NEW BEGINNING FOR AN L.A. BUSINESS SCHOOL

By

Ashish Vaidya

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Fall 1998 marks a new beginning at Cal State L.A.’s business school. The School of Business and Economics has just appointed a new Dean to lead the school into the next century. At the same time, they are launching our redesigned MBA program.

When Dean Timothy G. Haight (formerly Chair of the Finance Department at Towson State University, Baltimore) comes on board this fall, he will face not only new faculty, staff, and students, but a completely redesigned MBA program as well. Two years in the making, Cal State L.A.’s MBA program will develop general managers, capable of working in an increasingly multicultural and global environment. Key elements of this innovative program include integrated modules that cross functional disciplines, a common cohort experience for the first two quarters, and teamwork among both faculty and students. The new MBA core courses will focus on global business awareness, and new and small business management, delivered within a participative, student-centered learning environment.

In November 1996, it was reported in this journal that the school’s process of reengineering was well under way. After consulting with stakeholders, the faculty designed an innovative curriculum to be delivered to lock-step cohorts of students. This past year, the school has been working on detailed lesson plans and creating a state-of-the-art learning environment for these MBA students.

Management education has recently been confronted with the process of curricular re-examination. In MBA programs, there is an even greater need for curricular reform, because of the pressure for relevance, student-centered learning, business alignment, course interconnectedness, and the necessity that business schools graduate effective business leaders for the 21st century.

Nowhere is this more relevant than the Los Angeles area – one of the most dynamic, entrepreneurial, and global environments in the nation, if not the world. Although several business schools across the country have been involved in curricular reform, most of the efforts have focussed on full-time day programs. The use of cohort teams, networking among colleagues, collaborative learning – all ingredients of an excellent management education, were thought possible only for the full-time MBA student.

At Cal State L.A.’s business school, one of the objectives has been to serve the needs of working professionals. By offering classes during the evenings and occasionally on weekends, the school has attracted working adults who want to continue their education without sacrificing their jobs. The MBA program also provides all of the features of a full-time program with the convenience of an evening program.

The program comprises three parts: Foundations of Business courses (24 quarter units), Required Core courses (32 quarter units), and Elective courses (16 quarter units), for a total of 72 quarter units. The six Foundations of Business courses are prerequisites courses for the Core, designed for students with non-business undergraduate degrees. The Required Core courses can be completed in four quarters, while the Elective courses, required for an option, can be completed in two additional quarters. Thus, for individuals with undergraduate business degrees, willing to take 8 quarter units of course work each quarter (two evenings a week), the entire program can be completed in just 18 months.

The school’s core MBA courses are a cross-functional, integrative selection that provides a comprehensive view of the way business actually operates. Students will learn to view and analyze business problems from a variety of perspectives. The first two quarters of the program are lock-step to facilitate teamwork, cooperative learning, and interpersonal communication.

The five new core courses provide the skills and competencies students need to be effective business leaders in the 21st century. The core begins with a course on High Performance Management, which addresses the issues of leadership, team dynamics, and communication skills. Students will learn the importance of teamwork, managerial communication, and human resource development, within a competitive environment requiring rapid response to change.

The course on Integrative Business Strategy, develops an understanding of the external environment within which business strategy is developed before focusing on corporate, competitive, marketing, and financial strategies. The Managing Business Processes course focuses on the value chain in an integrative manner, emphasizing product and process design, marketing, logistics, operations, and supply chain management. The Competing in a Global Environment course focuses on international business, which we believe is one of our school’s area of strength.

Organizations are becoming increasingly international in scope, especially in the Los Angeles area. The future manager will need to develop a global business awareness along with a high degree of competency in intercultural communication. The final core course, New Business Management, examines the entrepreneurial process involved in starting and managing a new venture. The program will emphasize the knowledge and skills necessary to assess and pursue new business opportunities. Student teams will develop and present a business plan to support the initiation of a new business.

SBE faculty teams will be using integrative cases, computer simulations, and workshops to enhance the learning experience. In every module, students will make formal presentations and produce formal written documents (such as a business plan, feasibility study, or a proposal). By the time they complete the core students will have composed several such formal reports, analyzed numerous cases, worked through at least one major business simulation program, and acquired the oral and written communications skills so important for the future business leader. Throughout the program, there is an emphasis on integrating technology in the classroom to prepare reports, make presentations, analyze a business or industry, write a business plan, and take advantage of the resources available on the Web.

The redesigned MBA is an example of a school’s focus on making a difference not only in the lives and careers of its students, but also in the vitality of the Los Angeles region. L.A.’s Business School is ready for the next millenium.

Ashish Vaidya is an Associate Professor of Economics and Statistics, and Director of the MBA Program at the School of Business and Economics, at California State University, Los Angeles.