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Richard E. and Sandra J. Dauch College of Business and Economics

Dean
Derek Yonai

Associate Dean
Lance Kaltenbaugh, Associate Professor of Sport Management

Administrative Staff
Carrie Hartsel, Internship and Experiential Learning Coordinator, COBE Operations Manager
Tara Mowry, Administrative Assistant to the Dean
Tom Sudow, Director, Burton D. Morgan Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship

Faculty by Department
Chair: Laura Kruger, Assistant Professor of Marketing
Kenneth Brubaker, Associate Professor of Sport Management
Alison Rossi, Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising & Brand Management

Description of Majors

Marketing

Organizations increasingly rely on marketing professionals to guide all aspects of business, from product conception to promotion to distribution. The marketing courses at Ashland provide the knowledge to succeed in many areas such as advertising, market research, brand management, new product planning, sales, and international marketing, to name just a few.

Our students take professional internships and participate in organizations such as the student chapter of the American Marketing Association and Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) to gain different perspectives and experience.

In addition to focusing on specialized knowledge, managerial thinking skills, and communication skills, marketing majors also focus on competency of teamwork as they learn to work well with others.

Student Learning Outcomes for Marketing

  1. Perform appropriate market research, define market segments, and describe critical market characteristics and trends.

  2. Develop operational product plans.

  3. Develop product placement criteria and distribution channel alternatives.

  4. Develop pricing practices based on appropriate quantitative pricing models.

  5. Develop product promotion and sales plans.

  6. Prepare, implement, and manage an integrated market plan that meets the domestic and/or global requirements of the business.

Fashion Merchandising & Brand Management

This Fashion Merchandising & Brand Management major combines coursework on product knowledge (fashion analysis, textiles, and fashion evolution) with courses in business (marketing, retail merchandising, and advertising). Students are prepared for careers in buying, selling, visual merchandising, or retail management. Students complete internships in the fashion industry. A cooperative program between Ashland University and the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC gives the interested student the opportunity to spend the junior year completing an associate's degree in fashion merchandising management at FIT.

In addition to focusing on specialized knowledge, managerial thinking skills, and communication skills, fashion merchandising & brand management majors also focus on competency of experiential learning and working in teams.

Student Learning Outcomes for Fashion Merchandising & Brand Management:

  1. Apply the elements and principles of design to the development, selection, and evaluation of apparel.

  2. Recognize fundamental factors necessary for profitable operations of a firm operating in the fashion industry.

  3. Understand and apply appropriate technology in the functional operations of a retail fashion firm.

  4. Identify target markets and develop products and solutions to satisfy the needs of the consumer.

  5. Recognize fashion trends and the environmental factors driving them.

  6. Analyze the effect of clothing on human behavior.

  7. Develop a global awareness of the factors influencing trends in the production, marketing and sales of textiles and apparel.

Sport Management

Sport is an integral part of our culture, both as an entertainment and a leisure activity. It has a tremendous economic impact as well. The sport management major prepares graduates for diverse roles in the areas of sport marketing and promotions, sport administration, facility management and planning, activity programming, and events management. Students pursuing degrees in sport management will develop their potential through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will facilitate and enhance their opportunities to successfully acquire and execute careers within the sport industry.

Student Learning Outcomes

The sport management program is a comprehensive major that provides opportunities for students to develop requisite proficiencies in preparation for a career in the sport industry. The coursework reflects established standards for sport management programs (Sport Management Program Review Council, 2000). Students completing the sport management major will be able to:

  1. Recognize that sport is a product of society influenced by culture traditions, social values, and psycho-social experiences;

  2. Understand sport and business knowledge from a variety of sub-disciplines and the ability to apply the knowledge and skills to reach solutions to business needs.

  3. Define and understand the concepts of management and leadership;

  4. Describe the various skills, roles, and functions of sport managers;

  5. Develop a personal philosophy regarding social, ethical, and leadership responsibility in the sport management setting;

  6. Describe the principles of economics, finance, marketing, and communication particularly as they relate to the sport agency and business community;

  7. Understand the agencies governing sport, their authority, organizational and legal structures, and functions; and

  8. Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions though integrated field experiences and internship.

Degree Requirements

Assessment – The assessment of student learning outcomes for all business majors includes both internal and external assessments in selected courses, culminating in the MGT 489 Senior Seminar - Business Capstone course and the MGT 499 Senior Assessment course.