Pedagogical Design for a Cross-Functional Course in the Accelerated MBA Program

Abstract

The sub-prime financial crisis exposed weaknesses in the financial risk management of several prominent firms. A deficient risk management is mainly attributed to the lack of integration of finance with other business disciplines. In this paper, we describe a tested implementation of a cross-functional project that improves students’ understanding of firm-value creation and risk management. While this approach can be implemented in any MBA program, we focus specifically on accelerated MBA programs with tight time constraints. Our methods are different from most other integrated courses in several ways. Our cross-functional project bridges the knowledge gaps of students in the area of finance, even if finance is not their primary area of specialization. Further, our approach creates a virtuous cycle for students, faculty, clients, local banks and institutions, university, and the local community. Keywords: MBA, cross-functional, pedagogy, assessment, marketing, finance