How Can We Help Your Organization?

UNC Greensboro MBA students in their final semester of study engage with organizations to provide valuable consulting services. This partnership between the Bryan School of Business and Economics and local businesses
is transformational for students and the organizations alike. The client project can cover most any segment of your
business, such as:

• Areas of strategic direction
• Operations
• Financial and market analysis
• Marketing and promotions
• Data analysis and information management
• Human resource management
• Supply chain management
• Inventory management

Partner with skilled MBA students who will examine opportunities and/or challenges facing your organization, conduct research, and provide implementable solutions.

Each semester we look to secure clients of varying revenue size, company age, industry focus, and corporate complexity.

Have Questions?

Stephanie Weber

Employer and Corporate Relations Manager
Phone: 336-334-4159
Bryan 301E
[email protected]

Business Intelligence and Data Mining

Student teams leverage their access to business datasets funded by the UNCG Libraries. These are professional-
level “big data” tools for research in markets, industries, financial benchmarking, and competitive intelligence.
Individual reports from some of the tools sell publicly for thousands of dollars each. As part of their consulting
projects, student teams will summarize and apply this expensive research for their clients.

Depending on the needs of the client, student teams also might utilize data visualization tools. Some teams
have recently used GIS mapping databases to map both demographic and proprietary psychographic market
data down to the neighborhood (Census block group) level in order to identify concentrations of potential
new customers, or to identity market trends across the southeast. Teams might also use government data from
the Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Students are assisted in their work by Steve Cramer, the business librarian at UNC Greensboro and a Coleman Fellow
for Entrepreneurship Education. As a business research consultant, Steve teaches Bryan School student teams how to leverage datasets and other professional-level business research tools to make better recommendations for their clients.

Executive Mentors

An executive mentor works with each team of four
MBA students to ensure that the team delivers
actionable solutions. Each mentor is a successful
executive or consultant, and is chosen by the instructor
for his/her particular expertise and experience.

Four Project Phases

1. Define scope and methodology with client.
2. Conduct both secondary and primary research.
3. Analyze findings.
4. Present recommendations to client.

Timeline

The project timetable will align with the academic schedule of the MBA program. Therefore, fall semester
projects begin in mid-to-late August, concluding by late
November, while the spring semester schedule runs
from mid-January through early May.

Cost

The Bryan School will invoice the client organization for
$1,500. Additional donations based on the value of the
project to the client are appreciated.

HanesBrands, Inc.

Students benchmarked industry retailer email programs
and provided perspectives on specific industry best
practice email strategies. They helped HanesBrands
better understand how their competitors interact with
their consumers and what techniques and/or processes
are contributing to their email campaign success.

The Volvo Group

The student team was charged with developing a
sourcing plan for components. The project work
stream included researching potential suppliers and
performing a supplier benchmark study that could
meet the requirements to manufacture locally. Students
compiled all of the requirements for this segment of
business and then compared supplier criteria to their
findings. The team made recommendations that will
heavily influence the final supply chain strategy for the
components being sourced.

Syngenta

Challenged with managing the useful life of its
inventory, the MBA team was tasked with developing
a forecasting model to optimize production campaigns
and minimize inventory levels without sacrificing
availability. The team created an Excel-based tool using
linear programming to deliver a production plan,
reducing inventory levels by 20-50% per campaign,
annually.