First-year & Senior Capstone Experiences

First-year Experiences

The one credit-hour seminar Elon 1010 supports the transition of first-year students as they become active participants in an academic community. It integrates academic advising with other academic orientation elements, such as the honor code and creating a graduation plan.

The introductory business course Gateway to Business exposes students to traditional business disciplines as well as broad societal environments in which those disciplines operate and interact. Students explore the meaning of “work” and its role in business, and develop the analytical skills and communication skills expected in the business environment.

Senior Capstone Experiences

Strategic Management, one of the senior business capstone courses, takes the perspective of key decision-makers in developing a holistic, integrative approach for an organization to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Through the analysis of current global trends, organizational strengths and challenges, and the competitive environment facing the organization, the course provides a framework and techniques for students to consider strategic organizational decisions. Equally important, the course focuses on how these decisions will be implemented throughout the functional areas (i.e., marketing, finance, supply chain, accounting, human resources, etc.) while considering the organizational and leadership implications of execution. The course actively engages students in a competitive business simulation requiring the application of all functional areas in the pursuit of a chosen strategy.

We focused on real companies, addressed real problems and developed real solutions. We learned how to use the knowledge we gained from the successes/failures of others and the information taught in the classroom to make the best strategic decision.

The BA in Economics degree requires students to complete a research-based capstone, involving writing an original thesis. Students work individually with a faculty mentor to develop their own research question, read the literature, and test theoretical predictions of economic models to address their thesis.

The BSBA in Economic Consulting also requires a research-based capstone, but students work in small groups as they would if they were working in a consulting firm or division. Together they work on a client-driven research project rather than a question of their choosing.

The senior thesis gives students the opportunity to further develop the kinds of skills employers are seeking: working with real data, writing code, conducting rigorous statistical analysis and communicating the results of their research.