MBA, Gannon University (1981); Educator with 39+ years of business experience dedicated in blending the how-to with real-world life experience. Research interests include Change Management, Lean and Project Management. Gary has had extensive manufacturing experience in the machine tool, coupling, electronics and transportation industries.
GARY SMITH
Teaching: The ultimate measure of an educator is how well we help prepare our students for success after their graduation. Tomorrow’s leaders need to have a solid basic understanding of how businesses operate. They need to add value as an individual contributor, as a member of a team and/or as a leader of others. They need to have a working knowledge of all of the tools (systems, technical and people skills) that will contribute to success. Tomorrow’s leaders must be able to analyze challenges and problems in a way which leads them to making the right decisions. In any class I teach, we drive to help our students advance in any and all of those areas.
To the best extent possible, we need to provide a blend of methods to help meet the learning objectives of the course. Hands-on, interactive approaches help reinforce course material, with a strong emphasis on learning by doing whether that be as simple as role playing, simulation, or experiential activities.
My experience with BizCafe
BizCafe is offered to first semester students with an interest in business. It is often their first exposure to teamwork, simulations and business concepts. Bizcafe is based on a business model that the students can relate to – a college town coffee shop. The dashboard is a clear, easy to understand visual look at team performance. Comparative results and graphs are easy to create, use and evaluate. Add that with Interpretive’s consistent look between simulations BizCafe and HRManagement make it easy for the instructor to use and understand.