Integrative Business Education Focused on the Environment: A Description of the Sophomore Scholars Program, its Effects on Academic Performance, and the Regulatory Focus of its Participants

Abstract

In keeping with business education trends (Miles 1985; Aurand et al., 2001; Bridges & Wilhelm 2008) the Sophomore Scholars Program (SSP), an integrative program for business sophomores, was implemented at a Northeastern US university. The SSP afforded students the opportunity to learn principles of three core business disciplines (i.e., finance, marketing, operations management) and apply them in group projects that focused on the environment. Learning objectives for the SSP were: i) enhancement of academic performance, ii) development of team participation and leadership skills, and iii) advancement of oral and written communication skills. Identifying characteristics (i.e., regulatory focus; Higgins 1987) of students who successfully participate in programs like the SSP was another program objective.