Students as Consultants: a New Alternative in Experiential Learning

Abstract

The student consulting project, as implemented in a marketing management course, is a demanding approach in experiential learning that can be successfully applied to senior-level courses in an undergraduate hospitality management program. It allows students to operate in the field and to overcome the limitations associated with textbook and in-class learning. It also provides valuable managerial insights and experiences in a specific functional area in the operational and competitive business environment in which small businesses exist. From a learning point of view, the consulting project places the student into a quasi-managerial role. In other words, the student learns about being a manager operating in a functional area and the vital role of personal values, perceptions, and behavior in directing a business toward its goals.