A number of big-name schools traveled to Provo to compete in the Deloitte Supply Chain Case Competition hosted by the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business.
University of Southern California took first, and BYU took second. Also in attendance were Penn State University, University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, and Purdue University.
Jordan Tesimale, a first-year BYU Marriott MBA student from Midlothian, Virginia, says the event was more of a simulation than a case competition. Deloitte employees would often come in to provide additional information and throw curveballs to see how students responded to changes in the plan.
“The Deloitte employees were good at mentoring, giving direction, and providing the opportunity to understand and see what it’s like to be in their shoes,” Tesimale says. “It wasn’t 'Here’s a case, good luck.’ It was interacting with the customer, which was a fun and useful experience for consulting.”
The case study involved merging two big companies from different regions and finding synergies to implement and create presentations around.
“Case competitions give us the opportunity to see how students think, structure a problem, and come up with viable solutions to solve the issue,” says Mark Quinn, director of the Deloitte supply chain in Chicago.
Quinn, who is also the lead campus recruiter at BYU for the firm’s supply chain, says he’s seen BYU Marriott students bring a level of maturity and intelligence during his recruiting efforts.
“A lot of these young people have served missions, so they’ve been out in the world and understand diverse cultures,” says Quinn. “They have the intellectual capabilities to solve problems—that’s what we’re looking for, people who are bright and can solve problems.”
Tom Foster, department chair for marketing and global supply chain, says BYU winning the competition last year and placing second this year is proof that BYU Marriott students are as good as any in the world.
“The Deloitte competition attracts teams and advisors from the top supply chain programs in the country,” Foster says. “It was an honor to host this prestigious case competition for a second straight year.”
The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.
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Writer: Emily Colon