National Management Case Competition

MBA Students Bring Home 1 st Place in National Management Case Competition; Undergraduate Team Grabs 2 nd

MBA students from the Raj Soin College of Business Wright State University once again garnered top honors at the 2007 Society for Advancement of Management nationwide case competition. This is the fifth consecutive year that Wright State has placed in the top three in the nation and the fourth time students achieved first place honors.

The graduate team consisting of Julie Birchfield, Erin Krizo, Abby Morris and Michelle Sarmiento, placed first in the open division. The undergraduate team of Dan Dafler, Chris Hill, Joseph Seiber and Liz Witt placed second in their division.

Each team had to analyze and then make recommendations for Church & Dwight, the distributor of Arm & Hammer baking soda. Church & Dwight’s challenge has become balancing their Arm & Hammer brand with their recent acquisitions that include such brands as Brillo, Pepsodent, Spinbrush and Nair. Each team focused on making recommendations in the areas of marketing, corporate strategy, international and corporate governance.

A total of 44 teams competed in the finals held in Las Vegas. The students were judged on a basis of clear analysis, in-depth decision making, effective communication skills and professionalism.

The students spent 3 months working on the case in order to prepare a plan that would help Church & Dwight enhance their strategies and maintain a competitive edge into the future. “We became experts at giving recommendations to better their business,” Seiber commented, “it was an unforgettable experience that taught us how to analyze real-world cases and make recommendations on a strategic level." Church & Dwight is one of the smaller companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry, thus having to compete with giants such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Clorox and Colgate-Palmolive. “One of our main challenges was trying to overcome the lack of brand recognition that Church & Dwight is facing. Our competitors already have their footprint in the market, so our marketing and international strategies were crucial for future success,” Morris remarked.

Each team worked countless hours in order to perfect their recommendations and presentations. "Learning to work together efficiently and effectively can be challenging.  We knew we had multiple team members that each brought something unique to the table.  One challenge we faced was learning to listen to each other's ideas and help incorporate them into our overall strategy," Seiber added.

“Our graduate and undergraduate teams both had tremendous drive and initiative in preparing for and competing in the National SAM Case Competition this year,” said Lisa Crawford, lecturer in the department of management and the team advisor. “Both teams contributed tremendous effort throughout the entire process which was extremely demanding and their talents and knowledge were recognized by placing first and second in the nation.  The teams were intent on keeping Wright State University in the top national rankings for the fifth year in a row.  I am deeply proud of all of their accomplishments .”

“I am very proud of our student’s accomplishments,” said Berkwood Farmer, Ph.D., dean of the college. “This competition allows our students to develop their communication and analytical skills and proves that they can compete with other top-notch schools in the nation and come out on top.”