By Nathaniel Luce
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An MBA team from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business took top honors in the inaugural Latin Business Challenge MBA case competition, launched by students at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management. The event, sponsored by Deloitte, AT&T, and the Vanderbilt Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), was held at Owen on March 27, 2014.
This year’s challenge focused on Brasil Foods, a fast-growing Brazilian company looking to become a key player in the food industry by expanding their production and distribution overseas.
Six MBA teams from top-ranked universities participated in this year’s Latin Business Challenge:
- Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business
- Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business
- Ohio State University Fischer College of Business
- University of Southern California Marshall School of Business
- Washington University’s John M. Olin School of Business
- Vanderbilt University’ Owen Graduate School of Management
The winning team from Indiana University received a $5,000 cash prize. Georgia Tech’s team took second place and a won cash prize of $2,000.
“Our original motivation for launching this first-of-its-kind case competition was to showcase the vibrancy and complexity of the business climate throughout Latin America,” said Arturo Garza Alanis (MBA ’15), president of Owen’s Latin Business Association, which developed and organized the event. “We are already working to identify real-world case studies that will form the basis of next year’s competition.”
Read McNamara, Managing Director of Owen’s Career Management Center and Corporate Affairs, said he congratulates the student organizers, participants, judges and sponsors on hosting the first MBA case competition in the U.S. to focus on Latin America.
“I truly believe in the value of case competitions like these. Students get a chance not only to think on their feet, but to interact in a meaningful way with potential future employers,” McNamara said. “On top of that, Latin America continues to play an increasingly important role in the global economy and this case competition allows everyone involved to learn more about the unique challenges and opportunities in that region.”
“Deloitte is proud to sponsor the Latin Business Challenge MBA case competition,” said Alex Mirkow, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and sponsor of Deloitte’s Hispanic Employee Network Business Resource Group. “Investing in events like this and the development of the next generation of Hispanic/Latino leaders helps us understand the market, fuels our growth and enables us to develop the best possible solutions to our clients’ toughest issues.”
See more pictures from the inaugural Latin Business Challenge.
Contact Person: Ryan Underwood Business Editor Owen Graduate School of Management Vanderbilt University
Contact Phone: (615) 322-3469
Contact Email: ryan.underwood@owen.vanderbilt.edu
