The Role of Field-Based Business Consulting Experiences in AACSB Business Education: An Exploratory Survey and Study

This  research   was  designed   to  explore   the   critical   variables   associated   with field-based consultancy  (FBC)  experiences   as  an  aid  to  designing  successful   FBC  programs.      It   is generally  acknowledged  that  there are  both advantages  and disadvantages  associated  with FBC' at  the student,   instructor,   and  institutional  level.    Deans,   other  university  administrators, and faculty   have  sometimes  questioned  this form   of program   instruction, from   the perspectives of resource  allocation  and the appropriateness  of this type of faculty  activity  in the typical university reward system.   A  mail survey  was conducted of business school  administrators  to ascertain the extent of involvement  with FBC and the associated success factors.    The findings from   this  study  validate  some  basic  underpinnings  of  business  education  curriculum  and ,design.  Student-based factors  influencing success  include smaller classes,  usually at a senior or graduate level, graded coursework (as opposed to pass/fail), and full-time students. As a learning method, field-based learning adds value to students, to clients involved, to the faculty and to the institutions. The hurdles continue to be the need for a fair allocation of the time and resources  to the parties   involved

Internet banking: a customer-centric perspective

Many financial institutions are actively developing new electronic banking products for their retail customers. These efforts are can succeed only if their managers focus the promotion of the new services toward those customers who are most likely to find them attractive. The analysis of a 6-branch financial institution presented in this study suggests that institutions are vulnerable to loss of customers to rivals with extensive online services. The likelihood of current customers being tempted to do business online with another institution was shown to increase with the level of customer transaction use on the Internet. Current customer account relationships are found to be predictive of electronic services use in general. And, interest in the use of specific online services is related to differing customer relationships in addition to ordinary demographic and balance information. These findings can be useful in identifying potential users from a customer relationship management perspective

Uncertainty in the Desert Kingdom -- Business and Economic Factors for Introducing a New Building Product in the Construction Market in Saudi Arabia: A Case Study

This case is a study of a U.S. based entrepreneur who had decided to create a new venture in SaudiArabia to produce and distribute a new type of construction material with superior insulatingcharacteristics. The entrepreneur had performed some preliminary research and looked to developbusiness and marketing plans to secure investment capital to fund and launch the company. He engaged a consulting group to assist him to conduct a competitive analysis, identify target markets and recommend brand-building strategies. The case provides information about Saudi Arabia and some of the economic, political and environmental issues that are faced by the country. This case could be used in international management or international marketing course