Students Learn “Good” Business
The School of Business is dedicated to educating tomorrow's leaders not only in good business practices, but in their social responsibility in shaping our future. Systems Thinking and Sustainable Business is a class in the School of Business where this important aspect of business operations is explored.
As part of their coursework, one team in Senior Lecturer Tom Eggert’s class, conducted research for Sustainable Engineering Group, Inc. Four students, Lok Sze Chan, Mary Hegi, Illana Richman and Mike Williams, participated. The goal was to develop a human resources and hiring plan for a small but growing engineering firm. The Madison firm specializes in sustainable building work by providing energy efficiency, “green” building design, and commissioning services to building owners and architects.
The students developed a comprehensive plan for recruiting and hiring that was tailored to the needs of a small engineering firm with a progressive work ethic and a passion for sustainability. They addressed such issues as recruiting, screening, interviewing, and compensation packages. They helped identify the advantages (and disadvantages) that a small firm has when competing for the best engineering talent. The students also analyzed various approaches for compensation and offered some insights for how a small company can provide health insurance to employees. Recognizing the budgetary constraints of a small company, the students found many low cost online resources that will be helpful in the hiring and employee management process.
This class project proved to be a win for everyone. The students got some “real world” experience in developing the hiring plan, and Sustainable Engineering Group got some good insights on the needs and desires of today’s graduating students, a valuable recruiting tool as they grow their company.