Boston University School of Management MBA Team Heads to Final Round of the Aspen Institute MBA Case Competition
An MBA team from Boston University’s School of Management was selected to compete in the final round of the Aspen Institute’s 2014 Business and Society International MBA Case Competition.
Ji Chong (MBA ’14), David Cushman (MBA’14), Chris Kluesener (MBA’14), and Jonathan Sobin (MBA’14) are one of five teams chosen to compete in the third and final round in New York City.
“Being among the top five teams selected is a great honor for us and speaks to the strength of BU’s MBA program, which has given us the tools needed to compete at this level,” says Cushman. “Competitions are a worthwhile experience as part of an MBA as they allow you to apply what you’ve learned and explore current business challenges faced by real companies.” The Boston University team’s case subject is focused on marketing strategy and social impact revolving around a Mexican grain-processing company seeking to scale its operation in order to raise the standard of living and improve health in the rural Mexican town where it is based.
On April 4th the team presented their case to a panel judges, including senior corporate executives, in order to vie for a first place cash award of $15,000 with an additional $1,000 to donate to charity of the team’s choice. The competition’s prize pool is $35,000, unmatched in the MBA case competition circuit.
“If we won the competition we would likely choose a charity that has a sustainability-focused mission and a history of successfully realizing that mission, such as the Environmental Defense Fund,” says Cushman.
Smeal College of Business Announces Alumni Gift to Department of Accounting
Penn State alumni Steve and Lyn Reeves have made a $634,000 commitment to the Smeal College of Business, which will establish the Reeves Family Career Professorship and the Reeves Family Student Success Fund, for the Department of Accounting.
The Reeves Family Early Career Professorship will support the work of a promising young accounting faculty member with funding for research and teaching at a critical point in his or her career. The Reeves Family Student Success Fund will provide resources for students to participate in internships, study abroad, and other experiences that enhance their college career, as well as underwrite activities of the college’s accounting-related student organizations.
“We have long believed in the role of higher education in allowing individuals to realize their potential,” said Steve. “We have been fortunate to enjoy post-Smeal success and are very pleased to be in a position to give back and enable other to benefit from the opportunities that we did.”
According to Charles H. Whitman, John and Becky Surma Deal of Smeal Business School, “These generous gifts from Steve and Lyn will go a long way toward ensuring the continued strength and growth of our highly regarded Department of Accounting. Both the Early Career Professorship and the Student Success Fund will create opportunities for students and faculty that would not have been otherwise possible.”
Babson Business School’s student and alumni entrepreneurs compete in B.E.T.A Challenge
Eighteen businesses helmed by undergraduates, graduate students and alumni have been selected as semifinalists to compete in Babson’s College’s Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action (BETA) Challenge on April 2, with finalists announced on April 4th and presenting their ventures on April 10 during Founder’s Day activities on campus.
Winners in three categories ─ alumni entrepreneurs, undergraduate and graduate student entrepreneurs ─ will each win a grand prize of $20,000 in cash and “services in kind” donations from corporate sponsors. In addition, $2,500 will be awarded to the two other finalist ventures in each of the three competitions. B.E.T.A. Challenge entrepreneurs must demonstrate success in reaching major milestones achieved through action.
Six of the finalist businesses are from current students at the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business, and range from apps such as BlueGift (Jad Antouh M’14), which allows users to create social funding campaigns in order to give their birthday gifts to a social cause, HigherMe (Rob Hunter M ’14 and Evan Lodge M’14) both a website and app that gives prospective employees the chance to submit one-minute videos to retail establishments, thus giving prospective employers a glimpse of the interpersonal qualities needed to succeed in retail environments, or micro businesses such as FedWell Pet Foods (Emily Lagasse M’15) which seeks to provide better quality food, made with the highest quality ingredients, to dogs.
Corporate sponsors for the event include Samuel Goldstein & Co., Pepper Hamilton LLP and Pierce Atwood LLP. Prizes will be awarded on April 10th after the finalists’ presentations.
