This year’s Weinman Cup Regional Supply Chain Case Competition hosted by TU’s College of Business and Economics went virtual with teams presenting their cases to judges using WebEx.
Teams representing four universities were provided a business case developed by Pandora America’s. The case addressed the retail jewelry giant’s challenges coordinating supply and demand for their nine special product releases each year. The case challenged teams from Towson University, Stevenson University, Shippensburg University, and Kutztown University to make actionable recommendations that could improve the summer product release.
“To see the students present and hear their ideas pertaining to real-world situations….is a learning experience for us as well.”
Representatives from Pandora’s supply chain group provided feedback and engaged with the students in evaluating their proposals.
“Our expectations for the competition were exceeded by the commitment of the students given the uncertainty around the pandemic” said Coushatta Cunningham, demand planning manager for Pandora Americas. “The students all came with high energy and you could tell they were well prepared with seamless transitions and team collaborations.”
Stevenson University took first place and Towson University placed second. TU‘s team members Erik Bell, Mark Chorosinski, and David Williams (ENTR) were advised by Professor Chaodong Han and were praised by the Pandora judges for their excellent critical thinking in analyzing the case and use of quantitative approaches to develop their recommendations.
“We are always blown away at the level of talent we see coming from Towson University,” said Cunningham. “It is a great way for Pandora to make connections with the upcoming graduates entering the workforce. To see the students present and hear their ideas pertaining to real-world situations for our company and even their innovative perspective surrounding the industry we work in is a learning experience for us as well.”