Experiential Learning Projects for MKTG 3586 Entrepreneurial Strategy

In the spring semester of 2011, Katherine Cota began teaching MKTG 3586/5586. As part of the course, Katherine added 12-week real client projects. She taught the students how to be professional consultants to supplement their education in entrepreneurship, business, management, marketing, and strategy. The thought behind adding this large project to the class was to help the current and future entrepreneurs in the class understand how to research, analyze, and synthesize information to use it to make strategic and tactical decisions for a business. The importance of this is to help the future entrepreneurs to understand the connections between the various elements of a business and how decisions and practices can affect the operations of a business leading to success or failure. All client projects are strictly confidential and for the internal strategic and tactical use of the companies. Company names are never shared. Organizations that are public entities such as city and local governments or UNI divisions can be publicly disclosed when necessary. These projects take the form of a marketing plan, feasibility study, business plan, operations plan, etc. A producible is created for the client (e.g. marketing plan) as well as a presentation to the client of the elements of the plan and the recommendations of the consulting team. Further, students write an extensive paper covering a brief company history, a statement of the problem, a scope of work for the company, limitations of the project and its elements, primary research, secondary research, analysis methods, findings, and recommendations. Students independently evaluate their own and their teammates’ performance. Communication, organization, and accountability are essential elements to the success of these projects. Since 2011, 43 projects have been completed for companies and organizations. Fourteen projects were Waterloo-based, seven were Cedar Falls-based, five were UNI departments or centers, seven were student companies in the UNI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center’s R. J. McElroy Student Business Incubator, and single projects from the following locations: Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Clear Lake, Dubuque, Muscatine, Tama, Templeton, and Walker, Iowa, as well as Buford, Georgia, and the country of Nicaragua. Of the 43 projects, 28 have been for-profit companies, 10 non-profit organizations, and five UNI centers or departments. Industries have included: clothing, personal care products, product \u26 equipment manufacturing, construction, food \u26 beverage \u26 brewing, finance/banking, arts \u26 culture, education, gaming, consumer products, city redevelopment, religion \u26 social services, professional services, marketing \u26 research, research \u26 innovation, athletics/sports, and product sales \u26 service