Executive MBAs Study Business and Public Policy

Students in the W. P. Carey MBA - Executive Program at Arizona State University spent a day in the shoes of Arizona legislators, lobbyists and special interest group representatives as part of a Business and Public Policy course at the State Capitol in Phoenix on July 9-10. The course also included sessions in Washington, D.C. on July 13-16.

The students argued, cajoled, pleaded and laughed with each other while hashing out details of a mock state budget in committee meetings and full legislative sessions in the Arizona Senate Building.

"This has been quite aggravating; being on the minority side of any committee is very frustrating," said Christine McSweeney, a second-year EMBA student who played the lone Democratic Representative on a majority Republican subcommittee. "The majority rules, so it can be very difficult to accomplish your constituency's goals." As director of culinary and nutrition services for Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, McSweeney said the game taught her the importance of an organization being active in public policy.

The Arizona component of the course included sessions with senators and representatives from the Arizona Legislature as well as staffers from the Governor's office and advocates for special interest groups. Discussions focused on the role of business in the legislative process and included a case study as well as the budget simulation. Speakers, presentations and the budgeting exercise were coordinated through a close working relationship between the W. P. Carey School of Business and Cox Communications.

EMBA student Todd Wood, who owns Alpine Bakery in Mesa, played an advocate for the Arizona Department of Corrections. "As a businessman, (I learned that) we quietly sit and watch laws be passed by the Legislature, and don't do anything," Wood said. "This has taught me that I've got to be involved."

"Legislators are just trying to make the best decisions they can," he said, adding that without advocacy, businesses cannot make their voices heard.

During the Washington component, students met with Arizona legislators including U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and Representatives Ed Pastor and Jeff Flake, as well as officials from the Executive branch, special interest group representatives, and the media. They travelled to sites around Washington, D.C., including Capitol Hill and the National Press Club.

"This course helps our Executive MBAs include political considerations in their strategic thinking as managers," said Gerry Keim, associate dean for MBA programs and the course faculty leader. "They learn that democracy is not a spectator sport and it works best when more people participate."

Executive MBAs Volunteer at Junior Achievement Day

Students and alumni of the W. P. Carey MBA - Executive Program traded their business suits for teachers' caps as they taught global business concepts to elementary school children recently through the Junior Achievement volunteer organization.

Sixteen Executive Program students and alumni participated in Junior Achievement Day on May 1 at Kyrene de los Ninos Elementary School in Tempe. The W. P. Carey MBA volunteers stood among tiny chairs and tables, where groups of children sang and clapped, colored pictures and completed worksheets during the activities.

Junior Achievement Day is a one-day experience in which community volunteers, who are trained by the organization, are matched with an elementary classroom to facilitate fun and educational lessons about economics and finance. The mission of Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

"Even at a kindergarten level, it is important for children to receive exposure to the business world in general, to learn concepts of earning money and savings for future rewards," said Mariyah Badani, a 2007 alumna of the W. P. Carey MBA - Executive Program.

"This is a two-way learning experience. As executives, we get to see first-hand what the pool of employees of the future will look like, what they are exposed to in terms of technology and skill, and what their expectations will be of the workplace in the future," said Badani, Director of Strategic Initiatives for UMR, United Health Group.