University of Chicago Takes Top Honors at 10th Annual MBA National Case Competition

Competition sponsored by Deloitte and the Deloitte Foundation helps prepare future business leaders

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Jan 07, 2020, 09:00 ET

WESTLAKE, Texas, Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago team won the 10th annual MBA National Case Competition by presenting a thorough analysis and innovative solution to the business problem posed during the Competition. Team members Lauren Fish, Leslie Glotzer, Ryan Hetherington and Bill Stueben earned a combined scholarship of $20,000 for their winning presentation.

Vanderbilt University second place; Northwestern University, and University of Michigan followed in third and fourth place, respectively. The competition was held Jan. 2 through 5 at Deloitte University, Deloitte's leadership center near Dallas, Texas.

More than 1,000 students from leading MBA programs across the country entered regional competitions, with 64 advancing to the national finals. At this year's Deloitte MBA national case competition, 16 student teams developed a strategic proposal and presentation to develop a fan engagement and loyalty and spend strategy for an American professional sports league. The league, which has teams spread across the U.S., is focused on encouraging the most competitive and elite athletes play in the sport, empowering and increasing visibility for players, and providing a highly engaging experience for fans. Leaders from the sports and entertainment industries, as well as representatives from the league — including the commissioner and franchise representatives — attended the competition and served as judges, along with industry and Deloitte leaders.

"In our 10th year as a competition, the caliber of the students we continue to see demonstrate their ability to think strategically about complex business issues is incredibly impressive. The University of Chicago team and all other finalists should be extremely proud of their accomplishments," said Bill Lam, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "This year, we challenged the teams with a case focused on fan engagement in the professional sports sector. The drive and passion the student showed in their proposals impressed all the judges and this experience has offered the MBA students authentic exposure to the realities of working in a dynamic, ever-changing business world."

"Providing the emerging workforce with experiential learning opportunities is one of the hallmarks of the Deloitte Foundation's mission to help better prepare future talent," said Sean Morris, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and member of the Deloitte Foundation board of directors. "The MBA National Case Competition, as well as our other education programs, are designed to offer a real-world extension of classroom learning, enabling students to apply their knowledge and teaming skills to solve a complex organizational challenge. We continue to be inspired by the exceptional skills each student team brings to this annual competition."

In addition to the winners, this year's finalists included teams of students from the following MBA programs:

Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
Columbia University (CBS)
Cornell University (Johnson)
Dartmouth College (Tuck)
Duke University (Fuqua)
Emory University (Goizueta)
New York University (Stern)
Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Rice University (Jones)
University of California, Los Angeles (Anderson)
University of Chicago (Booth)
University of Michigan (Ross)
University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
University of Texas, Austin (McCombs)
University of Virginia (Darden)
Vanderbilt University (Owen)

About the Deloitte Foundation
Deloitte Foundation, founded in 1928, is a not-for-profit organization that supports education in the U.S. through a variety of initiatives that help develop the talent of the future and their influencers and promote excellence in teaching, research and curriculum innovation. The Foundation sponsors an array of national programs relevant to a variety of professional services, benefiting middle/high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and educators. Learn more about the Deloitte Foundation.

About Deloitte
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SOURCE Deloitte