Senior Capstone Experience
"Your Revolution Starts Here"
Kristen Kulik '07 started her revolution, and her marketing career, with a project that developed an Internet marketing campaign for WC. Kristen worked with the Office of College Relations, as well as marketing professor Terry Scout and his students, to hold focus groups and design a recruitment video for the College to target 17-year-old males.
"My idea was based upon WC's slogan of 'Your Revolution Starts Here,'" Kristen wrote. "With a current enrollment of 1,350 students and a male/female ratio of 40% males and 60% females, most would say that the College has not done enough to attract an equal population of both sexes. The Internet is a powerful marketing tool. WC needed a concentrated targeting strategy for the 17-year-old-male population."
A co-recipient of the 2007 Business Management Capstone Award, Kristen currently works in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Office of Nurse Recruitment.
"The Fortune of Frosted Flakes"
In his award-winning capstone, Joe Breslin '07 examined the financial strength of Kellogg Company, analyzed how effectively it has competed in the processed and packaged food industry in the past, and showed how the company prepares to capture additional market share in the future.
"The capstone experience required an immense amount of discipline and time management as I juggled my course schedule and served as captain of the basketball team," Joe said. Nevertheless, it was invaluable in preparing him for life after college.
"In the 'real world' I work for a financial planning firm, and I use the experience I gained through the capstone experience on a daily basis. It gave me the confidence to tackle difficult projects and responsibilities head-on as I pursue my career goals."
Capstone Info
The Senior Capstone Experience is an intensive, faculty-guided research project in business management.
1. The Belle of the Ball — The Strategy Capstone
- The strategy capstone is most popular among business majors
- A strategic analysis of a firm in its competitive environment, the capstone answers the questions:
- What is the firm's intent?
- What does the firm achieve?
- How do its intent and achievements compare to its competitors?
2. The Bookworm — The Research Capstone
- A research-based project, the research capstone can take many forms, including:
- A project integrated with the capstone of another department (for double majors)
- A series of interviews in a particular industry or career path
- A study of a business or management topic, including an examination of the principle in a non-business setting
- Empirical work tied to a presentation at an academic conference
3. The Entrepreneur — The Experiential Capstone
- The experiential capstone gives seniors real-world experience while they're working towards their degree
- Student experiences can include:
- Developing a business plan and starting a working business
- Analyzing an organization's Management Information Systems (MIS) needs and setting up a database enterprise system
- Gaining extensive internship experience at a regional firm
Students can earn honors on their Senior Capstones by demonstrating a high quality of conceptual understanding, research, analysis, writing and presentation, as well as providing a clear and engaging visual display.