Companies Tap MBAs in Field Studies Program

PROVO, Utah – Jul 20, 2010 – In a study room more than twelve hundred miles away from Dell's Austin, Texas, headquarters a group of MBA students talk about the effects an acquisition could have within the company.

This isn't just a case study discussion about the computer giant. These students are researching current problems faced by the company and developing their findings into insightful observations and solutions.

Dell is not the only company picking the brains of BYU students. This past winter semester, twenty projects were completed as part of the Marriott School Field Studies program for U.S. companies with a worldwide presence. Eighty MBA students earned three-credits for producing professional, actionable recommendations for their clients—and most of them did not even step foot on an airplane.

The sixteen-week projects are sponsored by companies looking to outsource work they do not have the resources, time, or expertise to address. This also allows the companies a chance to share their cultures with students while evaluating the students' strengths as they look for potential employees.

Phil Shorten, an MBA student from Seattle, helped Dell determine the areas where it was weakest in discovering and integrating the human capital of potential acquisitions. Shorten says each week his team provided Dell with a status update of the project and received clarification and direction.

"We helped them figure out the mistakes they've made in the past from a culture perspective and how to avoid these same mistakes in the future," Shorten says.

The companies are not the only beneficiaries, since the students gain insight by consulting with business professionals on a weekly basis. Participation in a Field Study also has potential to land a summer internship or full-time job with the company.

 "I heard about the program from second-year MBA students who spoke highly of their projects and the projects' usefulness during their summer internships," Shorten says. "During my Field Study I got to know faculty members much better than I otherwise would have by tapping their expertise about mergers and acquisitions. This was one of the greatest and most unexpected benefits of the project."

The students typically work in teams of three to six under the direction of two advisors—one faculty mentor and one business executive. The teams are hand-picked by the advisors according to the business discipline and skills needed by each client. Some of the disciplines include: marketing, strategy, finance, OBHR, brand management, and supply chain. Teams spend an average of six to nine hours a week outside of class on the projects.

"Our goal is to give students the most realistic view of what it would be like to be a consultant for Dell," says Kim Moorman, senior HR program manager, acquisitions, at Dell. "The projects that we match with the Field Studies teams are usually on the forefront of new activity in each area. Having a Field Studies team align with a Dell business team allows our team members to gain additional knowledge and a new perspective from the Marriott School team who brings in fresh ideas."

The students' experience in the course is comparable to professional consulting projects. When it comes time for job interviews, students are able to talk about the valuable skills they learned from their Field Study experience.

"Having a Fortune 500 company on my résumé helped my job interviews," says Kyle Pulley, a recent MBA graduate from Salt Lake City who completed a Field Study with Boston Scientific. "Employers value that real-world experience."

Roger McCarty, director of experiential learning in the Marriott School, says there are usually four or five students each year who have accepted internships or full-time jobs from the companies they did their Field Study for.

"The key thing we are trying to do is provide meaningful opportunities for students to gain experience in a working environment in their area of study," McCarty says. "Many students find that the success they have in their new job or internship is directly attributable to the experience they gained from the Field Study."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, entrepreneurship and recreation management and youth leadership. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,300 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.