Dr. Daniel Chaffin
Areas of Expertise
- Management
Biography
Daniel Chaffin started his career with Pulte Homes Colorado where he worked for 5 years as a Business Development Analyst and a Strategic Marketing Manager. His experience and stories from this time in his career play an important role in how he teaches Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship courses. He is known for meaningfully connecting academic topics to real life businesses. For example, in his Management 400 class, student teams create, start, and run a small business during the semester and in Management 495 students conduct a strategic analysis for a company they want to work for. Dr. Chaffin has presented research at international, national, and regional academic conferences. He has also conducted and presented regional economic research for local business and policy leaders at the Tri-City Area Economic Forum. His teaching, research, and economic work has been cited in academic research, newspapers, and on both radio and Television. He also reviews and evaluates articles at Academy of Management, Journal of Small Business Management, and Organizational Research Methods, and does government consulting for South Central Economic Development District in South Central Nebraska.
Education
Ph.D., Strategic Management, Michigan State University
M.B.A., Management, University of Colorado
B.S., Organizational Communication, Brigham Young University
What is your teaching style like?
In strategic management I use a case-based approach where students actively debate different strategic approaches and engage in meaningful discussions about strategies for different companies. They share their opinions, challenge each other’s ideas, biases, and approaches in this highly active class, while also conducting a semester long strategic analysis of a company they want to work for.
What happens in Management 400?
Students are placed in teams where they develop an idea for a new business. They create a pitch, secure financing, and work together to produce and sell a product on campus. They operate the business, close it at the end of the semester, and donate their profits to a campus organization.
