As part of an independent research business class, 15 Harding students are working with the Duck Commander and Buck Commander businesses. The students, all selected by professors and department heads, are working with Harding faculty, two board of trustees members and alumni in order to best serve the businesses behind the TV show “Duck Dynasty.”
The students are divided into teams in order to brainstorm and compile strategies and ideas to pitch to Duck Commander and Buck Commander. At first, all teams were working on a branding strategy for the businesses. Now, each team is broken up into different areas of specialty. Teams are working on product development, a business plan and warehouse development systems.
Matt Mead, a senior marketing and finance major, said his team meets 2-3 times per week, but never in a traditional classroom setting. One of the main projects his team is working on is planning a festival in West Monroe, La., centered on the Duck Commander and Buck Commander brands.
Mead said working on real projects for real companies “is a good mix of having the confidence to know you can do something while having the humility to know there’s still lots you don’t know.”
To answer questions and provide advice, several alumni and faculty volunteered to assist the students. Senior marketing major Shelby Babcock said having these mentors to go to for advice has been very beneficial to the students.
Mead said the class, which emphasizes real-world knowledge and experience, has taught him a lot about professionalism and the importance of quality as well as the relevance of material he learned in previous marketing classes.
“It makes you a better student because you get more motivation,” Mead said. “There’s always stuff to learn so the more exposure you get … on the job makes you more committed in your classes to try to be the best that you can be.”
Since students are working with a real business, Mead said the class is constantly changing. Without a syllabus or a traditional class structure, Babcock said the class has helped the students develop a sense of confidence in dealing with a real-world business situation.
“There (are) so many opportunities at hand with alumni, with Duck Commander, with the teachers,” Babcock said. “There are opportunities with the experience of learning to work with a company. My goal for this is just learning to take advantage of the hundreds of opportunities that are here within one class while still doing a good job for the company.”
Students will work with the Duck Commander and Buck Commander businesses for the remainder of the semester.
The faculty advisor for the project and professor of accounting Dr. Phil Brown, said he hopes other independent research classes can do more projects like this in the future.
