Executive Presentation Day
A focal point of the introductory-level MB107 course is the Executive Presentation, a formal team presentation to actual business executives in an off-campus boardroom setting that is worth 25% of each student’s course grade. Each team, consisting of four to six students from different MB107 class sections, develops a strategic plan complete with implementation details and financial forecasting for a specified, real company. Student teams, formed about three weeks into the semester, assume the role of junior executives (working for the selected company) who have been asked by the company’s top executives to present a strategic plan for the future. Teams are mentored throughout the term by upper-level students who act as team “coaches” (in turn, the coaches gain invaluable management and leadership experience). The Executive Presentation event occurs on a day near the end of the semester when senior executives from a broad range of organizations and industries come to an area hotel to role-play the top executives of the company in question. These business people and industry leaders are not limited to the Capital Region; many come from NYC or Boston and some come from as far as Florida, Chicago, and Los Angeles to work with Skidmore’s MB107 students. During each team’s one-hour session, they deliver a 20–25 minute professional presentation to a panel of these executives, engage in a lively Q&A period, step out of the boardroom while the executives discuss the team’s strategic analysis and plan, and then receive a grade while getting developmental feedback from the panel. Getting such feedback from the executive panel is an essential and extremely valuable part of the process. Major outcomes of the Executive Presentation process include:
- a deeper appreciation for the challenges of team-based work
- applied knowledge of how to conduct research on organizations, industries, economies, and countries
- greater familiarity with IT, departmental, and campus resources
- enhanced knowledge of strategy development processes
- in-depth understanding of the selected firm and its larger industry and macro-environmental challenges
- greater appreciation for and use of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills (the ability to digest complex data about a firm and its situation to critical analyze and address its challenges)
- the development of effective professional, presentation, and oral communication techniques
With 20 to 25 teams presenting in concurrent sessions, the MB107 Executive Presentation Day runs from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and involves roughly 200 students, faculty, and executives each semester.