Last month I was part of a jury for an MBA student case competition organized by the R.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, a member school of GBSN’s Executive Board. The event is funded by CIBER (the Center for International Business Education and Research, a US government program). This was the third year I took part in this wonderful event.
Nine student teams from eight top US schools came to Maryland to compete in this daunting intellectual obstacle course. They were handed a very complex real-life business school case at 4 pm on a Friday and were required to make team presentations to the jury first thing Saturday morning.
The students were asked to put themselves in the shoes of the CEO of a century-old company which manufactures and distributes ATMs worldwide. The CEO was hired less than a year ago in order to “re-invent” the company, whose profitability declined as a result of internal problems and increased competition.
The teams worked through the night, and in their presentations they showed impressive acumen, and also poise, and charm.
This year’s winning team was from Howard University, and the team from Temple University’s Fox School of Business won second prize.
I congratulate all the students wholeheartedly. They showed how good management skills can help solve seemingly intractable problems and enhance value for companies, their staff and their customers, and so contribute to development.
Guy Pfeferrmann is the Founder & CEO of the Global Business School Network