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LAKELAND, Fla. (May 10, 2011) -- Students in Florida Southern College's MBA program offered a dynamic, in-depth presentation detailing a plan for marketing and future growth to the board of directors of Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center (CFSHC), a local organization that treats individuals afflicted with communication problems. The presentation outlined the students’ recommendations and plans for the future of the business, which they developed in a semester-long project as part of the Synthesis of Trends, Image, and Output course.

CFSHC reached out to the class, team-taught by Dr. Nicholas Nugent, Jr., assistant professor of business and economics and sport management program coordinator, and Dr. Peter Bias, professor of business administration and economics, at the beginning of the semester asking the class to provide in-depth consulting work on every aspect of the business. Word of the success of the class’s previous project, designing and implementing fundraisers that resulted in $22,000 for the United Way of Central Florida and the Humane Society of Polk County, spread throughout the Lakeland business community and led CFSHC to ask the class to put their skills to use for their business.

The project was designed to integrate real-world experiences and academics, a philosophy that defines FSC's MBA program. Over the course of the semester, the class delved into every aspect of CFSHC, including marketing, management, fundraising, logistics, organizational layout, data collection, and communication. Taking that information, they developed a plan to lead the business into fulfilling its mission statement, “to be THE speech and hearing solution” in all of central Florida.

As part of this process, the class created and published a 70 page book for CFSHC, outlining their ideas for the future of the company. The presentation also included CDs filled with detailed charts and analyses that were given to each board member, as well as floor plans for a recommended expansion project and concrete suggestions for raising public awareness of the business.

Following the presentation at FSC, CFSHC held a board meeting where they discussed the suggestions made by the students and began developing a timeline for implementing these recommendations. The board of directors includes over two dozen influential members of the Lakeland business community.

“We have begun a great relationship with Central Florida Speech and Hearing that has had a profound effect on our students,” said Dr. Nugent. “We are training the business leaders of tomorrow, and that means we need to have them working alongside the successful business leaders of today.”

The next MBA cohort will begin classes at FSC in the fall. Those entering students will benefit from the same team-teaching strategy that led this class to success. For more information about the full-time, 16 month MBA program at Florida Southern College, visit our Web site or or call 863.680.4205.