Angel Zamudio and his team surveyed the small business, targeted areas that could be improved and then suggested how to make changes.

Although they do just what professional consultants might do, Zamudio and his teammates are students at California State University, San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus.

They’re among 11 students who participated this quarter in a new Small Business Consulting program at the branch campus.

"It’s beneficial because it allows us to apply our formal academic education to a real-world business setting," said Zamudio, 28.

"It really prepares you for what to expect in the business world."

The program was developed to bridge the gap between academic studies and practical application in the real world of work, said Cynthia Schreihans of the Department of Management at the Palm Desert campus.

Working in teams at participating businesses, the students put together advertising campaigns, employee handbooks, company Web sites and new inventory-control procedures, said Schreihans, who is the internship faculty adviser in her department.

For example, Zamudio’s team targeted a company’s inventory management system, which it believed could be improved if it were computerized.

The company was logging everything manually.

Travis Mahan and his team worked with Superior Automotive in Twentynine Palms and focused on ways to market the business.

They conducted surveys and a marketing study, then put together marketing strategies.

"I was impressed with what they did," said owner Greg Mendoza. "Their survey revealed there was not a lot of awareness of my business."

Mendoza said the students put together a brochure for him and showed him alternative ways for getting his business’ name out there.

As for the students -- "We gained a lot from this," Mahan said.

"We now have an understanding of what it takes to get a business up and running and to keep it running in this area," he said.

For Lizbeth Ramirez, 28, whose goal is getting a master’s degree in business administration, the program is helping her decide her future.

"This experience helps us see what we can do with our degrees," she said.

Participating businesses, in addition to Superior Automotive, were Precision Heat and Air and Paragon Schmit Building Products in Palm Desert and Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Palm Springs and Palm Desert.

The university is hoping for support from other businesses as well.

"Without their support we couldn’t implement these enhanced learning environments," Schreihans said.