This course is an introduction to the fields of management consulting and operations research. The course first considers the development of the management advising profession in the United States and surveys how major consulting firms work. These skills are intended to allow consultants to base decisions more on analysis and less on intuition. The course attempts to develop students' capacity to be intelligent critics of the techniques, knowing when and when not to use them. Readings, problem assignments, student presentations, case studies, and computer labs can be expected.
Evaluation is based on the cases, assigned problems, and student presentations.
The teaching team consists of a big-five accounting firm consultant trainer and a Calvin economics professor. Mr. R. Betka, Mr. K. Schaefer. Many people believe that globalization, the spread of international trade and investment, is the key to a new economy with low unemployment and inflation and growing productivity and income. But there are important critics who believe that the global economy leads to declining labor standards and wages, increased environmental degradation, and dangerous financial instability. Students in this course read and report about a variety of economic commentaries on globalization while learning to discuss articulately the arguments for various positions.