Review: Business Fundamentals class at MCDM

Have you ever registered for a class and within five minutes of attending your first class had serious doubts about the wisdom of that decision? When this happens, you’re almost never wrong. (This doesn’t happen at the MCDM, of course.)

Tonight, the opposite happened.

As a veteran MCDM student, with only three classes to go—one of which is a core class—I am trying to figure out which classes will best round out my education as a content strategist.

I am not taking a class this quarter, so I decided to take the opportunity to check out four instructors I haven’t yet taken a class with at the MCDM. They were all gracious enough to agree to me sitting in on a class.

Tonight, I had the pleasure to attend Business Fundamentals and Digital Communications: Foundation, taught by UW Business School professor Rick McPherson.

In this class, students learn how to create a business plan for a new company they want to start (fictional or not). They can choose whether they want to work on an individual plan or work in a team of 3-5 members.

In tonight’s class, the students who want to work in team presented a pitch for their new business idea to try to convince other students to jump on their bandwagon. A tall order, since that would require students to abandon their own, always precious, idea.

It was a real pleasure to see once again the amazing creativity of students in the MCDM program. There were at least three or four presentations where I thought, “Oh, I’d like to work on that project! Maybe I should approach the presenter to see if we could collaborate.” Then: “Oh, darn, I’m not in the class.”

I was also impressed with the way Rick ran the class. He clearly thought through the process of how the class should be organized, but was also very much on top of what was going on. Students who started to drift into details would be steered back to the big picture of their pitch with a dry sense of humor and directness that I would greatly appreciate. A tight ship.

After witnessing McPherson in action, I’m not surprised that fellow MCDM student Jon Hickey, who won the UW’s Business Plan competition with his proposal for YongoPal, credited this class as instrumental to his success.

The class description (below) sounded great, but you never know if you will like a class until you attend it, so I’m happy I did.

To say it with a phrase du jour: a big like.

Of course, this was just a snapshot, but it made me think I’d like to take this class. (Any students from previous years who can corroborate my initial impression?)

My big fear is that I will end up liking the other three classes I plan to check out this quarter just as much. I can only hope that by the time I graduate, MCDM will provide alumni with a good deal on the classes they missed out on.

Class description, from MCDM curriculum:

A practical understanding of key business fundamentals is essential in being able to create and implement digital communications strategies in today’s organizations. This course will be useful for students that are employed in large and small businesses, wanting to start their own business, or for those working in or with NGOs/non-profit organizations.

The learning focus will be on business fundamentals within the world of digital communications companies and departments within organizations. We will cover the following subjects: Marketing/Sales, basics of Finance and Accounting (including understanding ROI), operations, and implementation.

In addition to discussing materials and concepts in these business areas, students will be applying what they are learning by building a business plan of their own or on a team that is of interest to several students.

As a result of taking this course, students will have a better understanding of the underlying issues facing business and be able to develop more relevant strategies and tactics to leverage the opportunities and challenges that digital media presents. At the completion of the class, students will be able present their ideas and initiatives in a more persuasive way to the decision makers in organizations by aligning their suggestions with the needs and issues facing the organization.

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