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11 Teams Competed at CIBER MBA International Business Case Competition 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)  hosted the third CIBER MBA International Business Case Competition April 17 and 18 at the Fluno Center for Executive Education.  MBA student teams from 11 top-ranked domestic and international business schools competed.

The team from the Wisconsin School of Business took third place in the competition. Wisconsin MBA teams members were Sangeeta Bokadia, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking; Michael Kirtman, Center for Brand and Product Management; Nina Sastrodihardjo, Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management; and Paul Wirth, Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. Michael Kirtman was one of three students in the competition to receive a Best Individual Presenter awards. Mark Matosian, director of student services, was the team’s advisor. 

The teams spent 24 hours developing a solution for a global business problem concerning the location of a new Walt Disney Company theme park resort and presented their proposals to a panel of corporate judges.  Teams of students represented Bocconi University, Italy; Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Copenhagen Business School; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico; The Ohio State University; University of Connecticut; University of Kansas; University of Maryland-College Park; University of Washington and University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

“This event is a unique opportunity for students representing a wide range of countries to get to know the people they will be doing business with around the world in the near future.  It is a great chance for CIBERs to prepare the next generation of corporate leaders to compete in the global economy,” said Randy Dunham, co-faculty director of the Wisconsin School of Business CIBER.

Students presented strategic solutions and recommendations to a panel of 17 corporate judges. The University of Washington won first place, the University of Maryland-College Park took second.

Foley & Lardner provided gold-level sponsorship of the event and Harley-Davidson Motor Company sponsored at the silver-level.  Bronze level sponsors included Pearson-Prentice Hall, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.  The five participating U.S. schools, each home to a CIBER, also co-sponsored the competition.

In 1998, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was selected as a CIBER, joining a distinct network of universities nationwide, all of which are known for the strength of their international programs. Created by Congress in the late 1980s, CIBERs were established to help increase and promote the nation’s capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise.