Subroto Roy, Ph.D.
Professor
A Professor in the College of Business in the Management, Marketing and Quantitative Analysis Department, Roy has had numerous articles published in journals and at conferences. Roy’s managerial career, after his M.S. and MBA, spanned twelve years, mostly as Head of Sales and Marketing for the Indian Joint Venture of Tetra Pak Sweden and the National Dairy Development Board of India. Roy has taught, researched and consulted in Sydney and Singapore before moving to the U.S. We sat down with Subroto Roy and learned what he is doing inside and outside of the classroom.
What do you enjoy most about teaching here at the University of New Haven?
There are two types of students at UNH and both are really interesting: 1- The full time Undergraduate student can be very creative, technology savvy sometimes irreverent but always fun! This year my organizational marketing students are participating in the Google Online Marketing Challenge. Seven student teams have taken up client companies and are devising B2B Google AdWords campaigns and will present their experiences in the 4th Annual Careers in Marketing – Google AdWords event on 8th April 2009 at the Bartels Alumni Lounge. Google is giving us $200 of AdWords credit per student team. Participating companies will get started with AdWords with no cost and students will add “Google AdWords” expertise in their resumes. 2- UNH part time students have gone through the “hard knocks” school of work life. Therefore, these students have a great sense of the world of work and how learning at school leads to better performance in the workplace. These students hold down full time jobs and I salute them for studying at night or in full day weekend classes after work. They are able to handle the MBA material despite the enormous, tough and compressed content. MBA students demand relevance and immediate application. They help keep my research relevant and consulting practice up to speed. See my blog www.stratoserve.com
Which faculty/staff member(s) on campus do you admire most?
Dr. Henry Lee is an inspiration. Dr. Lee brings an amazing sense of excitement to his field.
What kind of research are you currently working on or plan to be involved in?
Current research projects include Cross Border Inter-Firm Knowledge Transfer, Global Outsourcing and Supply Management, Innovation and Intellectual Property, Internet Search Marketing and B2B advertising with Google AdWords etc. See my blog at www.stratoserve.com for my early ideas.
What recommendations would you give to incoming freshman?
Get involved with clubs and organizations and volunteer activities this is very important. Also be sure to enjoy life, lighten up!
In your opinion, has technology enhanced your educational process? If so how?
Yes, education has forever changed because of technology. The Professor has to be sure that the information that he/she delivers in the classroom is both correct and current. Because of the Internet, everything can be checked out- instantly. Therefore, a Professor just providing information in class is passé…
What current trends are you tied into?
I am into blogging, business-to-business marketing, outsourcing, innovation, technology adoption, global supply chains, Internet search marketing including Google AdWords and overall strategy and execution relating to these topics. Blogging is a more user-friendly and immediate way to get ideas out there with regards to my academic research that typically takes years to publish. See my blog at www.stratoserve.com . Also I am a Vice President and Board member of two professional associations connected to my fields of expertise. These are the American Marketing Association of Connecticut (www.amact.org) and the Connecticut Association of Purchasing Management (www.capminc.org )
What technology applications have you utilized in the classroom?
I utilize Blackboard where all my notes and grades are kept as well as the Internet. I get students to use the Internet to the hilt. For example, I teach students about Google Scholar and how to identify thought leaders and then pull their full articles from the UNH Library databases. I take students through developing online surveys and formulating good research questions that are amenable to online research. Finally, I have students exploring new media for business eg. YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Linked In. Check out www.youtube.com for student videos from last year type “UNH Marketing”.
What do you think are the most important attributes of a good instructor?
I think first, a good instructor must be current in her/his field through research and/or practice. Second, the instructor must deliver what is promised in the course outline and have clear ways of measuring student-learning outcomes. Finally, a “great” instructor understands where students are coming from and is able to take the students to the next level to compete in business in the “new” global world. I am off course trying to be a “great” instructor!
What level of participation do you expect from your students?
I expect 100% participation from my students and try to create an environment in class where everyone can participate without fear of criticism or ridicule.
What is the greatest challenge you face as an instructor?
The greatest challenge is finding the appropriate method for a particular student audience. For example, involving and energizing an undergraduate student in a 75 minute class is different from keeping a MBA student enthused and engaged in a daylong class. I am constantly working on how to get students to enjoy my class while learning and extending their intellectual boundaries
What do you do differently in the classroom?
I don’t just deliver information, as I can’t compete with Google! My method is more how do you make sense of information for business decisions. I have students work on a project that has the elements of the course to be applied. This way they have something to show as a result of their work. The project is an application of the topics of the course preferably a start to finish application. For example I have students creating YouTube videos for their Internet Marketing project and B2B advertising with Google AdWords for my B2B class. My MBA students in the Product Management Class develop a new product from or service from concept to launch plan. Showing the new product project report, as part of their MBA portfolio at job interviews, has employed several past students.
What occurs here that doesn’t occur in other schools?
At UNH you have great Professors who really take an interest in the student. Most professors are active researchers and consultants, valued by the real world, (though not all are celebrities like Dr. Henry Lee!). Such professors bring the cutting edge of both knowledge and practice to the student and experiential learning occurs right from the classroom. Experiential learning continues through internships, co-ops and study abroad programs and makes UNH a unique experience for the student
