INTEGRATED MARKETING AND OPERATIONS TEAM PROJECTS: LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COOPERATION

Increasingly, U.S. businesses are breaking down barriers between functional departments and focusing on interdepartmental teams aimed at providing customer satisfaction. Cooperation between marketing and production/operations is critical to this objective. This article describes integrating a marketing elective and a required operations management course through coordinated instruction that integrates topics and projects. This approach teaches business students that effective management involves close cooperation between these two functional areas in providing competitive and profitable products. Teamwork is emphasized by utilizing self-managed teams of students who work on functionally integrated projects that include locating a facility, aggregate production planning, and monitoring and improving service quality.