BYU Wins 2006 International Business Case Competition

PROVO, Utah — Nov 29, 2006 — For the second time in three years, a team of Brigham Young University students took first place at the Center for International Business Education and Research Case Challenge Nov. 1–3 at The Ohio State University.

Teams from 12 universities, some as far away as New Zealand, took part in the annual competition, where undergraduate business students presented their solutions for a given business case to a panel of judges. BYU, who also won the competition in 2004, took first place again with their business presentation that one judge described as a “clear, well-crafted and gutsy strategy.”

The 2006 BYU team consisted of: Brandon Henrie, an entrepreneurship student from Orem, Utah; Ezra Hernandez, an economics major from Houston; Chris Lashe, a finance student from Austin, Texas; and Jasmine Palmer, a marketing student from Austin, Texas.

“One reason we did so well is because we very carefully recruited, screened and selected the team of students,” says professor Bruce Money who helped coach the group. “Students had to be recommended by their teachers as one of the very best in terms of analytical and presentation skills. Narrowed from 30 recommendations, these four really are the best of our best.”

At the competition, students were given a case one day before presentations were to begin. The teams had 24 hours to do research, form their strategy and rehearse their presentation.

BYU was chosen as one of three finalists to present their strategy along with the University of Southern California and Montreal’s Concordia University.

“Everybody broke into a very enthusiastic response when our team finished presenting,” says professor William Baker, who traveled with the team to Ohio. “The case involved a situation where it seemed logical to go one way, but our team decided to go another. The students took some risks but built a very strong case for their strategy. The judges said they like to see teams who take some risk but support it.”

“We were excited about our solution to the case and our presentation,” Hernandez says. “That excitement gave us the energy to keep going when we were tired. We were really motivated to deliver on the expectations that other teams and our own coaches had for us.”

The win reinforced the Marriott School’s identity as one of the top business schools in the nation. Students, teachers and judges alike all complimented the team on their high level of professionalism and creativity.

“These are great students who really are the cream of the crop,” says professor Liz Dixon, who helped coach the team. “They used a collaborative effort that brought all of their strengths together. Not only did they have the raw talent that was required, but they were also coachable and gelled as a team.”

Baker says their unity was a strong element. “It was noticed by others along with their professionalism. Brendon Potter, a professor at the University of Auckland, told us he’d seen presentations all over the world, and that the BYU students were truly world class.”

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, organizational behavior 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.