Business Dialog

Since becoming part of the business curriculum in 2015, the Live Strategy Case Competition has partnered with some impressive corporations to bring real life issues into the classroom. The fall 2021 competition, sponsored by Under Armour (UA), is certainly no exception.

This semester’s case featured a unique challenge. UA leaders asked students to propose strategies to support the company’s position in the digital fitness market.

In what was the ultimate team project, nearly 300 seniors across 10 sections worked together to develop solutions for UA. The top 10 teams from each section advanced to the final round where they presented their recommendations to UA leaders.

Impressed with all of the day’s presentations, UA leaders deliberated at length before selecting their top three teams. In first place were The Focused Performers, including Cari Elliott, Allison Gigliotti, Zackary Gottzandt, Ava Havrilko, and Allison Jacoby, from Dr. Dutta’s section.

Second and third place went to teams mentored by Dr. Obedkova. They were the Focus Innovators (Amy Asare, Anna Borisova, Garshet Hatcher, and Briana Scott) and the Metaheads (Sant Chana, Konark Chopra, Mark Sanino, Adil Vahora, and Yuqi Wan).

Adam Flake, Director of Corporate Strategy at Under Armour says, “The live case competition at Towson was a great opportunity for Under Armour and Towson University to further strengthen our partnership as Maryland neighbors. We challenged the students with a real business problem that we face today, and we were extremely impressed with the rigor and creativity of their analysis and recommendations. It’s exciting for us to hear a fresh set of diverse ideas to better shape how Under Armour competes in the market. We hope the students learned valuable lessons of real business skillsets and teamwork, both of which are critical to success in the business world. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership in the spring with a new case and another round of teams.”

On December 3, 2021 CBE’s Business Analytics and Technology Management (BATM) department hosted the final round of the second campus-wide Data Analytics Competition sponsored by Perdue Farms. Nearly 60 students, representing five colleges (CBE, COFAC, CLA, CSM, and CHP) across campus participated in the competition. CBE and graphic design majors tend to have higher participation rates than other programs thanks in part to faculty like Kimberly Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of graphic design (COFAC), who encourage students to step out of their comfort zones.

Chaodong Han, Ph.D., chair of BATM explains, “Data visualization and analytics is a cross-functional and cross-disciplinary undertaking. This year, many teams are in fact composed of students from different majors across campus, including CIS and graphic design, etc.”

The first round of the competition kicked off on October 5 when Perdue executives presented the case to students. Their challenge was to help Perdue Farms understand which customers would benefit most from the different logistic options offered by the company, utilizing existing delivery and transportation data.

Participants were given until October 31 to analyze the data, answer the company’s questions, and visualize their findings. Nine finalist teams were then selected and advanced to the next round where they had 5 minutes to present their findings and data visualizations to Perdue executives. The judges evaluated each presentation on the depth and accuracy of their analysis, as well as the clarity, creativity, and utility of their visualization.

Ultimately, three winning teams were selected.

1. Thea Nolan (COFAC: Graphic Design), Ju Un Park (CBE: BSAP), and Connie Yee (COFAC: Graphic Design) – $2,500.00
2. Deaira Carrington (FCSM: CIS) – $1,500.00
3. Haja Sannoh (CBE and Honors College: Economics and Political Science) and Leah Sine (CBE: Economics) – $1,000.00

TU Vice President of the Division of Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research (SPAR), Darius Irani, PhD., shares, “The winning teams were able to take the massive trove of data and convey visually the underlying story and supporting elements to a lay audience, a crucial skill in a  21^st century economy.”

As the title sponsor for the 2^nd Annual Data Analytics Competition, Perdue Farms provided $5,000 in scholarships for the winning teams and an additional $5,000 to support experiential learning in data analytics.

“Working with Perdue Farms this year was amazing. The judges were excited to help students in the competition as well as network with the students to talk about internships”, says Stella Tomasi, PhD., professor and organizer of the competition. “Every year, we have teams with graphic designers win one of the prizes. It seems that winning teams are able to tell a story through data analysis.”

Kyle Benning, director of data strategy, adds, “As Perdue continues to grow our analytic capabilities it is essential to recruit new associates and ideas. Analytics is a team sport; this case competition gives us visibility to a diverse cross section of Towson’s talent and creates a way for us to see them in action.”

On November 11, accounting professionals from some of Maryland’s most prominent firms gathered in the South Campus Pavilion for their first in-person fundraiser in three years. The evening was a wonderful opportunity for members of the accounting community to connect with one another, as well as the College’s accounting faculty, students, and alumni.

CBE is especially grateful to Counting on the Future’s corporate sponsors, as well as the accounting advisory board members for coordinating the event and donating items to the silent auction.

 

In total, the evening raised $40,000 in scholarship funds for accounting students.

Patrick Donelan, a senior in the accounting program and scholarship recipient who spoke at the event, says, “A scholarship for many students like myself lessens the financial burden of attending school. These contributions let us focus on school rather than the finances behind it. They open up more time and opportunities to pour into the campus community. This can look different for everyone. In the past year, I have been able to explore and start The Towson Consulting Group which is a student run organization that will provide pro-bono consulting services to engage with small businesses in the Baltimore area. The group also brings in different consulting firms such as Oracle, a Fortune 100 company, to chat with students about their consulting services, the industry, and life as a consultant. This scholarship has continued to push me to want to give more to my community and further create a cycle of giving and growth within TU’s CBE!”

