MBA Research

Though it might not seem as “glamorous” as inventing new products or creating marketing campaigns, accounting is an absolutely vital part of business success. Teach your students about the importance of accounting—what it is, why businesses need it, and how they use it. Explain to them the difference between managerial and financial accounting, and help them discover each step in the accounting cycle. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all...

Open your students’ eyes to the significance of cash flow in business! Count the Cash (Cash Flow Statements) explains the importance of maintaining a positive cash flow to pay expenses, invest, and expand a business. It includes discussions of how entrepreneurs find funding and manage cash with limited resources, as well as the challenges of managing inconsistent cash flow due to seasonal business. Students will also learn how cash flow is determined. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are...

Finance affects just about every aspect of a business. In Money Matters (Role of Finance), students will discover the various responsibilities of financial managers and explore the relationship between finance and other business functions. In the Gray Zone, students will explore a challenging ethical dilemma commonly faced by finance professionals. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This...

All business is risky, but smart businesses manage their risk. Help your students understand how businesses use risk management to avoid loss, create strategy, and increase profits with Prepare for the Worst; Expect the Best (Nature of Risk Management). This LAP explains how risk management is used to identify, monitor, and evaluate past and future risks, and it explores some cutting-edge technologies businesses use to manage risk today. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive...

Financial information is important for all of us – but especially important for businesses! Use By the Numbers (The Need for Financial Information) to teach your students about the types of financial information businesses use as well as how they use it. In the activities, students will get hands-on experience with financial information, helping them better understand the various characteristics of quality financial information. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional...

The balance sheet is one of a business's key financial statements. This LAP discusses the accounting equation, who uses balance sheets, and balance sheet components, including assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity. Teach your students what balance sheets are and why they're important. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that...

Just like individuals, businesses weigh risks and rewards when making important decisions. Use Running the Numbers (Cost-Benefit Analysis) to teach your students more about cost-benefit analysis. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about cost-benefit analysis, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important...

Responsibility is fundamental to success at school, at work, and in life. Teach your students about the benefits of being responsible, the consequences of being irresponsible, the traits responsible people possess, and the steps they can take to develop responsibility for their decisions and actions. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...

Where there’s risk, there’s reward! This LAP explains how investors know whether they’re risk-tolerant or risk-averse and covers the differences between lending investments and ownership investments. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about types of investments, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

Budgeting is essential for financial success. Teach your students about budget components, formats, strategies, and how to develop an effective budget for their company or department. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about developing a company/department budget, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

Internal accounting controls, such as separation of duties, documentation, and auditing, help protect a business against error and fraud. Teach your students what these controls are and why they’re so important! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about internal accounting controls, a (So What?)...

Marketing information is essential for business success. Businesses use marketing information to make educated decisions, solve problems efficiently, and plan for the future. And where do businesses get this information? From marketing information systems. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about...

Seek and Find explores the crucial role that marketing research plays in business decision-making and describes the steps involved in the marketing research process. The importance of research identifying target markets, trends, preferred product features, and pricing is illustrated with examples from corporate giants such as Apple, Taco Bell, and the LEGO Group. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented...

Many types of data, such as customer data, competitor data, sales data, and more, are essential for informed marketing decision-making. Teach your students how to identify useful marketing data from both internal and external sources. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about identifying marketing data, a...

Teach your students about the types of data that marketers need for effective decision-making, where marketers can locate data, how marketers use data, and how data usage can impact business. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the need for marketing data, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

Market research data definitely help businesses solve problems. But before businesses can collect these data, they must first identify the actual problem they are trying to solve. Use this LAP to help your students understand how businesses identify the root causes of problems so effective research objectives can be developed. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student...

Marketing researchers create their designs with the end goal in mind. Better by Design (Marketing Research Designs) will help your students understand the importance of choosing the most effective research designs to acquire the needed information. This LAP discusses exploratory, descriptive, and causal research designs, presenting specific marketing research examples to increase student understanding. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all...

Each marketing-research project is different. However, they are all the same in at least one aspect—they all require researchers to obtain data. What's the Source? (Obtaining Marketing-Research Data) will teach your students about primary and secondary marketing-research data, why they are used, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP...

When marketers undertake a marketing research project, one of their top priorities is to obtain clear and accurate data. They know that a “slice” of the population—a sample—can represent the whole quite precisely. LAP-IM-285—Take Your Pick (Nature of Sampling Plans) teaches students why and when marketers use sampling and helps students discover different types of sampling designs. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

Marketing researchers need data about how customers think and feel as well as hard numbers and statistics. This LAP outlines the various data collection methods that marketers use—what they are, how they work, and their advantages and disadvantages. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about data...

Show your students how shopping for the best deals can become a career with Buy Right. In this LAP, they’ll learn about the importance of purchasing, the types of purchasing, and the process that purchasing specialists follow. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about purchasing, a (So What?) discussion...

Teach your students the importance of every activity involved in the operations process—from production planning to expense control—and the impact those activities have on the overall production of goods and services. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the nature of operations, a (So What?)...

Production is all around us and crucial to businesses and society. This LAP gives a detailed look at the resources used in production and explains the importance of each stage of the production process. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the nature of production, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

The LAP Buck Busters highlights ways that employees can help control business expenses so that companies can reinvest more of their profits and improve their facilities, equipment, and products. When employees have a good work ethic, they can produce higher-quality work while also minimizing company costs and expenses. The LAP also discusses the importance of time management, limiting personal activities at work, and treating customers professionally. Activities ask students to consider...