BUAD 899 is a course which enables MBA students who are at or near the end of their degree program to apply their knowledge to real-world problem-solving. Select students are admitted to the course, and small groups of them are matched with company or organizational clients. After several orientation classes, students interact directly with clients to work on their projects. The objective is to provide both a valuable learning experience for the student and a valuable project outcome for the client. We are very pleased to say that we have met this expectation and more with the overwhelming majority of projects. This page provides a brief overview of the criteria used to select projects for this course and the protections we assure client companies.
Business projects may originate from large corporations, non-profit and government agencies, small businesses, entrepreneurs, new ventures, and as student initiatives as well. Appropriate consulting projects may come from any area of business and may support one or more of the concentrations or specializations in the MBA program, including Finance, Information Technology, International Management, Marketing, Museum Leadership and Management, New Venture Creation, or Operations.
1. Necessary characteristics of projects
a. Research focus
Each project should have an applied research focus. Students are completing an academic program of study and the role of the project management courses are to allow them to actually design and implement solutions to real problems using the skills they have developed. Thus, all projects must have strong components of either accounting, economics, finance, human resources, marketing, management, or operations management.
b. Empowerment to design and implement solutions
Each project must require that the student design and, if possible, implement a solution relevant to the client's needs. Thus, it is necessary to define projects such that students not only prepare recommendations for solutions to an organization’s problems, but also implement and test their solutions to those problems if the client approves (see below). For problems on a large scale the implementation may be done on a pilot or prototype basis.
c. Client resources, including human resources
Each client must prepare a written project description before a project is accepted. Clients should be aware that there must be some flexibility given to the students in their choice of design and implementation issues since their research might suggest alternative solutions.
Clients must agree to furnish answers to student questions, supply data when necessary, schedule necessary meetings with other employees when necessary, etc., on a timely basis. All projects are to be completed in about a three-month time period so it is imperative that students have client cooperation and responsiveness.
Normally, clients pay a fee of $2000 to support the project. This fee helps pay students' local expenses (travel, phone, etc.) and defray the cost of the additional faculty effort (i.e., faculty other than the mentor who may be asked to assist a team) in mentoring projects. This fee may be adjusted for start-up companies and non-profit organizations.
Additional expenses may be included in the student's project proposal and are subject to the client's prior approval.
2. Client protections
a. Proprietary information
Students will be instructed on professional ethics and the importance of keeping proprietary information confidential and protecting intellectual property. Each student and the faculty mentor will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement with the client. Clients will be expected to sign a contract with the University for the project.
Project reports will be kept confidential. Abstracts of project summaries with all proprietary and identifying information removed may be used for educational purposes with prior approval of the client.
b. Client approvals
The client will have the right to approve or disapprove any proposed solutions prior to implementation.
c. Property rights
Business products resulting from the project remain the property of the client, and neither student consultants nor faculty mentors may claim rights to the business products resulting from the project.
Potential clients may complete the Project Proposal Form online to propose a project or may e-mail John Kmetz (kmetzj@lerner.udel.edu) who will contact them to discuss the appropriateness of a project idea.