SPOTLIGHT ON A PROFESSOR
D r . D o n S m i t h
A m a n w h o h a s c l i m b e d
t h e c o r p o r a t e l a d d e r
California State University, Fullerton has been lucky enough to have a very capable business professor to teach our students the basics of business management plus how to successfully climb the corporate ladder.
He grew up in South Central Los Angeles with his single mother and three siblings. Smith has a twin brother who is a high school principal in Las Vegas and a sister who works for the county of San Bernardino teaching residents skills to prepare and get jobs. Don Smith actually lives in Las Vegas, NV with his wife who was stationed there when she was a flight attendant. He goes home on weekends to be with his family. His daughter is a teacher in Honduras and his son works for the Military. He graduated from Fremont High School, surprisingly he was not motivated enough to further his education until he joined the Marines where he gained a different perspective on life. He began his pursuit of higher education at Harbor City College and continued on to earn his B.A in Engineering, M.B.A from Pepperdine University and lastly his PhD in Organizational Management from Capella University. He has been Vice President of three successful
companiies and is the President of a management consultant company, Management Advisor Group. His experience in the corporate world has been a lonely one, often been the only African American Senior Executive. Dr. Smith has now completed two years at CSUF as a professor and he has
been asked by Dr. Stokes to join the African American Resource Center Advisory Board. He graciously accepted and plans to implement programs with the African American Resource Center, that will encourage students to, “play the corporate game.” Smith believes that students need mentors
that can show them how to use the tools they have learned at the university to help them progress through corporations and not stay stagnant in entry-level positions. Smith is impressed with the African American Resource Center, “ I think it’s a great place to hang out. Many of the students seem to feel at home at the Center. It is important to have a place like this because Orange County does not provide many places where students can be around students like themselves.”
Smart Targets
By Nathan Jackson
In the eyes of most junior and senior students at CSUF, the search to build a career is an eminent reality.
This semester, one Fortune 500 company is asking for your attention… Target Corporation. Recently, Target, in alliance with the CSUF Communication and Business departments launched a student-run project to create innovative ways to boost recruitment on campus. The main obstacle in this case is the perception most students have of a minimum-wage or entry level job at a Target store, for instance, a cashier or sales floor person. This image does not encompass the wide range of high-salaried professional positions available in areas such as Distribution/Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance, Pharmacy, Human Resources, Forensics…and others. Commitment to “diversity” is also an idea Target claims to foster as part of its culture.
A few tactics implemented by the students conducting the research include specific questionnaires and focus
groups reaching a wide range of juniors and seniors from different majors and ethnic backgrounds. Ultimately, they will help draw a clear picture of what Target needs to do to enhance its image as an employer and figure out what other successful companies are doing to attract CSUF grads.
“I think that word of mouth among students is crucial for our study,” says junior Rachel Smith, a member
of the research group. “It shows that Target has so much to offer besides short term retail jobs. If this program keeps going it could really open up a lot of career opportunities for future students.”
At California State University, Fullerton’s Job Fair last week, Target representatives in red and kaki outfits
were among the swarm of businesses vying for student attention. Some of the incentives in their pitch that
seemed the most enticing to future professionals included a 10-week paid internship and a comprehensive
benefits package that includes items such as health, medical and dental insurance, tuition reimbursement
and a 401k plan that matches dollar for dollar up to 5% of your salary.
Though Target seems to provide a spring board to a lucrative professional career, the issue of unfair consumer and employment practices against minorities is an area of concern. In 2004, 2005 surveys administered by the NAACP, Target received low marks for its failure to meet the standards of the organization in terms of hiring practices and catering to African American customers. In 2006, C.E.O. Bob Ulrich did not agree for Target to take the survey citing that diversity means catering to all minorities, not just one group. Also, there have been a number of district court cases citing specific Target stores for racial discrimination against African Americans and Latinos.
However, accusations of discrimination seem confusing when examining Target’s strong presence at job fairs for groups like the National Black National Black MBA Association, The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) and the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s. As for actual hiring of management and
professionals, 23% fall under the “diverse” category, a vague term that involves a wide range of minorities
and women. Diverse professionals make up 14% of the company. The national averages for these categories
are 15% and 21% respectively. Overall, Target hopes that attracting students from a variety of ethnic and academic backgrounds will boost their company’s productivity and growth.
No comments:
Post a Comment