Students from the nation’s top MBA programs went head to head at the Robert H. Smith School of Business 8th annual Mergers and Acquisitions Competition from October 23-24. The competition tasked students with analyzing a hypothetical case based on the Internet Software & Services industry. The teams, with up to four members each, used data tools from event sponsor Standard and Poor’s Capital IQ to prepare their analyses before pitching their merger and acquisition alternatives to a panel of judges including corporate executives.
“The competition simulates real life pretty closely,” said one of the judges, Seabrook Partners Vice President Frantz Casseus. “Given the time and data constraints, the students came up with some very impressive products.”
A team from the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business won the $5,000 first prize, followed by teams from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management ($2,500) and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business ($1,000).
“This event drives MBA students to create business solutions through analyzing data, and synthesizing information from multiple sources, said Alexander Triantis, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “At Smith, we’re committed to bringing such reality-based opportunities to every class, and we’re pleased to involve students from other top schools in this process through the competition.”
In addition to the prizewinning teams, competitors represented:
- Boston University’s School of Management
- College of William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business
- Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management
- Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business
- Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business
- University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
- University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business