By Nathaniel Luce
Publication: WALL STREET JOURNAL
When Cisco Systems Inc. wanted to ramp up its health care sales, the company’s account managers needed a crash course in medicine in order to explain and answer questions about the new products. The company opted to train its managers through a customized education program from the Owen Graduate School of Management.
For Vanderbilt, the focus on such customized programs has ramped up revenue. Its custom programs earned the school 20% more in 2009 than 2008. In addition to the sort of training Cisco asked for, clients are also attending the school to learn how to cope with competition or grab market share at a time when many of their competitors are facing challenges, says JIM BRADFORD, dean of the business school.
