Inaugural Show-Me MBA Case Competition brings four Missouri schools to Columbia

[Columbia, Mo.] The Trulaske College of Business hosted an MBA Case Competition that brought together the Crosby MBA program and four other Missouri MBA programs – the first of its kind in the state. 

The schools involved were the University of Missouri, which fielded three teams; Washington University, which sent two teams; the Missouri State University; Southeast Missouri State; and UMKC. 

The five schools competed Feb. 24-25 on a case sponsored by Lockton Inc., a Kansas City-based insurance company that provided three of the 10 judges. Teams were given a case at 6:30 p.m. Friday that had to be submitted by midnight. They presented to panels consisting of three judges the next morning in the first round. The winners of each section faced off in front of all nine judges in a final round that was open to the public.

"Case competitions are an integral part of an MBA student’s curriculum and career development," said Tad Brinkerhoff, Assistant Dean for MBA Programs at Missouri. "They provide a valuable experience for students where they can gain and utilize several skill sets. Students use critical thinking skills while extensively analyzing real-world business problems in a limited amount of time.  They also learn to work effectively in teams and learn how to receive constructive feedback from the judges. 

"We want to thank Lockton Companies for providing the case and our judges as well as sponsoring the event in addition to our sponsors: Walsworth Publishing, Mr. Thomas Granneman, and the MBA Student Excellence Fund."

A Crosby MBA team of Megan Babyak, Shalini Banerjee, Hans Nguyen, Phu Le Quang and Justin Plassmeyer finished in third place, while Troy Broeker and Plassmeyer won individual awards. Southeast Missouri State won the competition; Washington University finished in second place.

"I would like to offer my congratulations to the winners and the championship team, but also to each and every student who participated in this event," said Ajay Vinzé, Dean of the Trulaske College of Business. "They all walk away better prepared for the next big challenge."