Two new concentrations have been approved for Siena’s customizable business major: food marketing and strategic decision making. Students can select either effective this semester.
The objective of the food marketing concentration is to familiarize students with the global food retail industry at all levels and in all segments, according to Russell Zwanka, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing. Courses will cover food distribution, wholesaling and retailing; food trend awareness; store layout and visual merchandising; category management principles and other topics.
Zwanka is the author of several books on food marketing, including his latest: “Ties That Bind: Inside the Extraordinary (Sometimes Knotty) Food Marketing Continuum.”
“With the newest food marketing academic offering in the country, Siena will connect the future leaders of the industry with companies that are looking for energetic, passionate, and knowledgeable employees,” he said. “If you ate something today, you can thank the food industry. In the future, if you eat something, you might be able to thank a Siena food marketing graduate.”
The strategic decision making concentration will provide students with an advanced understanding of core skills required of all business executives, according to Joseph McCollum, Ph.D., associate professor of quantitative business analysis.
The interdisciplinary topics covered in the concentration include advanced statistics, advanced economic theory, managerial finance, and cutting-edge organizational behavior principles. McCollum said students also will be exposed to the proper structure and application of the research process.
“The strategic decision making concentration will pair nicely with any of our other business major concentrations and will augment our students’ ability to make sound business decisions,” he said.
For undergraduates considering the Siena MBA program, these courses can also be used to waive some of the MBA core requirements.