FAMU SBI students place first and second at Globe-Without- Borders Business Case Competition

FAMU SBI students place first and second at Globe-Without- Borders Business Case Competition

By Pamela Tolson

      TALLAHASSEE, FL – Students from the Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Business and Industry recently won first and second places in the 2012 Globe-Without-Borders Business Case Competition sponsored by Savannah State University.

     Other universities represented in the competition were Georgia Southern University, Savannah State University and South University.

     Globe-Without-Borders Global Business Case Competition is an annual case competition that brings together undergraduate business students to compete in a challenging business case study. The program allows students to analyze and develop a business recommendation within 96 hours.

     “The students’ skill sets, determination, and sacrifice were remarkable, and I knew going into the competition that both teams were strong contenders,” said Rashada Houston, faculty adviser. “For both teams to place, it proved that FAMU students have the scholastic aptitude to compete on any level and perform at a superior level.”

     Competing teams worked under pressure to solve a real problem, using simulated business conditions such as time-critical deadlines and incomplete information, to formulate workable, action-oriented re-commendations.

     Team one consisted of: Zachary Addy, a senior business student from Chicago, Ill., Brandon Camille, a senior business student from Long Island, N.Y.; and Tiana McClellan, a senior accounting student from Detroit, Mich.

     Team two consisted of the following: Breyon Love, a senior business administration student from Atlanta, Ga.; Shayna Gunn, a senior accounting student from Miami, Fla.; and Hillrod Lumpkin, a senior accounting and business

student from Southfield, Mich.

     Teams were judged by a panel of industry and academic experts including CEOs, top management executives and consultants. The teams had 20 minutes to present their case analysis and recommendations from a required written overview. Judges based their decisions on such criteria as the depth and comprehensiveness of analysis, relevance, originality, persuasiveness and overall presentation.

            “The moment one of our teams won second place, I felt like FAMU’s faculty won also,” Houston said. “It was an example of our hard work paying off. Day in and day out, we spend countless hours in the classroom preparing our students and this competition was an opportunity to prove to faculty that the students are learning. And when our other team was announced as the first place winner, I was overjoyed because it shows that we remain an institution of academic excellence.”