Regional opportunity and readiness
Graduates are well prepared in three areas central to the role: performance and financial oversight, operations and production management, and marketing, pricing, and demand planning.
3 of 8 areas prepared or developing, 5 opportunities to extend reach
| Skill area | Readiness | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Performance and Financial Oversight | Prepared | 20 of 40 |
| Operations and Production Management | Prepared | 19 of 40 |
| Marketing, Pricing, and Demand Planning | Prepared | 16 of 40 |
| Organizational Policy and Departmental Direction | Opportunity | 21 of 40 |
| Workforce Supervision and Personnel | Opportunity | 20 of 40 |
| Sustainability and Environmental Programs | Opportunity | 16 of 40 |
| Facilities, Site, and Retail Floor Operations | Opportunity | 16 of 40 |
| Procurement and Supplier Management | Opportunity | 8 of 40 |
The clearest move Approve one new course or module in frontline supervision and staffing, the largest opportunity for a role with about 1,048 projected annual Spokane-area openings.
What graduates are prepared for, and where to extend reach
Prepared for
- Performance and Financial OversightGraduates read financial statements and performance reports and direct budget and funding decisions (BADM 531 with BADM 502).
- Operations and Production ManagementGraduates direct the administrative work of production and service operations and manage the flow of goods through a facility (BADM 508 with BADM 555).
- Marketing, Pricing, and Demand PlanningGraduates build a marketing strategy and set prices from a demand forecast (BADM 506 with BADM 542 and BADM 586).
Opportunities to extend reach
- Workforce Supervision and PersonnelAdd a course or module in staff scheduling, duty assignment, hiring, training, and evaluation, the largest opportunity for this role.
- Facilities, Site, and Retail Floor OperationsAdd coursework in site selection, store layout, and frontline service, reaching the second-highest knowledge area for the role.
- Procurement and Supplier ManagementExtend BADM 555 with a module on vendor scorecards and monitoring suppliers to budget.
- Organizational Policy and Departmental DirectionExtend MGMT 326 and MGMT 480 with practice in directing a named functional department such as purchasing.
- Sustainability and Environmental ProgramsExtend MGMT 423 with an operational module on running recycling and waste-reduction programs.
The 8 regional skill areas
Performance and Financial Oversight Preparednamed in 20 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can read financial statements and performance reports to measure how a unit is doing, and can direct budget and funding decisions to support operations and investment.
Assessment item Given a company income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement plus a capital project proposal, the student produces a written analysis that names two areas for cost reduction and recommends fund or do-not-fund for the project with the decision criterion stated. Evaluate
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to measure productivity or goal achievement or to identify areas needing cost reduction or program improvement. | Prepared | BADM 531 | BADM 531 teaches conducting financial statement analysis and using financial statements to evaluate company performance, the direct reviewing and measuring work of the task, reinforced by BADM 560. |
| Direct or coordinate financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency. | Prepared | BADM 502 | BADM 502 teaches developing cash flows and analyzing capital projects, and BADM 530 adds evaluating long-term financial strategies, which is the funding and investment substance of the task. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: budget, financial, p&l, profit, revenue, cost, performance, kpi.
Operations and Production Management Preparednamed in 19 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can direct the administrative work of making products or providing services and manage the flow of goods through a facility for efficient operations. The directing-and-coordinating of production, pricing, sales, and distribution department activities (task 933) is only partly served.
Assessment item Given a description of a manufacturing or service operation with a stated bottleneck, the student writes an operations plan that integrates people, machines, and materials and reduces the bottleneck to a stated throughput target. Apply
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct administrative activities directly related to making products or providing services. | Prepared | BADM 508 | BADM 508 covers the management of both manufacturing and service systems and integrating people, machines, and materials, which is the substance of the task. |
| Manage the movement of goods into and out of production facilities to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, or sustainability of operations. | Prepared | BADM 508 | BADM 508 teaches managing the integration of materials and machines into productive systems, and BADM 555 adds applying operations-management principles, which covers materials flow and production efficiency. |
| Direct and coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with the production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products. | Developing | BADM 555 | BADM 555 covers operations and supply chain and BADM 506 covers pricing and sales, so the domain content is taught, but the outcomes do not yet include the directing and coordinating of those department activities. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: operations, production, logistics, supply chain, process improvement, throughput.
Marketing, Pricing, and Demand Planning Preparednamed in 16 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can develop a product-marketing strategy and set prices using a forecast of customer demand. Coordinating sales promotions with other department managers (task 20706) is only partly served.
