McKendree College MBA Program Features Business Leaders

(Note to editors: Dr. Frank Spreng, director of the McKendree MBA program, is available for comment at 618.537.6902 or e-mail fspreng@mckendree.edu.)

Lebanon, Ill. — "Since the McKendree MBA places a special emphasis on business practice it is important to have experienced business executives teaching parts of the program," said Dr. Frank Spreng, a resident of Belleville, Ill. and professor of economics at McKendree College. Spreng is the director of McKendree’s master's of business administration program.

"Five such people who have had considerable high level experience in business have committed to teaching courses in future months," Spreng said. Tim Kwock, principal at Kwock Marketing Group; Daphne Behrmannn, senior customer service manager at Cerro Flow Products, Inc.; Dennis Bielke, former president and CEO for Union Bank of Illinois; Jeffry Brasel, director of human resources at Sensient Colors, Inc.; and Daniel Lett, senior vice president, secretary and general counsel at Bunzl USA, Inc. will teach a variety of courses including electronic commerce and legal issues.

"We are fortunate to have a group of executives who span the age range and have worked at various levels and in various sizes of companies. As a group they represent vast experience in local, national and international companies," Spreng said.

Kwock will teach electronic commerce. Topics for the course include marketing issues such as the electronic marketing value chain, attracting customers and satisfying their needs and wants through interactive marketing. Technical topics will include the Internet and web technologies, e-commerce system design, cryptography and Internet security, payment systems, and secure transaction processing. The course will focus on business requirements for electronic commerce and examine fundamental design issues for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer applications, noting their implications for the information industry.

Behrmann will introduce students to a managerial approach to the study of marketing in her Marketing management class. She will emphasize the nature and scope of the marketing manager’s responsibilities and marketing decision making.

Bielke will teach stakeholder management and ethics. Topics for the course include the impact of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the federal sentencing guidelines for organizations on company ethics programs, legitimacy, stakeholder relations, public policy issues, and ethical decision-making models.

Students in Brasal's global organization and management class will study the influence of culture, economics, industry, regulation, and strategy on the management and structure of the international firm. Brasal will address topics such as technology control, outsourcing, and strategic alliances.

Lett and Spreng will team teach legal issues for managers. The course is intended to acquaint students with important legal issues facing the business community. Discussion topics include corporate governance, business structures, tort/tort reform, operation of the legal system, role of inside and outside counsel, securities regulation, employment law, consumer debt/bankruptcy and government regulation.

"What business managers and executives bring to the table in graduate business education is a solid grounding in the day-to-day and practical aspects of management, strategy and business decision making," Spreng said. "Business executives add a practical and experiential dimension to our MBA program, which is of considerable benefit to McKendree students." Spreng also noted that about half of McKendree's MBA courses are taught by full-time faculty and the other half are taught by visiting business executive.

In addition to the MBA, McKendree offers graduate programs in education, professional counseling and nursing. Classes are designed for the adult learner and working professional — with classes in the evening and online, both at the main campus in Lebanon, Ill., and at off-campus sites. For more information about any of McKendree’s graduate programs call 1-800-BEARCAT, ext. 6943, or e-mail: graduate@mckendree.edu.

McKendree College is ranked among the top 12 percent of "Comprehensive Colleges—Bachelor’s" in the nation by U.S.News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2006. McKendree College also is the only private college in Illinois to be named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys®. Engaged students, great teaching, a vibrant community and successful outcomes also have earned McKendree College the designation "College of Distinction." The four qualities cited distinguish the undergraduate and graduate experience at McKendree and provide McKendree students an education of the highest quality. The college’s main campus is in Lebanon, Ill., just 25 miles east of St. Louis. McKendree also has campuses in Louisville and Radcliff, Ky. and offers off-campus programs at Scott Air Force Base and other sites in Illinois and Kentucky. For more information about McKendree College, visit the college’s Web site at www.mckendree.edu.

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