Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Outcome #1 - Possess breadth and depth of understanding of key business concepts and theories.

III. Outcome #2 - Be recognized by their current employers as excellent employees who contribute to  their organizations and are candidates for advancement in their field.

IV. Outcome #3 - Exhibit an understanding and appreciation of the legal and ethical implications of conducting business in a global environment.

V. Outcome 4 -Exhibit poise and confidence in verbal, interpersonal and written communication. 

VI. Outcome 5 - Demonstrate that they have been and will continue to be a life long learner

Introduction

My name is Travis Crafton. I am an IT project manager for GE Energy, a division of General Electric. My educational journey has been something a long and winding road. I attended various community colleges in my home state of Kansas and also spent a semester at Emporia State University. 6 months and one wedding engagement later, it became clear that commuting from Wichita to Emporia was not a sustainable path to my undergraduate degree. I returned to Wichita and began to work full time with the intention of saving some money and returning to school “later”.

As is often this case with later, it took longer to arrive than I had planned. After a break of 3 years, I enrolled at Tabor College and earned my undergraduate degree in Management and Organizational development. Not wanting to lose momentum I immediately enrolled at Baker University to begin working on my MBA. It wasn’t long before I began to feel the effects of pressure at work and the strain of trying to balance life at home with a growing family. I decided that I wasn’t able to commit fully to continuing my education at that point and decided once again to take a break and finish “later”.

In this case, later meant a break of about 2 years before I enrolled again, this time at Southwestern College. I completed 4 courses in the MBA program at Southwestern before I hit a major roadblock. Along re-embarking on my MBA, I had also recently started a new job. With the new job came new projects and unfortunately a fair amount of travel. I found that I was unable to effectively manage the workload between school, work and travel and once again, I felt that I had to step away from my schooling and come back to it, yes…later. 

8 years, 2 kids, a new job and a cross-country relocation later I began to feel that the time was right for me to finish what I started. Even though I knew that it would be difficult and that I would face all of the same pressures that I had faced before, I felt that I owed it myself professionally to make this commitment and earn my graduate degree for the advantage it would give me in my career. I felt that I owed it to my children to set an example of a man who keeps his commitments and isn’t afraid of hard work and sacrifice. Finally, I felt that I owed it to myself personally as a person who values learning and the ability to think critically above almost anything else. I knew that there would be no better time than now. 

In the end, the MBA program at Southwestern was as challenging, at times even difficult, as I expected it to be. I struggled to find the time for my assignments. I sacrificed time with my family and I put many of the more enjoyable aspects of life on hold in pursuit of this degree. I now have the opportunity to look back on the past 15 months and reflect on what I have learned and how I have grown through this challenge. This portfolio will illustrate that growth by exploring my understanding of key business concepts, the legal and ethical implications of a global business environment, how I have developed advanced communication skills both verbal and written and finally, my commitment to becoming a lifetime learner.

Outcome #1 - Possess breadth and depth of understanding of key business concepts and theories.

My artifacts demonstrating mastery of this outcome

Strategic Management - learning outcome

Ethics in the Global Marketplace - learning outcome

Quality Mangement and Statistical Analysis - learning outcome

Business Law - learning outcome

My Reflection on meeting this outcome 

The Strategic Management outcome demonstrated that I had developed a mastery of concepts around developing a strategic vision and executing a strategic plan within an organization. The Strategic Management course was, in my opinion, the most challenging course of the program. In addition to the advanced subject matter, this course had an additional participation component.  One of the course requirements was to take part in the Business Strategy Game. This involved working with a team of classmates in an advanced online business simulation meant to provide the experience of developing and executing a strategic plan for a shoe company. The team was responsible for making financial and operational decisions with the goal of delivering the highest overall investor satisfaction. My team did not come in first place in the simulation, but did turn in excellent financial results including:

• Grew company from $250MM in annual revenue to $493MM (97% increase)
• Stock price increased from $30 a share to $191 (630% increase)
• Earnings per share increased from $2.50 to $11.92 (476% increase)
• Maintained a solid A+ credit rating
• Overall market share increased from 20% to 24.5%.
• Met or exceed investor expectations every year except for 1

The Ethics in the Global Marketplace outcome demonstrated my understanding of the  importance of ethical behavior by corporations and individuals competing in a global business environment. This paper examined 2 separate situations, namely the fall of Enron and the housing collapse of 2008, entailing extreme lapses in ethical behavior and the wide ranging impact those lapses had on the lives of company employees, clients and the global economy at large. The paper further explored the topic of corporate greed and how it fueled the choices made by business leaders who acted in their own self interest with little or no regard for the negative impact their choices would have on others. This course allowed me to explore some areas that I have been personally passionate about over the past several years, primarily the corruption and malfeasance that seems to run rampant in the corporate and financial sectors of the corporate world. This course provided me with some additional tools and a different lens with which to view these topics as I continue to research and watch the effects of these events unfold.

