Business School launches Managerial Forensics course

Millikin students learn new approach to consulting work

Business School launches Managerial Forensics course

It's never an easy task to turn from student to consultant in a matter of days and try to help a business grow. Students from Millikin University's Tabor School of Business were asked to do just that as part of a new January immersion course called Managerial Forensics.

Students spent one week learning a new approach to consulting work by engaging in a case study about a large retailer. The retailer was Ann Taylor, a chain of clothing stores for women. Course instructor Dr. J. Mark Munoz, interim dean of the Tabor School of Business, picked the company.

The students split into five groups and spent four days researching as much information as possible on Ann Taylor. The students utilized data-gathering, research and analytical techniques to investigate and report on how Ann Taylor and Ann Inc. could grow in a global market. The approach the students used (managerial forensics) was created by Dr. Munoz and Diana Heeb Bivona, Millikin adjunct professor.

Millikin Managerial Forensics

"The Tabor School of Business wanted to create a course that would simulate a real-life consulting experience – demanding, research-focused, team-based, analytical and fast-paced," said Dr. Munoz. "The students worked day and night for four days to come up with strategies to turn a company around."

What is managerial forensics? It's an approach to identifying and solving business problems as explained by Munoz and Bivona in their book, "Managerial Forensics," published by Business Expert Press in 2015. The approach is used to gather historical corporate data for the purpose of identifying reasons for management obstacles and corporate demise.

"We wanted to create a toolkit that managers can use to take a scientific approach to organizational diagnosis," Dr. Munoz said. "The managerial forensics model is valuable in the classroom, and provides fresh perspectives for consulting companies worldwide. It offers an innovative framework for business transformation and corporate turnaround."

Millikin Managerial Forensics 

The students presented their ideas on Jan. 22 to a panel of judges which included business consultant Myung Kim of Decatur, Ill., Antonio Varela of Caterpillar Inc., Jonan Tiarks from Land of Lincoln Credit Union and Professor Bivona.