Senior management students of MSU-Bozeman College of Business are part of a program that enables them to gain practical business experience while offering a business research, marketing and operational advice and data. The class is Management 475 - Management Practicum.

This fall semester, teams of students will be paired with a businesses and gather marketing data that matches the curriculum of the program and meets the management and marketing goals requested by the business. This 3-month course has the students analyze the entire business including the market, competition, operations and financials.

Steve Shuel president of MacKenzie Pizza and Montana Ale used this service in the past and has this to say about the program. "Using MSU College of Business students is a way for us to help them gain first-hand knowledge of the business world. Just as important was the results of the research and data the students generated for our businesses. It helped increase our customer awareness and needs and guided us in our marketing and operational decisions that made our restaurants stronger."

Suzi Taylor, communications leader for the Montana State University Extension Service, agrees. This past spring, she was looking to enhance the marketing efforts for her organization's programs. She contacted Jennifer Morrical, adjunct professor of management and marketing, who teaches a management practicum course at MSU-Bozeman's College of Business.

"It is tough to do marketing for the Extension Service because we cover so many areas - agriculture, 4-H, families and community development," Taylor said. "The students were able to look at our work and give me another perspective."

Currently, the college is taking applications of businesses that may want to take advantage of this service. All types of businesses are encouraged to be part of this class. Contact Jennifer Morrical, adjunct professor of management and marketing, at 994-2093 or e-mail her at jmorrical@montana.edu for more information or to receive your application. Deadline is August 20.