Our Mission

We teach our students to master the core disciplines of the field and to prepare for tomorrow's dynamic global environment with a business education rooted in a strong liberal arts perspective.

Our Program

As a department within a liberal arts college, our program teaches students to think about business from multiple dimensions, giving insight into the ethical, historical, technological, cultural, creative, ecological, and political forces that have shaped business and are shaped by it. By rooting our curriculum in a spectrum of seven contextual dimensions (below), we lead our students to master the core disciplines of the field and to prepare for tomorrow's dynamic global environment. While bringing an interdisciplinary, liberal arts perspective to the study of business, our program does not sacrifice a firm education in the functional areas of management, marketing, accounting, and finance. Indeed, we offer business as a context to demonstrate the value of a liberal arts education.

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Student Learning Goals

Below are the departmental learning goals mapped to College-wide goals for student learning.

The learning goals of the Management and Business Department are set forth in seven dimensions for studying management and business in a liberal arts context and then focused through seven learning objectives.

Seven Dimensions for Studying Management and Business in Context

1. History, philosophy, and ethics of management and business: History, philosophy, and ethics of management and business courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to gain an historical understanding of the field and/or become familiar with the philosophical and ethical underpinnings of business and management as they relate to organizational decision-making. (Ia, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId, IVa, IVc, IVb)

2. Media, technology, and innovation in management and business: Media, technology, and innovation courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to engage with and use technology or to examine the role played by media, technology, and/or innovation in shaping organizations, the business world, product design and consumption, customer/employee communication, supply chains, relations at work, etc. (IIa, IIc, IIIc)

3. Cultural and global awareness in management and business:Culture and global awareness courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to understand both the cultural dimensions of persons and organizations as well as the global-cultural context of business. (Ia, Ib, IIc, IId, IIIb, IVc)

4. Creativity and the arts in management and business: Creativity and the arts courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to gain an appreciation for the centrality of creativity and artistic imagination to business, organizations, and entrepreneurship while simultaneously helping students grasp the commercial dimension of artistic production and dissemination. (Ia, IIa, IIb, IVa)

5. Natural environment and sustainability in management and business: Natural environment and sustainability courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to learn about close connections between business organizations and the natural environment, while highlighting issues of sustainability. (Ia, IIa, IIb, IIId, IVa, IVc)

6. Government and politics in management and business: Government and politics courses that fulfill this dimension provide an opportunity for students to gain an in-depth understanding of the complex relationship between businesses, organizations, national governments, and global institutions (e.g., the impact of regulatory frameworks and public policy). (Ia, Ib, IIb, Iic, IIIa, IIIb, IIId, IVa)

7. Diversity in management and business:
   Courses that fulfill this dimension prepare students to value and manage diversity in organizations by building an awareness of past and current inequities relating to disadvantaged social identity groups, and developing skill sets that assist in sustaining inclusive workplaces. 

Learning Objectives

1. Business and Liberal Arts

Students will be able to integrate their academic and experiential learning drawn from the management and the liberal arts curricula, as well as study abroad, community service, and internships, to understand the role of business enterprises in society and managers’ relationship to their communities. (Ia, Ic, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVd)

2. Ethics

Students will have learned to discern ethical issues typical of different management disciplines and business contexts. Students will understand the significance of accepting responsibility for their actions as managers and for compliance with relevant ethical, legal, and regulatory standards. (IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId, IVb, IVc)

3. Multiculturalism

Students will have developed global and multicultural perspectives on business that involve a sensitivity and an appreciation of how different economic, political and cultural contexts impact and are impacted by managerial policies and practices. (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIa, IIc, IId, IIIb, IIId)

4. Communication

Students will have developed competence in written and oral communications that will enable them to become effective in their managerial work and in formal business. (IIa, IIb, IIc, IIe, IIIc, IVb, IVc)

5. Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills

Students will have sufficient analytic and critical skills to be able to identify the appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses required to recommend a business strategy taking into account the inherent risks and possibility of unintended consequences. (Ic, IIa, IIb, IIe, IIIc, IIId, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd)

6. Leadership

Students will be able to integrate and apply knowledge and skills required to be effective as leaders of groups at different organizational levels of business and not-for-profit enterprise. (Ic, IIa, IIb, IId, IIe, IIIc, IIIe, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd)

7. Lifelong learning

To prepare students committed to the process of lifelong learning and capable of pursuing careers in management, in professions, and in community leadership. (IIa, IIb, IIe, IIIa, IIIc, IVc, IVd)