Leadership and Communication, or BA 352(H), within the University’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business Honors Program, is Info Hell for business students — or at least that’s what junior Erik Johannes thinks.
Johannes is part of one team of business students in the fall course, which he compared to the infamously difficult journalism class Information Gathering. At the start of the term, students separated into six teams of six members and were paired with a local company with whom they draft a grant proposal at the end of the term.
Johannes’ team of six worked with Arcimoto, an electric car company based in Eugene, throughout the term to create a grant proposal that would be sent to Lane County. No team within the class is guaranteed to win the grant money, but fellow team member and sophomore Spencer Herbert knows the county will base its judgment on how much merit each proposal has.
Today, Arcimoto will display its new electric Pulse car and answer questions in the Lillis Rotunda. Students will be able to sign up for a free test drive.
At a presentation this afternoon, the team will address how additional jobs would be created in Lane County, how clean and advanced technology industries would be impacted, and how the company would make an impact on the community if Arcimoto won grant money, Johannes said.
The team members working with Arcimoto spent the term interviewing executives at the company trying to identify how best to put the grant money to use.
“One of the biggest things we did was identify a problem and then how we would go about writing the grant to fix that problem,” junior and team member Kerry Hinch said. “You have to have one particular tangible item to give the money to.”
That item? Body panels for the exterior of the car, junior Makaela Lipke said. The money would also fund the design and manufacturing of the prototypes.
“Another reason we chose the body panels is that it would create many partnerships with many companies,” sophomore Muayad Al Marhoun said. “And that will help create indirect jobs through those partnerships.”
The course aims to develop essential business leadership behaviors, including self-awareness, critical thinking, supportive communication, creative problem solving and building power. But to the six members of Team Arcimoto, the class has also been a test of wills.
“At this point, we probably see each other more than we see our roommates,” Johannes said. “We spend at least 15 to 20 hours outside of class. Our professor prides himself for taking away our sleep and keeping us busy.”
The members of Team Arcimoto also spent a lot of time with people from the company, learning about the product they were writing grant money for.
“The first time we saw the Pulse car was incredible; seeing it first-hand was a totally different experience than reading about it or seeing pictures online,” Johannes said.
“It doesn’t look like a normal car,” Hinch added.
“It looks a little like Batman’s car,” Johannes said. “And I mean that in a good way.”
The three-wheeled electric car has no fuel tank and charges in only six hours. It comes with remote-sensor keyless start, cup holders and a roll cage, and it can reach a speed of 55 mph.
Al Marhoun said the class is about more than just learning leadership and business skills, and the rest of the team agreed. The most helpful aspect of the class was the fact that the team didn’t know anything about Arcimoto before the beginning of the term.
“Working with real companies has been a real benefit to the class,” Johannes said. “It threw us into a situation that we weren’t necessarily comfortable with. We knew nothing about the product or the company.”
Herbert added, “It directly translates to when we graduate and start careers. It’s more likely that we’re not going to know the companies we will be working with for … or all of the team members we will work with.”
For College of Business Director of Publications Jim Engelhardt, the best part of the class is that “students are not only raising awareness for a local business, but also helping to advance the state of Oregon’s reputation for green business.”
At a glance:
What: Showing of Arcimoto’s first all-electric vehicle, the Pulse, and panel discussion
When: Showing from noon to 6 p.m.; panel from 5 to 6 p.m. today
Where: Vehicle on display in the Lillis Business Complex Rotunda and panel in 225 Chiles
Why: To promote a local company in its efforts to make Oregon the leader in electric vehicle production and showcase how students work on real-world projects advancing green businesses.
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Challenging business class goes green
Daily Emerald
November 18, 2009
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