MBA students take second place at the Big 12 MBA Case Competition for second straight year
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
The K-State MBA team, from left: Drew Hertel, Blair Kocher, Adam Zerr and Adam Sobba. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — A team of Kansas State University Master of Business Administration students took second place at the recent 11th annual Big 12 MBA Case Competition at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business.
The second-place finish marks the second year in a row that Kansas State University has taken home second-place honors from the competition.
The university's MBA team was comprised of Adam Sobba, Garnett; Drew Hertel, Hays; Blair Kocher, Manhattan: and Adam Zerr, Wakefield. As part of its second-place finish, the team was awarded a cash prize of $3,000, while Hertel also received the Best Q&A Award and a $250 cash prize.
"It was an extremely challenging but rewarding experience," Kocher said. "The case required us to utilize every aspect of our business education to come up with an innovative solution to a complex problem."
The competition challenges MBA students from around the Big 12 with a real-world problem from a local company. Students had 24 hours to research, analyze and recommend a course of action. Each four-member team had 15 minutes to present its analysis and recommendations to judges, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session.
The team was coached by Sabine Turnley and David Lehman, instructors of marketing, and was advised by Chwen Sheu, associate dean for academic programs, and Lynn Waugh, graduate program coordinator.
"Participating in a competition of this caliber allows our MBA students to showcase what they have learned at K-State," Turnley said. "Their outstanding performance this weekend reflects very positively on the quality of the students and teachers we have within our college."
The 2018 Big 12 MBA Case Competition will be hosted by Kansas State University.