The Quality and Statistical Analysis learning outcome demonstrated my ability to apply concepts related to quality management in a manufacturing environment. This project required me to complete a case study involving a faulty process that was causing significant delay and rework in a parts manufacturing business. In the case study, I utilized quality management tools like cause and effect diagrams, force field analysis and as-is and to-be process mapping to identify root cause and present a recommendation for improving the process and the quality output of the facility. This project also demonstrated strong communication skills in creating a presentation suitable for explaining the issue and the recommended process improvements to senior level management.

The Business Law learning outcome allowed me to demonstrate my understanding of the concepts in this course by writing a paper highlighting my key learnings. The concepts that resonated with me most in this course were the complexity of the law, the criticality of attention to detail (especially to those with a fiduciary responsibility) and the growing importance of the internet and e-discovery to the legal system today. Each of these topics represented an area for me that was either something of a blind spot or simply an area that I had not given sufficient examination to prior to this course. In the paper I discussed the fact that I have a large number of people in my family who are or have been in law enforcement and how that instilled in me from an early age a love and respect for the law. This course built on that love and exposed aspects of it that had not been clear to me before.

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome 

Each of these artifacts represent a portion of what I have learned in the course of this MBA program. It would be impossible to fully represent everything that I learned over the course of the past 15 months. Much of what I have learned cannot be simply represented in a paper or a presentation. Things like how to work together with a virtual team, how to think critically and examine a problem from multiple angles and how to distill an issue down to it's root cause so it can be clearly communicated to business leaders and stakeholders are a few of the more abstract concepts that I am taking with me. Each of these artifacts are examples of how I translated the course concepts into a physical deliverable, much as I am expected to in my career. The concepts that I learned in classes like Business Law, Quality Management, Marketing, etc are all things that I can apply in my current role or could conceivably apply in a future role. More importantly though, the artifacts included here display that I am capable of adapting to new learning environments, absorbing and processing complex material and translating that into real business scenarios. I believe that learning is a lifelong process for those who are open to it. My participation in this MBA program was motivated in part by a desire to advance my career professionally, but on another more personal level, it was truly out of a desire to increase my knowledge and to become a more rounded person and to continue the process of learning. I plan to take the concepts I have learned and look for opportunities in my future personal and professional endeavors to build and strengthen these skills.

Outcome #2 - Be recognized by their current employers as excellent employees who contribute to their organizations and are candidates for advancement in their field.

My artifacts demonstrating this outcome

My resume

Internal Performance Evaluation

Professional Feedback

My Reflection on meeting this outcome

The first artifact presented is my professional resume. This document provides details on the professional and technical skills I have acquired throughout my career as well as my professional and educational history


The second artifact is excerpts from my most recent internal performance review. This document contains direct feedback from my business leadership with regard to my performance against my stated goals, how I delivered on my project and operational commitments as well as my managers assessment of my strengths and development needs. 


The final artifact contains several examples of professional feedback received from various business leaders. The first 2 items are blog posts from the CIO of my organization, mentioning my team and I for our recent efforts on a high profile project. The project was a top business priority and required a significant "above and beyond" effort in terms of effort and personal sacrifice of time. The 3rd item is an email from one of my business leaders praising a recent presentation that I prepared and delivered to a senior leadership steering committee. The final item is the welcome letter for an internal leadership development program that I was recommended to by my management. GE offers professional development training on a selective basis to employees that are high performers and show potential for future leadership opportunities.

