NC State to integrate NetSuite software into curriculum for MAC and MBA students
Posted: 08-03-2006 :

SAN MATEO, Calif. and RALEIGH, N.C. -- NetSuite, Inc., the leader in on-demand business software suites, announced that North Carolina State University's College of Management has incorporated NetSuite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) into its Master of Accounting (MAC) and MBA curricula. In keeping with its strong focus on the management of technology, the college's Enterprise Resource Planning course is equipping MBA and MAC students with the knowledge and skills needed to manage the entire business process. Hands-on, real-world experience with the most innovative software application available in the market prepares the students to become the best next-generation managers. Working with NetSuite's one integrated system, students learn the entire end-to-end cycle of a business, such as purchase to pay or order to cash -- not only the financials. For more information, his, please visit http://www.netsuite.com/ncsu .

NC State College of Management's MAC program, which was ranked 23rd by the Public Accounting Report's Annual Professor Survey, has been using NetSuite in its classroom for two years. Additionally, NC State College of Management remains one of the few business colleges in the country to offer an ERP course in its MBA and MAC programs. Using NetSuite, students learn key business processes by completing activities involved in the various aspects of a business. For example, using order-to-cash, they simulate the role of a sales representative, inputting leads, creating opportunities, turning opportunities into quotes, and turning quotes into orders, as well as the warehouse manager who fulfills the orders and the controller who accepts customer payments and records them in the checking account. Students produce documents and reports at each point in the process, and highlight internal controls, a particularly important learning experience in light of Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations that now require companies to document key controls in business processes.

"I have been teaching ERP classes at the graduate level for five years using various software packages including the traditional ERP systems, but they were not user-friendly; I spent most of my time managing the software versus teaching my students," said Marianne Bradford, Associate Professor of Accounting at NC State College of Management. "Not only does NetSuite allow me to provide my students with an integrated software package that manages the majority of business processes in an organization, but also I no longer have to hover over students to help them with the software program -- they simply get it. Now I can concentrate on teaching, researching and publishing, and for a professor, it doesn't get better than that."

Upon discovering NetSuite in 2004, Bradford tapped Raleigh, N.C.-based Lohmueller, Inc., a leading NetSuite implementation partner, to demo the software to her students. Since then, Lohmueller, who provides its time and support pro bono, has been coming back each semester to demonstrate NetSuite and set up trial accounts for students to complete in-depth ERP-related projects. To date, more than 100 students have completed NetSuite-based projects, some of whom have landed jobs at organizations that use NetSuite.

"We work with a broad range of clients that are all looking for students versed in contemporary technology like NetSuite," said Judy Lohmueller, Vice President of Lohmueller, Inc. "Programs like this one at NC State College of Management get students prepared -- and hired. We have enjoyed working with Professor Bradford and her students, and we look forward to continuing to raise the bar with regard to how accounting is taught in the classroom."

"NC State University's College of Management is known as a trailblazer when it comes to incorporating technology into its business classes," said Kristen Brown, VP of Alliances and Channel Sales of NetSuite. "We are excited to be a core part of their MAC program and hope to take it even higher in the rankings among other accounting programs in the country."

The college's Department of Accounting was ranked in the Top 25 in the Public Accounting Report's Annual Professor Survey in 2005. Its MAC program was ranked 23rd, and the undergraduate accounting program was ranked 24th. About North Carolina State University's College of Management

North Carolina State University's College of Management provides graduate and undergraduate degree programs in accounting, business management and economics, with a focus on multi-disciplinary business management and innovation in a technology-rich, global business environment. The Master of Accounting program was ranked 23rd in the Public Accounting Report's Annual Professor Survey, and the MBA program was ranked 59th in U.S. News & World Report's Top Business Schools ranking. About NetSuite
NetSuite, Inc. is the leader in on-demand business software suites and the fastest-growing software company in North America (source: Deloitte Fast 500 study). NetSuite enables companies to manage all key business operations in a single system, which includes accounting/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Ecommerce. NetSuite is delivered as an on-demand service, so there is no hardware to procure, no large, up-front license fee, and no complex set-ups. Finally, NetSuite's patent-pending "real-time dashboard" technology provides an easy-to-use view into role-specific business information that is always up-to-date. For more information about NetSuite, visit: http://www.netsuite.com .