Assessment item Given a product, a target market, and historical sales data, the student develops a marketing strategy with a promotion plan and sets a price supported by a stated demand forecast, defending each choice in writing. Create
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop or implement product-marketing strategies, including advertising campaigns or sales promotions. | Prepared | BADM 542 | BADM 542 teaches developing competitive marketing strategies and programs, and BADM 506 covers channels, pricing, product, and new product development, which substantively teach the task. |
| Set prices or credit terms for goods or services, based on forecasts of customer demand. | Prepared | BADM 506 | BADM 506 teaches establishing pricing strategies and BADM 586 teaches business forecasting and demand exploration, together covering pricing informed by demand forecasts. |
| Plan or direct activities, such as sales promotions, that require coordination with other department managers. | Developing | BADM 506 | BADM 506 teaches the promotion mix and setting promotion objectives, the sales-promotion content, but the outcomes do not yet include the cross-department coordination the task names. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: marketing, pricing, demand, sales, forecast, merchandising.
Organizational Policy and Departmental Direction Opportunitynamed in 21 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can help set departmental goals, policies, and procedures within an organization's structure, though the practice of directing a specific functional department is thinner.
Assessment item Given an organization chart and a stated operating problem, the student drafts a set of departmental policies and procedures and explains how each supports a stated goal, using the four functions of management as the frame. Apply
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Establish or implement departmental policies, goals, objectives, or procedures in conjunction with board members, organization officials, or staff members. | Developing | MGMT 326 | MGMT 326 teaches planning and organizing at an applied level and MGMT 480 teaches leading within a structure, so goal and policy setting is partly taught, but the governance-level work with board members is not addressed. |
| Direct non-merchandising departments of businesses, such as advertising or purchasing. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include directing or managing a non-merchandising department such as advertising or purchasing. MGMT 120 builds awareness of what departments do, not the skill of directing one. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: policy, procedure, department, coordinate, strategy, objectives.
Workforce Supervision and Personnel Opportunitynamed in 20 of 40 postings
A capable graduate would prepare staff schedules, assign duties, and perform personnel functions such as selection, training, and evaluation, and the program could add these.
Assessment item Given a team roster, a weekly demand pattern, and a set of duties, the student builds a staff schedule with duties assigned and writes a performance evaluation rubric tied to the assigned duties. Apply
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare staff work schedules and assign specific duties. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include workforce scheduling, shift planning, or task assignment. MGMT 326 names organizing as a function but does not yet include how to schedule staff or assign duties. |
| Perform personnel functions, such as selection, training, or evaluation. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include recruitment, hiring, training, or performance evaluation. The high similarity on BADM 555 reflects shared management vocabulary, not coverage. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: supervis, staff, personnel, hiring, workforce, team, training, scheduling.
Sustainability and Environmental Programs Opportunitynamed in 16 of 40 postings
A capable graduate can reason about sustainability and corporate responsibility at a strategic and ethical level, but has not been taught to run an operational recycling, conservation, or waste-management program.
Assessment item Given a facility and a sustainability target, the student writes an implementation plan for one waste-reduction program with named operational steps, the responsible roles, and the measure of success. Apply
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implement or oversee environmental management or sustainability programs addressing issues such as recycling, conservation, or waste management. | Developing | MGMT 423 | MGMT 423 builds understanding of sustainability and its applications and MGMT 480 connects leadership to fostering sustainability, but neither teaches running the operational recycling, conservation, or waste programs the task names. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: sustainab, environment, energy, waste, compliance.
Facilities, Site, and Retail Floor Operations Opportunitynamed in 16 of 40 postings
A capable graduate would recommend facility locations, oversee remodeling, plan store layouts, and perform sales-floor work such as customer service, stocking, and inventory, and the program could add these.
Assessment item Given a candidate retail site, a budget, and a product mix, the student produces a location recommendation with stated criteria and a store-layout plan that places fixtures and product zones for customer flow. Create
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform sales floor work, such as greeting or assisting customers, stocking shelves, or taking inventory. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include frontline retail service, stocking, or inventory counting. The high similarity on BADM 574 is shared business vocabulary, not coverage. |
| Plan store layouts or design displays. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include planning physical store layouts or designing displays. The top candidate, BADM 577, is business-plan writing, not space planning or visual merchandising. |
| Recommend locations for new facilities, or oversee the remodeling or renovating of current facilities. | Developing | none | the outcomes do not yet include facility-location analysis or overseeing renovation. The capital-budgeting outcomes in BADM 530 and BADM 502 are a financial input to a build-or-locate decision, not site selection or facility oversight. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: facilit, site, retail, store, warehouse, floor, maintenance, inventory.
Procurement and Supplier Management Opportunitynamed in 8 of 40 postings
A capable graduate would monitor suppliers for cost, quality, and timeliness against budget, and the program could add vendor monitoring or procurement control.
Assessment item Given supplier performance data and a budget limit, the student builds a vendor scorecard, rates each supplier against stated criteria, and recommends keep, renegotiate, or replace for each. Evaluate
| Regional task | Readiness | EWU course | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor suppliers to ensure that they efficiently and effectively provide needed goods or services within budgetary limits. | Developing | none | BADM 555 introduces supply chain concepts at an explanatory level and does not yet include monitoring supplier performance, evaluating vendors, or managing them to budget. All other candidates are off topic. |
Demand keywords searched in the postings: procurement, supplier, vendor, purchasing, contract, negotiat.