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome 

My future goals for continuing to advance in my career are not based on attaining a certain level of seniority within a company, but rather on establishing myself in an environment where I can be challenged creatively and intellectually and distinguish myself as a valuable asset to my organization. At my current company, General Electric, it is typical for people to change roles about every 2-3 years. It is not uncommon for people to work for many different businesses, functions and technical skill sets throughout their careers at GE. While the requirements for each job may vary, there are certain things that are constant. Leaders at GE are expected to deliver on their commitments and to do so with integrity. This is true at all levels of the organization. So while I may advance to a more senior level of management at some point in my career, that is not the sole reason for continuing my education at the graduate level. Rather, I see the tools and abilities that I have gained from my MBA as enablers for me to better execute in whatever role I take on, including the one I am in now. I will leverage my improved business acumen to excel in my current responsibilities and also look for opportunities to that will challenge me to grow and stretch as a leader.

Outcome #3 - Exhibit an understanding and appreciation of the legal and ethical implications of conducting business in a global environment.

My artifacts demonstrating this outcome 

Global Ethics - final project 

Global Ethics - Article Review

Team Project - Strategic Management

My Reflection on meeting this outcome 

The first artifact presented demonstrates my understanding of key concepts related to ethics and the global marketplace. This project focused specifically on the issue of greed and the role that it played in the two of the most significant financial crises of the last century, the collapse of Enron and the financial crisis sparked by the sub-prime mortgage meltdown. The thesis of this paper was that the leadership of both Enron and the key financial institutions behind the sub-prime mortgage disaster were operating from an ethical framework of consequentialism, essentially behaving as if their personal wealth and corporate financial results outweighed any legal or ethical boundaries set before them.

“The sub-prime mortgage crisis is a classic case of corporations and individuals operating from a consequentialistic point of view. From the observers point of view, the greed and dishonesty at the root of this crisis is staggering. People with years of banking and financial experience ignored their better instincts and were blinded by their desire for profits. There was no regard paid to those who would be left holding the bag when the inevitable crash occurred. There was no concern for the lives that would be destroyed. An entire industry essentially ignored its fiduciary duty, and perhaps worse, it’s humanity, all in the name of profit. The banking industry became (or perhaps was revealed as) a mindless, relentless money-sucking machine that very nearly destroyed an entire global economy (Crafton, 2010).”

 The second artifact presented is a critique of an article that discussed a study of the prevailing attitudes of business students around the world with regard to unethical behavior. One of the key findings of this study was that in certain cultures, including cultures where governmental and corporate corruption was more prevalent, students had an increased tolerance for unethical behavior when it resulted in personal gain. The implication here is that the cultural values of a society can create an environment that fosters future leaders that place a low value on ethical behavior.

“The findings of this study seem to bear out what many would likely say is plain old common sense: corruption breeds corruption. Environmental, cultural and social factors are key in developing a personal worldview and moral center. In societies where corruption is accepted or promoted, it is only natural to expect that those types of attitudes would be prevalent in the attitudes and behaviors of the people. If anything, this study illustrates the need for business ethics to continue as a key component in the education of tomorrow’s corporate citizens (Crafton, 2010)”

The final artifact is my team project from the Strategic Management course. In this project, the team was responsible for managing a growing shoe company through a period of years. One of the priorities for my team was to ensure that our company placed a high premium on ethics and social responsibility. For my team, this meant ensuring that all of our employees underwent ethics training, that we were environmentally responsible and that our employees were treated well in all of our global operations. For our efforts, we were given the corporate citizenship award 3 out of the 4 years it was awarded during the simulation. This was reflective of the teams belief that ethical behavior should be paramount when making operational decisions even if that comes at a higher cost financially.

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome 


I found the course material and the discussions related to ethics and legal concerns to be extraordinarily compelling and very valuable. In contrast to some topics that may be a bit more abstract, the legal and ethical implications of conducting business in a global marketplace are broadly relevant in the day to day responsibilities of my job. I work for a large, multinational corporation and I interact with people around the world on a daily basis. Understanding the nuances of culture and the ways that can affect how people work and the decisions that they make is critically important. The over-arching theme that I found in my coursework, however is that regardless of culture, a prevailing global ethic must be established in order for a global marketplace to operate effectively. As I take the concepts that were presented in this MBA program with me in my career I believe it is important that I always be vigilant for areas of ethical concern. This is one area that I must always continue to develop and be open to future learning. There are a multitude of scenarios that I could find myself in that would require me to recall the key concepts presented here and apply them effectively to protect both myself and my company. 