 

On October 22, 40 students and 37 business professionals returned to campus for the 7^th Annual Strategic Sales Competition.

Representatives from Stanley Black and Decker (SBD), Northwestern Mutual, Sherwin Williams, Graybar, Enterprise Holdings, Lower, United Electric Supply, ADP, United Rentals, Pella Mid-Atlantic, Stryker Endoscopy, WMAR – Channel 2, UNUM, Concentra, Triumvirate Environmental, and MemoryBlue served as buyers or judges for the competition.

Among them were several alumni, including Joe Richardson ‘98 (SBD), Grayson Osborn ‘19 (SBD), Chris Wohlfort ‘16 (Lower), Vlad Shevchenko ‘17 (Stryker), Patrick Hoover ‘13 (Pella), Alicia Jones, ‘18 (Gauge Media), Hailey Hardesty ‘19 (Enterprise), and Jenny Fitzsimmons ‘15 (Enterprise).

This unique competition puts theory into practice by simulating a real-life sales scenario whereby students are challenged to sell an actual product to industry professionals who serve as buyers. As platinum partner, Stanley Black and Decker provided the product (DeWalt FlexVolt), for this semester’s competition.

To add authenticity, one-on-one sales pitches take place in real-time and are simultaneously live-streamed to another room where judges evaluate the students’ performance, such as their delivery, tactics, and ability to address the buyers’ concerns.

Five winners were ultimately selected by the judges:

1. Sydney Greenspan, Business Administration – Marketing
2. Brian Stanley, Business Administration – International Business
3. Massimo Artista, Mass Communication – Advertising
4. Amaya Blanding, Acting
5. Michael Caulfield, Business Administration – Marketing

The winning students, representing various majors across CBE and TU, received a total of $5,000 in scholarships. First place winner, Sydney Greenspan, will go on to represent TU at the Shore Sales Challenge – a nationwide competition at Salisbury University in March.

Plamen Peev, associate professor of marketing and organizer of the competition extends “Special thanks to Sarah Halvorsen (SBD) for working tirelessly on organizing the Stanley team and training the students on the product. A shout out to all the buyers for the day: Brad Palmatary, Grayson Osborn, Ryan Filyo, Cole Ostendarp, and Jake Jennings (all from SBD).”

Dr. Koushikee Dutta is an assistant professor in the CBE Department of Management. Dutta received her Doctor of Business Administration (Management) from Louisiana Tech University. Prior to joining academia, she worked in start-ups in India and Singapore as a Human Resource Business Partner across various industries. Dutta is currently teaching EBTM 350, Introduction to Business Analytics. Through this class, she hopes that students will use data to discover patterns and trends to make predictions and solve business problems. Her current goal is to step outside her comfort zone, as well as to “become an impactful educator and researcher.”

 

When asked what made her want to become a professor for CBE, she explains that, “I am a life-long learner and have always been curious about learning new things. I believe that curiosity can spark explorations and creations in driving the society forward. It was this curiosity that led me to ask this question to myself about How can I create an impact? All the answers led to the idea that education is one of the most powerful tools to empower and aid brilliant minds. This led me to switch careers , from being an HR professional to academia. And, four years later, I feel fortunate to finish my program and find a job at TU. I believe that TU has created an environment that sparks curiosity, experimentation, and innovation, things that are meaningful to me. In turn, I can aid students in realizing their possibilities and not their limitations.”

 

During her time at Towson so far, Dutta has enjoyed being back on campus and engaging with students in-person. “The students at Towson are keen to learn, and it puts a smile on my face knowing that I am playing a small role in their learning process. I have enjoyed getting to know my new colleagues and exploring teaching and research projects with them. Towson has taken every step and has provided ample resources to ensure a safe and healthy on-campus environment, so challenges have been minimal.”

 

Dutta believes that teaching is one of the most impactful ways to empower and create change. She states that while at CBE she looks forward to “creating a shared impact by learning new things, helping my students unlock their potential, and realize their life and career goals. In addition, I look forward to collaborating on research projects with other TU faculty members.”

 

In her current research, Dutta explores micro and macro level concepts within strategy and entrepreneurship. Dutta explains that “one of my research streams focuses on mission driven ventures and mechanisms of resource acquisitions, which raises several interesting research questions. Nascent ventures often acquire a particular type of resource through participation in accelerator programs which substantially aid and accelerate new venture development. One of my research projects explores how social impact accelerators make cohort admission decisions. Additionally, in another current research project, I utilize an experience sampling methodology to understand the role of affect and creativity in new venture performance.”

 

Dr. Dutta shares that having lived and worked in three different countries, she has developed an interest in learning about different cultures, languages, and folklore. She is a trained Hindustani classical vocalist, as well as a major horror movie fan. We are excited to have Dr. Dutta as part of our CBE team!