Soroos
Soroos Publishes Case Study in International Case Collection
Exploring the business environment in Moscow from the perspective of a small U.S. office-supply chain was the subject of a fictitious case study published by Dr. Carol Soroos, who teaches International Business and Marketing in the business school. The case study was published in the European Case Clearing House (ECCH), a non-profit organization that provides an international forum for dissemi-nating business cases to the world's teaching community.
Soroos' case study, "Office Gallery: Facing the Challenges of Russia," investigates commercial entry into Russia, retail versus wholesale aspects, risks, form of business, and short- versus long-term perspectives.
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The fictitious Office Gallery is a small, but rapidly growing, U.S.-based
office supply retail chain. The director of marketing has investigated
the business situation in Russia and evaluated the company's prospects
there. He must decide whether to recommend entering the Russian market and, if so, how.
The case is intended for use in international marketing or international
business courses at either the advanced undergraduate or graduate level.
According to an abstract of the case published on the ECCH website, it
illustrates the complexities of doing business in a rapidly changing situation
in which major risks cannot be quantified.
The case also illustrates the personal side of the decision-making process facing such businesses, especially those in which families may be forced to sacrifice comfort and safety.
The case is an outgrowth of research conducted on several trips to Russia and Kazakhstan, during which Soroos interviewed approximately 80 Russian and Kazakh business people.
Two Fulbright grants allowed her to teach at Kazakh State Economics University
in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, in 1992, and at Vladivostok State Univer-sity
of Economics in Vladivostok, Russia, in 1999.
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| Over 140 senior level trust officers from 15 states attended the business school's Certifying Trust Bankers School, held February 25-27 at the Pinehurst Resort and Hotel in Pinehurst, NC. Jonathan Pond, pictured above left, was one of about 15 speakers at the three-day session. Pond is known as "America's Financial Planner" and is the brother of Roger Pond, a trust professor in the business school. Pictured above right are Dr. Chris Zinkhan (on the left), the new dean of the school of business, and Mike Dowling, senior vice president from Bank of America (BOA). Dowling presented Zinkhan with a symbolic $15,000 check to the Trust Education Foundation. The money will fund a BOA trust scholarship for a trust student at Campbell. | |
PGM Program Answers Industry's Changing Needs
A degree in professional golf management (PGM) sounds like a cakewalk. PGM students get to play golf everyday. According to Ken Jones, PGM placement director at Campbell, students have unlimited use of the University's Keith Hills Golf Course, although they do have a tee time window; unlimited driving range usage; and unlimited golf instruction, all for a $400 lab fee.
But the requirements for getting into the program are very stringent—a handicap of 8 or lower, plus they must pass the Playing Ability Test (PAT) required by the Professional Golfer's Association of America (PGA) prior to the fall semester of their junior year or they can no longer remain in the PGM program.
The program combines daily golf practice with practical business courses such as accounting, principles of management, principles of marketing, business law, and human resources management. The program also instructs students on the various topics covered in the Golf Professional Training Program (GPTP)—the completion of which is a major requirement of the PGA for membership.
According to Jones, the golfing industry is beginning to want golf professionals with management knowledge, fiscal responsibility, and interpersonal skills, along with good playing skills. Campbell's program answers these needs.
Jones also talked about how the game of golf is so solitary, but that nowadays golf courses and country clubs want
| "We're growing in the right direction." |
professionals who can relate well with customers. "We need to draw the quiet kids out of their shell so they can give added benefit to their shop," he said.
After a careful review of existing programs and recommendation of a team of consultants, Campbell's PGM program was established in 1995.
Jon Hockaday, director of golf at Campbell, is the principal author of
the proposal for the program. "Dr. Wiggins and Dr. Wallace had talked
about a PGM program since the late 1980s," Hockaday said. He said
he worked on the proposal for one year, although the concept took four
years from concept to approval.
The certification of Campbell's PGM program in late 1998 for fall semester
1999 is the fulfillment of that dream. At the end of that first semester,
the 24 students then enrolled in the PGA-approved program posted a 100
percent passage rate on the first of four annual exams required by the
PGA.
Hockaday said that the process of PGA certification involved submitting a proposal to the PGA of America, addressing each of 25 points, including golf course plan and cover material on the school's criteria list. PGA officials visited the campus and the golf course, viewed the facilities, and approved CU.
"The PGA golf management folks felt like we were very qualified to do the program. There was a need in the PGA to have better qualified golf professionals," Hockaday said. "CU has wonderful facilities. We're very qualified to handle it. It will be very good for the University."
He added, "We're growing in the right direction."
Campbell offers a B.B.A. in professional golf management with three possible minors—marketing, economics, or management.
According to Jones, every student must pass the PAT, a 36-hole golf tournament, in order to graduate.
Jones said he wants students to take the PAT before they start at Campbell, and he expects them to take the PAT twice a year until they pass.
According to Jones, students can now go through the PGM program and complete most of the requirements for the GPTP, so there's a definite advantage to being a PGA member. They're earning points toward their GPTP from their first semester. Jones commented that the only downside to certification is that the current juniors and seniors could not be "grandfathered" into this new program, primarily due to the PGA rules that program participants must have a handicap of 8 or lower.
