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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Nancy Gardner (206) 543-2580
nancylou@u.washington.edu
DATE:
April 3, 2006
All the research and learning business students receive
from classroom discussions and textbooks may be helpful for
standardized tests, but this week, a complex, current global
economic issue presented in the form of a case study will
require much more of students participating in the University
of Washington Business School's Global
Business Case Competition.
This eighth annual competition, hosted by the UW Business
School's Global
Business Center, is, organizers say, anything
but textbook material.
"Our hope is that by giving students opportunities to
apply the business theory they learn in the classroom to
current
messy, complicated problems, we help prepare them to successfully
address the challenges they will face when they finally do
enter the 'real' world," said Kathy Dewenter, UW associate
professor of finance and faculty director of the Global Business
Center.
Members of the 16 participating teams hail from Brazil, Bulgaria,
Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Israel, Japan, New Zealand,
Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Uganda and three American universities,
including the UW. During the week they will participate in
a student exchange at Hamilton Middle School and a roundtable
discussion at McCaw Hall.
On Thursday, the four-person teams of undergraduates will
be given the case study written by two UW professors specifically
for this competition. They will then have 48 hours to prepare
a professional presentation that provides solutions to the
problem presented in the case. The case may touch upon any
aspect of business, from accounting to business ethics to
marketing. Business leaders from academia and industry will
judge the presentations. Winners of four preliminary rounds
will advance to a final round of competition at 1:30 p.m.
Saturday in Mary Gates Hall on the UW campus. The final round
is open to the public.
The winning team will be announced
at an awards banquet that evening.
Pete Dukes, associate dean for undergraduate programs at
the UW Business School said the experience student participants
have is long-lasting and transformative.
"I marvel at the impact the simple act of participating
has on students," Dukes said. "Inevitably they
come away with an understanding and appreciation for the
rich
cultural diversity that exists in the world, they establish
friendships with others from these many cultures, and of
course, the have the growth experience of wrestling with
a complex case for 48 hours in a team setting and presenting
their recommendations to a tough set of business professionals."
The Global Business Case Competition is produced and supported
by the school's Global Business Center and students
in the nationally ranked Certificate of International Studies
in Business program. Teams will be judged on quality, creativity
and professionalism in presenting their analysis of the business
problem.
Last year's winning team from the University of Auckland
provided recommendations for how the Weyerhaeuser Company
could expand operations in the Southern hemisphere. Since
its inception seven years ago, 73 business schools from 41
countries and 16 states have participated. Past winners were
teams from Brazil, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, South
Korea and the United States.
Sponsors include Boeing, Captaris, Costco, Expeditors International,
F5 Networks, Fluke, Holland America Line, Microsoft, Starbucks,
T-Mobile, Washington First International Bank, Wells Fargo
and Weyerhaeuser.
Global Business Case Competition 2006 Participants:
Europe
American University of Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Ekonomski fakultet Zagreb, School of Business and Economics,
Croatia
Aarhus School of Business, Denmark
University of Navarra, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas
y Empresariales, Spain
Africa & the Middle East
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Makerere University Business School, Uganda
Asia/Pacific
Kobe University, Japan
University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
North & South America
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
McGill University, Canada
University of Arizona
Southern University and A&M College
University of Washington
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