UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The first International Business Case Competition Team in the history of the Penn State Smeal College of Business placed in the top four recently in the NASBITE International Student Case Competition.
The team, sponsored by the Center for Global Business Studies, included four undergraduate students: Tommy Davis, a supply chain and information systems major and international business minor, Khadidiatou Dia, a management information systems major and international business minor, Amanda Li, a finance major and international business minor, and Harrison Mulkey, a management information systems major.
The students traveled to Las Vegas for the two-day competition. They collaborated to place in the top four among teams from 14 universities, including George Washington, Iowa and Maryland. Only a winner was named out of the four finalists.
Teams gave 30-minute presentations, followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers. Each finalist team was permitted to modify its presentation before their appearance in the final round.
The students began preparing for the competition in late January, and were advised by Cassandra Ghinos, assistant teaching professor of international business, Terrence Guay, associate dean for international programs, Andy Gustafson, associate clinical professor of accounting, and Peter Mhando, associate teaching professor of international business.
Students were tasked with proposing an international expansion strategy for Nevco, an Illinois-based company and the world’s largest privately owned scoring and display manufacturer.
“The students did an excellent job presenting real-life solutions to real-life problems, mapping out a solid launch strategy for Nevco’s global market expansion,” said Ghinos, who traveled to Las Vegas with the students. “Our team added value to the firm and left the competition with stronger skills and a grasp of today’s global market challenges. It was well worth the trip.”
Davis said he was grateful for the experiential learning opportunity.
“The case competition was a great way to give me real-world experience as a consultant for a small company. In school, name-brand businesses are often the emphasis, but NASBITE and Nevco were invaluable in teaching me about international trade at every step of organization growth,” he said.
Li contrasted typical classroom scenarios with the experience the case competition provided.
“In school, all the cases we review have already happened or are hypothetical, but at NASBITE, I actively researched what the best expansion strategy for Nevco, an actual company, is,” she said.
Guay, who is also the director of the Center for Global Business Studies, said he was pleased with the team’s performance.
“To make it to the finals in an international case competition like this is an outstanding accomplishment, and even more so since Smeal students have never entered an international business case competition before,” he said. “These students were ground-breakers for an initiative I hope CGBS can continue to support in the future.”
Davis, Li and Mulkey graduate on Saturday, May 4.