Article
Service-Learning by Doing: How a Student-run Consulting Company finds Relevance and Purpose in a Business Strategy Capstone Course
Journal of Management Education
(2010)
Abstract
A challenge for undergraduate learning in strategy is that the students lack professional work experiences. Without a rich background of experience, many strategic management topics are difficult to grasp. Our solution has been to develop a strategic management capstone course that combines service-learning and problem-based learning. The experiential design puts students in charge of a consulting company serving struggling local nonprofits and small businesses. By consulting, students have access to strategic decision makers and learn to understand the missions of their organizations. Students acquire a sense of urgency to solve strategic problems and develop a commitment to improving their community. In this article, the authors describe their motivations for the course design and how service-learning enhances the design’s efficacy. In addition, the authors explain the use of a matrix structure for the student consulting company, how the company operates, and the strategic process consultation approach its consultants use. This study also describes the student leadership structure and just-in-time lecture technique that enables the instructor to provide on-demand instruction. The authors conclude by explaining the assessment system of quality checks, presentations, and reflection papers that allows instructors to maintain student learning in a very flexible and student-driven learning system.
Keywords
- Service-learning,
- Problem-based learning,
- Strategy,
- Management,
- Consulting,
- Student-run business,
- Assessment
Disciplines
Publication Date
February, 2010
DOI
10.1177/1052562909339025
Publisher Statement
Published by Sage Journals
Citation Information
Arthur L. Sherwood, David F. Robinson and Concetta A. DePaolo. "Service-Learning by Doing: How a Student-run Consulting Company finds Relevance and Purpose in a Business Strategy Capstone Course" Journal of Management Education Vol. 34 Iss. 1 (2010) p. 88 - 112 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arthur-sherwood/4/