Two big steps forward

Dean unveils CBA initiatives
The College of Business Administration is adding value to Michigan businesses with two initiatives that will increase consulting and training opportunities for faculty.

“My intent is to do this on a very large scale,” said CBA Dean Mike Fields. “A number of faculty members will be involved. My goal is to funnel proceeds from these initiatives back into the hands of the faculty as a retention and recruiting tool.”

Partnership for Competitive Advantage: Universitywide expertise for business consulting
CBA will work in conjunction with the CMU Research Corporation (CMURC) to provide top-notch business consulting. CMURC will extend its expertise to businesses in Michigan that have at least $500 million in sales, and CBA will work with the small and mid-sized businesses.

Partnership for Competitive Advantage (PCA) will dramatically increase the amount of CMU expertise influencing the direction of Michigan businesses, complementing other ongoing initiatives such as Labelle Entrepreneurial Center, Institute for Management Consulting, and Center for Supply Chain Management.

PCA is designed to enable CMU faculty to use their expertise efficiently in a consulting environment both to earn money and generate new skills. By being exposed to real-world problem solving with outside organizations, faculty will have opportunities for unique experiences resulting in new knowledge and wisdom.

“I’m very excited about this initiative because it will draw on other colleges across campus, not just CBA,” Fields said. “Each project will have a team leader with consulting savvy and will work on a business timetable rather than an academic timetable.”

Consulting began this fall, and Director Charles Burke has plans to grow the program quickly, which is sure to have an immediate positive impact on the reputation of CMU faculty and staff and benefit Michigan businesses.

“Success in this program is all about working successfully with creative and enthusiastic people,” said Burke. “These people are independent, intelligent, fast paced, and often over extended, and allowing them to see that teams are more efficient than individuals is important. Quality, enthusiasm, innovation, and integrity are our guidelines.”

Training and Development Institute:
No-nonsense custom solutions for Michigan businesses
As the training arm of CBA, the Training and Development Institute is tailored to each client’s training needs and covers a wide range of areas. TDI is targeting small and mid-sized businesses.

The strength of TDI lies in its ability to deliver no-nonsense training and solutions to businesses for whatever they need, said Claudette Shaffer, institute director. TDI can deliver four hours of sales force training or two-week intensive training, depending on the need.

“So often, businesspeople need to look deeper into a problem; the quick and superficial material that abounds simply doesn’t solve their complex problem,” said Shaffer. “They usually don’t think to access the university because there really is no easy way to do this. Now, with these new institutes, a businessperson has easy access to all appropriate resources.”

Fields and Shaffer envision harnessing the talents of CBA’s 81 full-time faculty members, most of whom hold Ph.Ds, are actively publishing, and are highly regarded in their fields.

“My perspective is that the renewal of Michigan’s economy is going to be accomplished through small and
medium-sized businesses, and we are
going to be an important player in that
effort,” Fields said.

“ I believe that most people will agree that the renewal of Michigan’s economy is going to be accomplished through small and medium-sized businesses, and we are going to be an important player in that effort.”

– CBA Dean Mike Fields