2008 - Marketing Educators' Association

For SWOT analysis, we make sure that each student
honestly conducts self-assessment for the best
results. We use strengths and weakness for shortterm
career development and learning. Recognized
strengths can encourage students if we show the
strengths as their acquired skills; moreover, we can
encourage them to improve weaknesses as shortterm
motivations. We can also motivate students if
we can show opportunities as possible options for
their future career and learning plans. In the same
manner, we can encourage them when we can show
threats as long-term challenges which they should
conquer for better career and learning situations.
MBO sheets and SWOT results are the only tools to
start our mentoring component. MBO needs
continuous monitoring, controlling, supervising, and
feedback in order to let participants (1) go through
the MBO process, (2) attain their objectives, and (3)
be motivated to further developments. Especially, if
we want our students to be self-leaders, MBO also
needs effective mentoring tools for the self-leaders
which will continuously give positive feelings and
experiences, visible outcomes and improvement,
and stimulation (Manz, 1992).
We will also use the continuous improvement or
Kaizen method which is characterized by mini kaizen
and kaizen events. The mini kaizen is to support the
gradual but constant progress of participants;
therefore, this will continue until the end of a course.
We expect that this will continuously satisfy MBO’s
continuous monitoring, controlling, supervising, and
feedback through the plan-do-check-action (PDCA)
cycle (Alukal, 2007). The kaizen event is a special
workout in order to correct inappropriate situations
quickly. The kaizen event should be a collaboration
between each mentee and a mentor (Manos, 2007).
As one of the mini kaizen activities, we have
biweekly meetings with each student in order to
check his/her progress. If the student is doing just
fine, the lecturer simply gives recognition,
encouragement, and further suggestions as well as
small talk about the course, personal experiences,
and extracurricular activities. However, when the
student is not showing progress or is performing less
than initial expectations, we will make a plan and
perform the kaizen event with the student in order to
correct the situations promptly. By this kaizen event,
we expect that the student can achieve the
objectives at the end of the course. We think that the
kaizen event is not about changing the defined goals
but about fixing inappropriate situations together in
order to achieve the goals.
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At the end of the course, a final MBO meeting with
each student is held to evaluate each student’s
performance. This final meeting is not about
criticizing or grading each student but about
evaluating the entire process, making a new SWOT
table, setting new goals, giving recognition and
congratulations, and showing positive outcomes for
each student. We consider this as the most
important moment for the lecturer to create high
levels of student satisfaction.
SUMMARY
We proposed HEM to make teaching and mentoring
effective in our introductory marketing courses in
small liberal arts colleges. However, HEM is neither
a complete education model nor a proven model in
order to make both teaching and mentoring effective
to our students from various majors in our
introductory marketing courses. Therefore, we will
finalize HEM and test its performance in our college.
REFERENCES
Akerlind, G. (2007). Constraints on academics'
potential for developing as a teacher. Studies in
Higher Education, 32, 21-37.
Alukal, G. (2007). Lean lessions: Lean kaizen in the
21st century. Quality Progress, 40, 69-70.
Chew, E. B., & Mclnnis-Bowers, C. (2004). Blending
liberal arts and business education. Liberal
Education, 90, 56-62.
Cox, B. E., & Orehovec, E. (2007). Faculty-student
interaction outside the classroom: A typology
from a residential college. Review of Higher
Education, 30, 343-362.
Edwards, N.M. (2007). Student self-grading in social
statics. College Teaching, 55, 72-76.
Gillmor, V. (1999). Newest technology, plus liberal
arts, makes for success: Colleges increasingly
integrating business courses and liberal arts.
Chicago Tribune (April 18), 3.
Light, R. J. (2004). Making the most of college.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Manos, A. (2007). The benefits of kaizen and kaizen
events. Quality Progress, 40, 47-48.
Manz, C. C. (1992). Masterinig self-leadership.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.