Effective managers do not make decisions in disciplinary silos. A pricing decision requires understanding margin structures from accounting, ratios from finance, customer preferences from marketing, and demand patterns from statistics. My teaching philosophy centers on preparing students to make well-supported business decisions by integrating analytical models across disciplines. Rather than teaching marketing, finance, or accounting in isolation, I show students how these frameworks work together to illuminate managerial problems. And I do so through structured, experiential learning that moves students from observation to independence.
 
I follow an "I Do, We Do, You Do" approach that scaffolds students' development as decision-makers. In my Principles of Marketing course, students spend the semester as brand managers for an over-the-counter cold medicine using Interpretive Simulations' Market Share platform. Early in the term, I introduce a margin model that integrates concepts from across the business curriculum: contribution margins from accounting, markup chains from finance, and competitive positioning from marketing. I demonstrate how to build the model in a spreadsheet, explaining where each number comes from and what it reveals about whether their brand meets retailer needs better than competitors do. 
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Next, we collaborate on extending the model to analyze competitor actions, discussing the assumptions required and how to interpret results when data is incomplete. Finally, students apply the model independently in their weekly strategy reports, using it to diagnose problems, evaluate alternatives, and justify their decisions. By semester's end, students do not just understand margin analysis; they habitually ask "What does the data suggest?" before making strategic moves. I use similar progressions across my courses: customer lifetime value analysis in Sales to determine which accounts deserve focused attention, markdown optimization in Retail Management to balance inventory and profitability, and conjoint analysis in MBA Marketing to determine product configurations and price points.
 
This approach develops more than business acumen. When students learn to build models, question assumptions, interpret results, and defend recommendations, they develop critical thinking that transfers beyond the classroom. They learn to communicate complex analyses to different audiences, listen critically to peer feedback during collaborative modeling exercises, and revise their thinking when data challenge their intuitions. These are the skills that make them valuable employees in their first roles, but more importantly, they possess the analytical and communication capabilities that make them informed citizens who can evaluate evidence, consider trade-offs, and make reasoned judgments in a complex world. My goal goes beyond preparing students for their first job to developing their capacity to make well-supported decisions throughout their careers and civic lives.