At Campbell, students begin taking golf-related courses beginning their first semester as freshmen. The materials and objectives for these courses come directly from the PGA and its GPTP. Classes, workshops, guest speakers, and self-study courses will cover everything from tournament operations to club fitting; from teaching techniques to golf cart repair; from customer relations to golf merchandising. They also discuss the "model" facility and compare Keith Hills with other facilities.
PGM students progress through Level II of the three-level GPTP, and Level III materials are also covered.
| "The students will be attracted by a 36-hole facility. It definitely helps with recruiting and with future goals." |
In addition to passing the PAT, students must pass the GPTP Gateway Checkpoints conducted on campus by the PGA. These checkpoints test the student's knowledge of materials they have been exposed to in Campbell's PGM Curriculum, co-op work experiences, GPTP seminars, and GPTP self-study courses.
During the summers after their freshman, sophomore, and junior years, PGM students have the opportunity to complete three-month internships with golf courses around the country. Once they complete their academic requirements during their senior years, students do a seven month internship and then graduate in December. "So it's really a four and a half year program," Jones pointed out. Students' knowledge of the game of golf and running a pro shop is enhanced during these 16 months of internships because a PGA member will supervise them.
Jones said the students need to build resume credibility by working at very good facilities, not just in NC, but around the country. They need to work at "brand name facilities," he said; places such as Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford, NC; Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, NC; Nemacolin Woodlands in Farmington, PA; and Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, MD.
Jones said that once students complete Campbell's degree requirements, they will be within eight months of becoming a PGA
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L-R: Lee Martin helps Josh Menold get out of the bunker. |
member. During that time, graduates need to obtain additional work experi-ence and complete the GPTP Level III Seminars and Checkpoints before the PGA will grant them membership.
The benefit of Campbell's now certified program is that it saves students two years of classroom time and studying over the separate three-year program the PGA offers, he said.
He also mentioned that the business school offers the 3/2 program to PGM students, where they can earn both a B.B.A. and an M.B.A. in five and half years. PGM students enrolled in the 3/2 program still have to complete the seven month internship at the end of their academic studies.
Jones is proud that Campbell's PGM program is associated with the business school. Many of Campbell's competitors have the PGM in their parks and recreation or athletics departments. "If businesses want pros with management knowledge, it makes more sense to have the program as part of the business school," he said.
About 28 individuals have graduated from the program, and currently, the program has 115 students. According to Hockaday, they'll have 175 by the fall 2001 semester. The PGA has imposed a cap of 100 on the number of students per incoming freshman class, with a total program limit of 300.
Jones said that there will be several
PGM programs in the Carolinas available as of the fall semester 2001, including Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC; Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC; and Clemson University in Clemson, SC. He noted that NC State University is preparing to start a PGM program in fall 2002, so there will be some friendly competition with them.
According to Jones, PGM students work on the driving range at Keith Hills. They collect the balls and replenish the ball buckets, as well as clean, charge, and ready the golf carts for the next day.
At least one senior intern works in the pro shop, registering guests, selling merchandise, and performing other duties.
Keith Hills plans to open a second 18 holes. The first nine holes are scheduled to open fall 2001, and the other nine will open fall 2002.
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The 18th hole of Keith Hills Golf Course. |
Jones said that the new holes will double the playing opportunities for students. Also, he is upbeat about the new construction project from a recruiting standpoint.
"The students will be attracted by a 36-hole facility. It definitely helps with recruiting and with future goals."
Jones says that his goal is to encour-age prospective students to visit campus, especially if they're visiting other schools in the Carolinas region.
"That's why I want to get students here—if they see the facility, they'll want to attend."
Former Food Lion President Shares Secrets of Success
Joe Hall, the former president and Chief Operating Officer of Food Lion, relied on old-fashioned values and a strict work ethic to build a successful business career. Hall shared his success formula with members of Campbell's student business clubs in a lecture delivered in the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business on February 15.
Hall, who started as a buyer for the company and ended up running over 1,300 stores with sales of over $10 billion, relied on
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several basic principles in his rise to the company's highest position-building strong relationships, learning the business, finding a mentor, and appreciating employees.
"While everyone else waited in the office for the reports on the orders that had come in from the warehouse, I visited the warehouse and the docks, eye-balling the orders," Hall said. "I knew if we had been shorted, and if there were any problems I could do something about."
By his willingness to work hand-in-hand with employees, Hall built trust
and accountability. He also increased motivation by finding ways to reward
them for a job well done.
"If all you rely on is a set of rules to motivate people, they aren't
very productive," Hall said.
"You must show appreciation. It's not how much you know, it's how much you care."
Another important tactic, Hall said, is finding a mentor within the company whose experience and knowledge can benefit you. As he rose through the ranks from buyer to head buyer, and from director of purchasing to vice president of purchasing, Hall learned every aspect of the business.
"You must know and understand the dynamics that drive the company and how it makes money," he said. "Food Lion sells groceries at the lowest prices available and in limited assortments, whereas Wal-Mart is driven by logistics and front-end sales. The biggest mistake young managers make is not taking the time to learn the business."
Hall retired in 2000 but still does some consulting work with Food Lion and is involved in many community projects. He also serves on the Campbell University Board of Trustees.
