Boardroom Experience
Anand Kumar
Associate Professor, Marketing
College of Business
Anand Kumar, associate professor in the Marketing Department in USF’s College of Business, considers himself somewhat of a storyteller when it comes to his teaching style. And there’s one story, in particular, that he enjoys sharing at the beginning of the semester with students in the introductory class, Basic Principles of Marketing.
The story is about a chemical engineer from India who, not long into his first job out of college, discovers an unexpected interest in marketing, sales and international trade. He spends five years in the corporate world as both a marketing and sales engineer, and then decides to pursue an MBA degree in the United States. While doing so, American university professors open his eyes to the joys of academic life, prompting him to earn a Ph.D in marketing.
These unexpected twists and turns in the plot lead to a surprising but happy ending. That engineer-turned-academic finds a love for teaching and research that had never entered his mind earlier in life. He brings that passion with him when he transfers to USF. Here, he appreciates the opportunity to teach at all levels, from Basic Principles of Marketing to undergraduates and Brand Management to MBA students, to Consumer Behavior to doctoral students. In addition, he enjoys conducting research on a variety of issues – marketing communications, customer satisfaction, consumer emotions and brand strategies.
While Kumar admits the story, autobiographical in nature, is not wrought with deep literary or symbolic meaning, he shares it with students to make a simple point: one never knows where life will lead.
The same goes for his classes. Kumar creates opportunities for students that can lead to surprising places, including the boardroom of a major league baseball team or a promotions department for one of the largest theme park operators in the United States.
Kumar relishes how USF’s metropolitan location enables him to form partnerships with local corporations – relationships that enable his students to learn lessons that go beyond textbooks and classroom lectures.
“USF is lucky to be in the Tampa area where companies are generous with their time and like to get involved with student learning,” says Kumar. “This gives USF business students a definite edge.”
Kumar engages with a host of companies in the region who share real marketing issues confronting their businesses with his students. Working in teams, students develop proposals to address these issues and have the opportunity to make formal presentations to management.
For example, one semester graduate students in Kumar’s Brand Management class partnered with the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team to focus on brand image, brand perception and fan experience. They conducted field interviews, analyzed data and made recommendations to top management on better ways to reach target audiences. In another project with a local supermarket chain, students focused on how to increase business in the store’s pharmacy department.
Recently, Kumar extended the hands-on learning experience to undergraduate students in his Promotions Management class. They developed recommendations for Busch Entertainment executives for marketing a seasonal promotion to college-aged consumers: the company’s annual “Howl ‘O Scream” at Busch Gardens in Tampa.
Kumar continues to be amazed by the level of independent learning that occurs when students take these project opportunities to heart. While he facilitates the project by establishing the corporate contacts and defining the issues that will be addressed, students’ enthusiasm inevitably takes over.
“When students take ownership of the projects, and in their eagerness to do well become completely engaged, they take their work to unexpected levels. Instead of me teaching them, they become proactive and learn independently.”
For Kumar, “seeing students move from one point to another in their level of knowledge is one of the joys of teaching.”
Albeit, a joy a young engineer didn’t plan on finding.
-- Mary Beth Erskine, University Communications & Marketing