In early December, representatives of five Manitoba businesses were welcomed to Providence for the final presentations of the “Connections Project.” An initiative of Dr. Marcio Coelho and his Fundamentals of Marketing class, the venture brought Bachelor of Business Administration students together with marketing personnel from Next Level Escapes, Oakridge Garden Centre, Rotessa, the Steinbach Pistons and Youth For Christ.
Since the beginning of the fall semester, explained Dr. Coelho, Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Providence-based Buller School of Business, students had been meeting with local companies to devise real-world marketing plans. The companies first explained their marketing needs and then worked with groups of Providence students to devise strategies and campaigns.
“My team and I worked with Youth For Christ,” said Chris Dick, a Providence student in the BBA program and member of the Pilots men’s basketball team. “We presented a feasible marketing plan that analyzed their current marketing scheme and offered suggestions to solve the problems that were identified.”
In their first meeting with Youth For Christ, Dick and his group gathered data to better understand the not-for-profit’s marketing situation and goals. CEO John Courtney and Director of Operations Michael Streuber were also on hand to discuss their marketing needs. In follow-up meetings the students connected with Amber Skrabek, Communications Manager, to review progress and receive feedback.
“The suggestions we made were feasible and had minimal costs relative to the success they could yield,” explained Dick. “Upon hearing our marketing plan, they were enthusiastic and believed our plan could be of real use.”
Dick also remarked that his understanding of marketing had been enhanced by the Connections Project as the experience helped him implement class-learned theories and concepts into a practical scenario. “Many people hear the word ‘marketing’ and associate it simply with advertising,” he said. “However, through my experience with the Connections Project I learned that marketing can take many different forms.”
Practical experience is an important component of business education at Providence. Each BBA graduate from the Buller School of Business enters the workforce with an applied skill-set, ready to strengthen their employer or launch a business of their own. Crucially, the Buller School of Business also brings Christianity into conversation with business principles.
LEARN MORE about the Bachelor of Business Administration at the Buller School of Business.
