MBA Research

Production is all around us and crucial to businesses and society. This LAP gives a detailed look at the resources used in production and explains the importance of each stage of the production process. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about the nature of production, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

The LAP Buck Busters highlights ways that employees can help control business expenses so that companies can reinvest more of their profits and improve their facilities, equipment, and products. When employees have a good work ethic, they can produce higher-quality work while also minimizing company costs and expenses. The LAP also discusses the importance of time management, limiting personal activities at work, and treating customers professionally. Activities ask students to consider...

Everything starts with a project—a short-term undertaking that creates a unique good or service. Projects help businesses maintain flexibility so they can take advantage of new opportunities quickly and effectively. Teach your students more about projects, the elements of a successful project, why projects are important, and how businesses manage them effectively. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented...

Businesses need plans when they undertake projects. Creating an effective plan can mean the difference between the success or failure of your project. Use LAP-OP-001—Chart Your Course (Developing a Project Plan) to teach your students more about the essential components of project plans, as well as how to develop and use them. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student...

Quality control is a lot more than weeding out defective products! Teach your students about the quality-control methods and measures that contribute to customer satisfaction and business success. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about quality-control measures, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

Every business needs to manage its operating costs, or overhead expenses, if it wants to be successful. This LAP describes different types of operating costs, how they affect selling prices, and ways a business can keep its costs under control to increase profitability. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information...

Pricing is much more complicated than simply placing a tag on an item—in fact, many factors play into determining an effective price. With your students, explore what makes pricing effective, who sets pricing, and why pricing objectives are so important. Discover the answers to these questions and more as you learn about the key role that pricing plays in the marketing mix. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a...

Sellers don’t just pull prices out of thin air. Each business goes through its own unique process for pricing products. Teach your students what factors go into a product’s final selling price, what expenses the price needs to cover, and how companies use selling price to reach their goals. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that...

Calculating the break-even point is a valuable skill that all businesses need, so help your students learn all about it with Tipping Point! This LAP teaches students how to calculate the break-even point—step by step—and explains to students how calculating breakeven can help every business. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about...

Many sports and event consumers look for prices that give them the most bang for their buck. Others are willing to pay top dollar for an elite product or to attend a big event. Teach your students the many factors that help marketers determine and establish prices for sport/event products. LAP-PI-047—Gauge Your Prices (Pricing the Sport/Event Product) explains price’s power to distinguish products, segment the market, and convince consumers to buy. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are...

When a customer has to choose between two companies, which one will win out? Often, it’s the one with the best customer service! This LAP explains how focusing on customers, offering great internal customer service, and studying the competition can help create a successful business. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that...

Deciding what products to offer is one of the most important decisions a company makes. This LAP delves into the components of the product mix, explains product mix dimensions, and explores the strategies used by businesses to manage their product mixes. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information...

In today’s era of rapidly evolving technology, warranties and guarantees are important. But what is guaranteed exactly? Do your students understand how warranties and guarantees benefit them and the businesses that provide them? Check out the LAP Promises, Promises (Warranties and Guarantees), with examples from Apple, Chanel, and Fairfield Inn & Suites, to help your students understand the basics of these agreements, how the law regulates them, and much more! LAPs (Learning Activity Packages)...

What makes a brand name good? Why is branding so important? And does every product need to be branded? This LAP explains brand strategies and the important stages of the branding process. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about product branding, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn,...

Consumer protection measures attempt to minimize the risks of purchasing and using consumer products. Teach your students about the need for consumer protection and the steps that businesses and the government take to keep consumers safe. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about consumer protection, a (So What?) discussion of why...

People encounter graded products every day, but what do these grades mean? This LAP explains why grades and standards are used, how they are set, and what types of products have grades and standards. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about grades and standards, a (So What?) discussion of why it's...

It takes a lot more than just a product name and logo to make up a corporate brand! Brand promises, brand personalities, and core values are just a few of the important components that small-business owners must keep in mind when developing brands. This LAP outlines the steps business owners take when creating their own successful corporate brands. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This...

New product ideas don’t appear out of thin air. Instead, businesses use many creative-thinking techniques to generate product ideas, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, attribute listing, and many more. Use this LAP to help your students understand the importance of ideation to businesses, sources of new product ideas, and creative-thinking strategies. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan....

Licensed sport products are around us every day. Sign Here: Licensing for Profit (Licensing in Sports/Event Marketing) teaches your students how the licensing system works, why trademarks are important, and how licensing differs from branding, sponsorship, and endorsement. This LAP will also help your students understand the differences between a licensor and a licensee, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both roles. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional...

In today’s competitive market, businesses want to stand out, and one great way to get noticed is with celebrity endorsements. Use Play the Name Game (Celebrity Endorsements) to show your students why businesses spend millions to have superstars promote their products. This LAP will teach your students several types of endorsements, the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity endorsement, and the ways in which celebrities make consumers pay attention and buy promoted products. LAPs (Learning...

Marketers in charge of developing sport/event licensing programs must do so with a great deal of care. In this LAP, students will learn the main legal considerations involved in licensing, including the basics of trademarking. Students will embark on a guided tour through the licensing process, discovering how to select licensees and draft strong license agreements. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented...

Footballs, jerseys, concerts, and conventions are just a few of a wide range of sport/event products. The variety of these and other sport/event products, along with their unique characteristics, make sports/event marketing an interesting and challenging task. More Than a Ticket (Elements of Sport/Event Products) uses activities, videos, and more to teach students about special considerations when marketing sports, events, and other sport/event products. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are...

A unique selling proposition shows a company’s special niche in the marketplace. Teach your students about USPs—what they are, why they’re important, and how to create them. LAPs are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT! permission) that includes information about unique selling propositions, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn, and a short (Gray Zone) case...

Product/Service management is important for all businesses--large, small, and in between! This LAP explains the factors that influence product/service management, the ways that product/service management affects marketing, and the phases of product/service management that all businesses must handle. LAPs (Learning Activity Packages) are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student handout (with CopyIT!...