BYU Teams Win First Business Language Case Competition

PROVO, Utah – Dec 15, 2008 – The halls of the N. Eldon Tanner Building filled with Spanish and Portuguese conversations as 17 teams from around the United States gathered for the second annual Brigham Young University Business Language Case Competition. Undaunted by communicating in their second language, students spent two weeks synthesizing a complex business case before arriving at Brigham Young University to deliver their recommendations in either Spanish or Portuguese to a panel of native-speaking judges.

"This competition puts students in a real-life business presentation setting where they have to use secondary language skills to communicate," says Patricia Gomez, professor and coach for students from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. "The question and answer portion of the presentation is a real challenge; students have to learn to think on their feet." 

While the judges' questions required students to consider out-of-the-box solutions to international business problems, participants were excited by the challenge and appreciated the opportunity to learn.

"We spent so much time preparing, it was great to finally see our hard work pay off," says Katerina Semida, a student from the University of Pennsylvania majoring in finance and international studies. "Working through the questions in Spanish gave us a chance to show the judges the work we'd put into the presentation."

"Everyone was courageous to take on this type of a presentation in their second language," says David Vance, a judge from Nutraceutical, who has spent a large part of his career in Latin America. "Students that go and work internationally will be placed in challenging situations where they'll have to deliver a presentation, defend their position or make a sale. This competition helps them prepare for those moments."

The top three Spanish-speaking teams and Portuguese-speaking teams were each awarded $1,000 by the Whitmore Global Management Center.

A BYU team placed first in the Portuguese division and consisted of: Daniel Garcia, a senior majoring in economics from Bonny, Ore.; Jeremy Stoker, a senior majoring in Portuguese major from Idaho Falls, Idaho;  and Zach Neukirchen, a pre-management junior from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. 

A BYU team placed first in the Spanish division and consisted of: Peter Harris, a senior majoring in management and economics from Syracuse, N.Y.; Jair Hernandez, a senior majoring in business management from Humble, Texas; and Tyrel Fitzpatrick, a senior majoring in chemical engineering from South Jordan, Utah.

BYU-Idaho and University of Pennsylvania placed second and third in the Spanish division and BYU-Idaho and University of Texas-Austin placed second and third in the Portuguese division.

Other universities that participated included Bryant University, University of Tulsa, University of Washington, Utah State University, and Utah Valley University.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.