 

Outcome #4 -Exhibit poise and confidence in verbal, interpersonal and written communication.

My artifacts demonstrating this outcome

Artifact #1 -

Artifact #2 -

Artifact #3

My reflections on meeting this outcome

Artifact 1 is a video taken of me introducing the headlining artist at a concert that I promoted for my church. This was an event that I planned and promoted as part of a larger initiative to host and sponsor more live music events that I am trying to implement in my church organization. I wrote and delivered the introduction and acted as the emcee for the event which drew around 50 people. I received a great deal of positive feedback for the introduction including a thank you card (presented above) from the church leadership specifically mentioning my introduction.

Artifact 2 is an email that I received from one of my business leaders commending me on a presentation that I prepared and delivered to a management steering committee regarding a recent project that I had been involved in. This communication was sent to my direct management as well as several other business leaders and my peers.

Artifact 3 is a paper that I prepared for my business law class as well as the feedback I received from my instructor. This paper required me to analyze several scenarios involving key business law concepts and then to distill those concepts and communicate them clearly and concisely, much like I would if I were writing a brief or report for management. My instructor commented that this was probably the best paper he had ever had for that assignment.

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome

I believe that excellent verbal and written communication skills are one of the most important tools that a person can develop. The benefits of being able to effectively communicate your thoughts to others is key to anyone who wants to achieve any level of success professionally or personally for that matter. It is of very little value for a person to be able to recognize and develop a vision or be filled with exciting, creative ideas if they are not equipped to communicate that vision or those ideas to potential stakeholders or others who could be help them execute on it. My own career demands that I continually hone my presentation and writing skills as I am frequently called on to present updates to senior business leaders on the status of various projects and initiatives. I have taken training courses on presentation skills and am currently enrolled in a leadership development program at my company that will place a strong emphasis on effective communication.  I will continue to focus on this as an area of continuous improvement as I grow in my career

Outcome #5 - Demonstrate that they have been and will continue to be a life long learner

My artifacts demonstrating this outcome 

Artifact #1 - My resume

Artifact #2 - MBA entrance essay  

Artifact #3 - Unofficial graduate program transcript

My Reflection on meeting this outcome

Artifact #1 is my professional resume. This document demonstrates that throughout my career, I have made learning a priority. This is seen in the section detailing the various training courses I have taken and educational opportunities I have pursued. Some of the courses I have taken include Six Sigma Green Belt training, Building Essential Leadership Skills and Presentation Skills as well as technical training in Oracle and Sabrix Tax Automation. The career path detailed in my resume also shows that I have continually looked for opportunities to challenge myself and to grow professionally. This is evident by my steady progression over time from entry level career positions to more advanced levels of technical and fiscal responsibility including management of contract resources and budget.

Artifact #2 is my MBA entrance essay. In this essay, I present the reasons why I was a good candidate for acceptance into the Southwestern College MBA program. One of the key reasons I wrote about is the fact that I place a premium on the intrinsic value of higher education. I believe this document is a good representation of my commitment to learning as it details the many challenges that I knew I would face by going back to school at that point in my life.

Artifact #3 is my unofficial transcript from Southwestern College. This document shows the courses I have completed and my grades for each class. I believe that it also demonstrates my commitment to educational excellence by virtue of the fact that I earned an A or a B in all of my classes but one. My grades represent not only that I have achieved proficiency in a broad range of subjects but also that I invested the significant time and energy necessary to complete these courses. This would not be possible (or at the very least would be much more difficult) without a strong commitment to learning.  

My Future Learning Goals related to this outcome

Certainly there are professional advantages to possessing a graduate level education. I can easily apply the concepts and tools that I obtained during the MBA program to my career and this will likely result in some level of career advancement for me at some point. In all honesty though, my reasons for deciding to return to school were more personal than that. Before I began this program last year, an graduate degree for me represented unfinished business. It was a challenge that I had begun to face at a point in my past but had left incomplete. This was not the example that I wanted to set for my children and it was not consistent with the ideals that I have tried to live up to in my own life. I want my children to understand that education is not just about grades and credit hours. It is about the challenge and the effort and the value that a full and well rounded education brings to a person's life. By finishing my MBA, I am doing more than just telling them that education is important. I am showing them through my example. The success I have achieved in this program is the result of much hard work and personal sacrifice and it represents one of my proudest achievements in life.