What is IBC?
Integrated Business Core (IBC) is a comprehensive nine-credit course offered at BYU-Idaho to students pursuing business and marketing degrees. The program's primary focus is on experiential learning, where students come up with a business idea, develop a business plan, acquire funding, and then launch and operate their company during a single semester.
Hard Skills
Each student is required to rotate through different positions in finance, operations and marketing regardless of major. They get hands on experience in building and maintaining balance sheets and income statements, putting together an operational procedure intended to decrease costs and increase productivity, and developing targeted campaigns using traditional methods such as print and billboards, as well as digital approaches such as SEO, search, and email marketing.
Soft Skills
The IBC program was developed by faculty to be intentionally ambiguous and challenging. It emphasizes the importance of critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and decision-making. Through real-world scenarios, students learn how to lead, follow, give feedback and manage conflict, while gaining exposure to diverse perspectives and viewpoints as they work to refine their interpersonal and communication skills.
Problem Solving
"Getting scrappy" is a key component to the IBC experience. With limited resources, students are challenged to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to complex business problems. Students are encouraged to take risks, try new approaches, and learn from their mistakes. The program acknowledges that failure is an essential part of the learning process and encourages students to try, fail, try again, and improve upon their approach.
