C O R P O R A T E

• Tauber Institute Links Business and Engineering, by Gene Rigoni, MBA1

Joint-Degree Program Partners UMBS With Manufacturing Industries:

TMI Links Opportunities In Business And Engineering

by Gene Rigoni, MBA1

The cornerstone of the TMI program is the summer project. Teams of TMI students complete their internships working for a sponsoring company, analyzing and resolving manufacturing problems that require the integration of engineering and business expertise. Sponsoring companies for 1997 include all of the Big Three automobile manufacturers, Boeing, Merck, Harley-Davidson, 3M, and General Cable. The student teams are comprised of two to four individuals representing each of the four TMI programs. Two faculty members, one each from the B-school and the College of Engineering, act as mentors to the teams. The advisors provide feedback and guidance so that the students' analysis and recommendations are grounded with structured methodology and academic research. The summer team project ends in September at something known as Spotlight.

Spotlight is an opportunity for the student teams to compete against one another for scholarships as they present their analyses and recommendations to their fellow classmates, sponsoring companies, and TMI directors. Spotlight is also an opportunity for the TMI directors to showcase the TMI program and attract new sponsoring companies. As an example, Intel attended Spotlight in 1995, sponsored a project in 1996, joined TMI's Industrial Advisory Board in the Fall of 1996, and arranged three projects for 1997.

Another opportunity offered under the auspices of TMI is Integrated Product Development. The course objective is to teach students the role that product design, coupled with a customer-orientated, manufacturing-sensitive approach, has on new product development. The fall semester course requires teams of business and engineering students to design and manufacture a consumer product. These teams then compete against each other to market their respective products at a "trade fair" at the end of the semester. Discriminating "consumers" (students, faculty, and friends of the University) visit each team's booth, listen to each team's sales pitch, and handle a working prototype of each product. At the end of the night, the "consumers" rank their product preferences. The product receiving the most votes receives the largest market share, provided that the student team forecast the demand and has product available for sale. However, market share is just one aspect of this team assignment. The team awarded first place (the highest grade) is the one that earned the most "profits," which is a combination of market share and gross margin.

MBA and Dual Degree (MBA with Master of Science in Engineering) graduates receive job offers from manufacturing and service companies in diverse industries. Although these positions are grounded in manufacturing, they encompass a wide range of assignments and responsibilities. In 1996, 42% of the graduating MBA class accepted manufacturing management jobs, another 42% accepted management consulting positions in manufacturing-related practices, and 16% accepted finance assignments. Examples of companies recruiting TMI graduates are A.T. Kearney, Allied Signal Automotive, Deloitte & Touche LLP, GM Treasury Office, and Steelcase.

In general, TMI students in the MBA program are able to take advantage of the expertise and knowledge of UMBS while developing skills and expertise in manufacturing-related engineering disciplines. It is a great opportunity for individuals who desire to make an impact in the manufacturing industry by understanding more than just individual functions within a manufacturing organization.