluded. “They know not just how to work as part of a team, but what each member of the team is expected to deliver. It prepares students not just for a career, but to move up the career ladder.” © Copyright by ShorelinePlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of ShorelinePlus.com, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page |
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