West Liberty University students are putting their classroom lessons to practical use in service to the local business community. Students in retail marketing and marketing research methods classes taught by Professor Joseph L. Scarpaci, associate professor of marketing in the Gary E. West College of Business, this semester will be conducting small research projects for area businesses on a pro bono basis.
“The students of the Retail Management course will be working with three very distinct local enterprises,” Scarpaci said.
One is a not-for-profit employer of persons with developmental disabilities. The company provides packaging, assembly and document destruction services to business and industry. “Marketing students will be conducting a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis to allow (the organization) to assess the potential of moving into a new realm, document imaging,” which could provide a new market for the agency’s services, Scarpaci said.
Another is an Ohio Valley manufacturer and retailer of quality dinnerware and pottery items. Scarpaci’s students will conduct a competitive analysis of the company and make recommendations about product placement and promotion, he said.
The third enterprise utilizing the WLU’s students’ research skills is a high-tech network firm. Scarpaci said company owners are rethinking their business model, line of services, fee structure and client profile. Students in his retailing marketing class will conduct a client analysis.
“Relevant questions are, ‘What is the threshold of firm size and revenues beyond which they are most likely to tackle their software needs in house?’ A second research stream will assess the external market setting through a competitive analysis,” Scarpaci explained.
The students have a full research and analysis workload for the fall semester. Should they be available to assist other companies in the spring, Scarpaci said, he will work with the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce to put out the word to business owners who might be in need of such services.
He added, “We are grateful for this invaluable opportunity that allows our students to work with real-world marketing management problems. With guidance from the faculty at the Gary E. West College of Business and local CEOs, we hope to add value to these regional businesses and provide them with the information to make key decisions for their firms which, in turn, will support the Wheeling-area economy.”