Four Western Michigan University students swept a prestigious international case study competition, winning the team division with one member taking top honors for best individual undergraduate research paper.

The students competed in the International Telecommunications Education and Research Association national case study competition. The final round of the competition and public presentations were held during ITERA’s Eighth Annual Conference on Telecommunications & Information Technology in April, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn.

This is the first time WMU has won the case study award and the third time in the past four years that one of its students has won the best undergraduate paper award. In the final round of the competition, WMU faced teams from Purdue University, Murray State University and James Madison University.

Members of WMU’s winning case study team are Chad Stec, captain, of Gobles, Mich., a computer information systems major; Kurt Gillispie of Southfield, Mich., a telecommunication and information management major; and Greg Guyette of Farmington Hills, Mich., a telecommunication and information management major. Bringing home the award for best undergraduate research paper was Shane Mittan of Clare, Mich., telecommunication and information management major.

The national case study competition, titled “Connected Tennessee: Telecommunications Economic Development Case Study,” challenged teams to create a strategic technology plan for bringing broadband and information technology service to a portion of rural Tennessee. The plan had to include both technology solutions as well as a proposed budget and implementation plan.

“I am so proud of our team,” says Dr. Michael Tarn, the project team’s advisor and chair of the WMU Department of Business Information Systems. “Since the first day they began their project, all team members clearly understood that they were working on a live, real-world project, while competing with graduate and undergraduate student teams from other universities. Not only does their final product represent seven months of hard work and effort, but it also shows evidence of the quality of Western’s program and students."

Papers presented at the conference were competitively selected and featured analysis of business strategies and issues facing media and telecommunication companies such as Apple, Intelsat and AT&T. Dr. Richard Gershon, professor of communication and co-director of the telecommunication and information management program, had high praise for Mittan’s case study analysis of Apple Corp.

“Mittan’s paper was an excellent piece of research that looked at the role of strategy and innovation in making Apple a leading-edge media company,” Gershon says. “His paper and conference presentation were superb in terms of organization and delivery."

WMU’s telecommunication and information management major is designed to train students in a variety of telecommunication and data communication sub-disciplines. Its mission is to give students a well-balanced education in a variety of business- and technical-management issues.

The program is offered through the Department of Business Information Systems in the Haworth College of Business and the School of Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences. It is co-directed by Dr. Pairin Katerattanakul, associate professor of business information systems.

Sales and business marketing students place in national sales challenge

Two students placed in the top three individually in the Russ Berrie Institute National Collegiate Sales Challenge held at William Peterson University in New Jersey. Ilyssa Golani, right, of Northville, Mich., took second out of 48 students in the “Speed Selling” component. Josh Breshgold, left, of Farmington Hills, Mich., took third out of 48 students in the “In-Basket Sales” component. The team, led by Dr. Jim Eckert, associate professor of marketing, placed second out of 20 teams in the overall competition.

ISM senior receives ISM scholarship

Matthew Wright of Muskegon, Mich., received the 2010 L.L. Waters Scholarship at the annual meeting of the American Society of Transportation and Logistics. From left Wright is pictured with David Yeley, president of the AST&L, and Dr. Bret Wagner, director of the WMU ISM program. AST&L paid for Wright to attend the conference and his membership in the organization. The L.L. Waters Scholarship Fund was established to encourage advanced undergraduate and graduate study in the field of Transportation/Logistics/Physical Distribution.

WMU MBA team places first in the ACG Cup

A team of four MBA students placed first in the Association for Corporate Growth Cup, a competition in which students experienced insight into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking and private equity. From left the team of Faisal Allaboon, Jon Andrews and Phillip Hammond, all of Kalamazoo, and Vincent May of Plainwell, Mich., won a $5,000 cash prize at the event held at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids., Mich. The team analyzed and presented strategies on complex business cases as part of the event.

Advertising students place in EdVentures competition

A team of advertising students came in first among Michigan universities and 11th overall in the EdVenture Partners GM & U Marketing Challenge. The team was challenged to consider and answer a number of analytical questions regarding a client’s brand position, a communication strategy and other current strategic situations as identified by the sponsoring client. From left are Stefanie Weiss of Royal Oak, Mich., Chauncia Van Lowe of Oak Park, Mich., Cory (Alva) Oslin of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Abby Knapp of St. Joseph, Mich. The team developed an integrated marketing communications campaign for General Motor’s College Discount Program.

ISM students receive national scholarship

Three integrated supply management students received scholarships at the Institute for Supply Management Services Group Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. From left Peter Lyngstad of Vicksburg, Mich., Chelsey Meyer of Schoolcraft, Mich., and Trisha Terns of Chelsea, Mich., were among 16 students representing top supply management programs at five universities who were honored at the conference. The students exemplify the very best in educational achievement and the future of the supply management profession. Each received $2,000 plus registration and travel allowance to attend the conference.

SEHR awards HR scholarship

Ashley Heckman of Parchment, Mich., and president of the WMU student chapter of the Society for Excellence in Human Resources, received a $500 Society of Human Resource Management Foundation Certification Scholarship. Only ten such scholarships were given in the United States in 2010. The award is based on academic merit, commitment to the human resource profession and future career plans.

WMU hosts HR Games

Jeopardy-style competition WMU hosted and placed second in the 2010 Michigan HR Games—a statewide human resources competition that tests students’ knowledge of the human resource field. The event, “Sharing Our Resources—Benefitting Our Students” was a fast-moving day of competition, food and fun. Throughout the Jeopardy-style matches, student teams answered questions about strategic management, total rewards, employee and labor relations, selection leadership and risk management. Pictured from left are are Risé Landeros, BBA ’91, MA ’94, HR Games judge, Dr. Satish Desphande, professor of management and WMU team advisor, with WMU second-place team members Jenna Breen, Justin Szostek and Alison Fettig. “The event, organized by student leaders from the WMU Society of Human Resource Management, prepares students for the Professional in Human Resources certification exam,” says Deshpande. “It also provides them networking opportunities, as over 20 community human resource professionals, including many WMU alumni, volunteered as scorekeepers, judges and hosts. This is the first time the competition has been hosted at WMU and is a great way to showcase our campus.”

Motivate Michigan winners

Two business students, Jacob Berkey, of Comstock Park, Mich., and Kylie Vasa of Rock Springs, Wyo., were awarded $12,500 in scholarships for their second place idea in last year’s “Motivate Michigan” contest, a corporate-sponsored collegiate State of Michigan competition. They proposed “implementing a program designed to educate high school seniors in personal finance,” as a way to better the state.