Smith Team Makes Final Round of National Black MBA Association Case Competition

The stage was set in Houston, Texas, for a spectacular showdown. The Smith School, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, University of Georgia, Baylor University, and Georgia State University teams were competing for a $15,000 grand prize awarded to the winner of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Annual Case Competition an event annually sponsored by DaimlerChrysler Corporation since 1992. The competition stretched over two days, and included graduate students from 30 top business schools around the country. A two-day Career Fair with more than 500 employers was also hosted as part of the conference. This year, Smiths Office of Career Management & Black MBA Association (BMBAA) hosted a pre-career fair breakfast for employers, corporate partners and alumni.

The NBMBAA Case Competitions purpose is to increase student participation and provide a different venue for corporate sponsors to recruit top MBA talent. Scholarships totaling $35,000 are awarded to three winning teams, giving students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, problem-solving skills, analytical proficiency and presentation abilities to corporate executives judging the competition. While judging student case competitions, corporate sponsors are able to observe first hand a potential employee's ability to solve common business problems and demonstrate leadership ability, which leads to improved employment opportunities for students.

This years Smith team included four second year full-time MBA students: Kemisola Yusuf, Torrey Lee, Malika Oyo, and Ayotomiwa Odusote. The team prepared a case, focusing on developing a marketing strategy and consumer brand awareness as part of a customer relationship management (CRM) program for DaimlerChrysler Services North America. The team used extensive outside research to prepare for the case competition, and made a conscious effort to quantify CRM benefits in terms of profitability and growth. Students were judged on their presentation and interaction skills, ability to isolate the key case issues while thinking creatively, and feasibility of implementation. The Smith teams readiness and creativity shined they beat MIT, UCLA, Duke and Emory for a place in the final round!

When asked about what made Smith stand out this year, the Smith team replied, We worked hard and put our best foot forward for the school. The team prioritized the case competition work, while balancing ongoing school and job search pressures and depended on each other for support and energy throughout the experience. The team praised the Career Fairs intensity and thoroughness, citing the presence of senior management and the diversity of employers as key success factors. Employers such as Disney, Sony, Pfizer, Dell, Microsoft, Ford, DaimlerChrysler Corp., Proctor & Gamble, Deloitte Consulting, and many others were actively recruiting MBA candidates the team managed to squeeze in several interviews and networking opportunities on their way to the finals! 

Though Michigan State University took first place, Brent Black, senior manager at DaimlerChrysler Services Philadelphia Customer Contact Center was so impressed with the Smith teams presentation that they offered the team an extended visit to the Philadelphia Center to discuss their ideas further.

On a final note, the team imparted some advice for first-year MBAs thinking about attending the conference in New Orleans next year:

• There is a heavy corporate presence of management and recruiters that may not come to campus / have offices in this area.
• Research companies beforehand, ask good questions, and send follow up thank you notes.

And for the case team next year:

• Start early its a lot of work!
• Put together a diverse team with a variety of skills.
• Get a faculty advisor to help guide the teams efforts.
• Try to get sponsorship as early as possible.

Good Luck!

Smith Media Group, Monisha Banerjee, MBA Candidate 2006