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Collaboration was the key theme for the GSB’s participation in a prestigious competition for first year business school students. The GSB team featured students from the Full-Time and Evening MBA programs who pulled together to make it to the North American finals.
A.T. Kearney, the world’s largest management consulting firm, sponsors a global competition that simulates a client engagement. Teams from top-tier schools tackle a case study based on an actual Kearney assignment. The competition is designed to test students’ ability to conduct a thorough analysis of the client’s situation; develop a strategic management consulting plan; and deliver a presentation of their recommendations.
Amit Das, Ariel Waltuch, James Carney, and Trevor Whitson, calling their team Midas Consultants, represented the GSB. Their “client” was a global software manufacturer with declining growth in its core product categories.
Over several days, the team experienced a simulated consulting assignment. They conducted a mock interview with A. T. Kearney principals and vice presidents playing the role of company executives. Through the information they gathered, the team prepared strategic recommendations that they delivered to their clients.
In another collaborative effort, Midas Consultants received assistance as they prepared for the competition from members of other GSB teams they had competed against in an earlier round. Guidance, advice, and valuable feedback were also provided by adjunct assistant professor of marketing Christopher Krohn along with Nikhil Sharma, ’04, who works at A.T. Kearney.
Trevor Whitson, the student from the Evening MBA program, found the experience very productive. “We learned how to work as a team, to push ourselves physically and mentally, and to develop a clear and concise vision from lengthy analysis, all of these being critical real-life consulting skills.”
Other top business schools participating were the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
Read about other wins by GSB students.
Paper by GSB Students Wins Turnaround Management Association Competition
GSB Team Scores Big in Fuqua Product Strategy Case Competition
Chicago GSB Student Wins Fortune Small Business Contest
GSB Students Win Marketing Case Competition at Kellogg