Undergraduate business students from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa won the 8th Annual CUIBE (Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education) International Business Case Competition in Boston.
Sixteen teams from leading undergraduate international business programs across the nation participated in the competition at Northeastern University D’Amore McKim School of Business November 2–4. This is the first time a Shidler team has won the event.
The CUIBE case event gives students an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of international business through a competitive environment. Each team is given a different case study to analyze 24 hours before the competition begins. The winners of each bracket move on to the final round. The teams are judged on their analysis, recommendations and overall presentation.
In their case study, Shidler team members Kelli Sunabe, Christina Rivers, Eryn Yuasa and Jessica Eggers provided recommendations to the executives of Pharmacorp on its business future in the Ukraine. The team analyzed the company’s business environment, political challenges, overhead costs and marketing strategy in order to present a fully integrated solution to increase profits, expand consumer reach and succeed in less than ideal conditions.
Team captain Sunabe said, “We practiced for two months in preparation for this competition. We wanted to take a strategic approach to train for this competition and focus on the three main components of the case study—analysis, creating the report and executing the presentation. Everyone contributed a different and unique perspective that brought great value to our team.”
According to Sunabe, after every practice session Shidler Faculty Advisor Constancio Paranal always asked team members if they were proud of their presentation. “I can honestly say that I am so extremely proud of the presentation we created and the team we’ve become.”
“The girls worked hard for this, not only to make a statement but to show the international business education community that the Shidler College of Business can win a national business case competition. This is for everyone in Hawaiʻi,” said Paranal.
At the end of the competition, judges and other competitors praised the Shidler team for their exceptional performance and commended the college for its commitment to quality education and their focus on international business.
CUIBE International Business Case Competition 2017 Winners
- First place: UH Mānoa, Shidler College of Business
- Second place: Washington University in St. Louis, Olin School of Business
- Third place: Washington State University, Carson College of Business
- Fourth place: Temple University, Fox School of Business
—By Dyan Kleckner
