NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Six teams of MBA students from top business
schools have been named as finalists in the Vanderbilt MBA eStrategy
Case Competition to be held at the Owen Graduate School of Management
at Vanderbilt University later this month. The contest is among the
largest case competitions of its kind, awarding the winning team a
check for $15,000.
The finalists, chosen by a group of judges from WebMD Envoy, will
compete at the Owen School in Nashville on Feb. 28. Those teams
represent the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, McGill University in Montreal, Ohio State University’s Fisher
College of Business, Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of
Business, Wake Forest University’s Babcock Graduate School of
Management and the Owen School.
Business school students were invited to participate in the fifth
annual competition by devising a growth strategy for WebMD Envoy.
Fifteen teams from domestic and international business schools entered
the first round of competition late last month. "We are very excited to
have our first international finalist from McGill to compete this
year," said Lara Kauchak, Owen School student and contest director.
"Our international entries have been growing each year and often bring
a different perspective to the cases," she added.
For the final round of competition, the student teams expand on
their first round submissions, going into considerably more depth and
making final presentations before a panel of judges that will include
representatives of WebMD Envoy and several consulting firms.
The student teams will analyze WebMD’s business strategy and the
current players in the industry-looking at IT and system vendors,
billing services, outsourcing vendors and clearinghouses-and recommend
how WebMD Envoy can regain its remarkable revenue growth by exploiting
relationships with current players or creating new revenue streams.
These recommendations, accompanied by a marketing plan, will be
considered by WebMD Envoy in the company’s planning processes.
Teams consist of three to five students from each school, with the
students having strengths in various areas of study. "Successful teams
typically have members with diverse interests-including marketing,
finance and operations management," explained Kauchak. "This year’s
topic will require students to understand all areas of business."
Students are attracted to the Vanderbilt MBA eStrategy Case
Competition not only because of the $15,000 purse, but also for the
experience they acquire working on a team to solve a problem. "Students
learn a lot working on real-world business problems," Kauchak said. "It
helps make the classroom lessons more relevant."
"This type of competition also helps students differentiate
themselves as they search for internships and full-time jobs in today’s
very competitive market. This is an example of the best of the best
MBAs competing on a real problem. Just reaching the final round shows
that you are a great investment for any company," she said.
A team from the Harvard Business School won last year’s competition,
which asked students to create a global e-health growth strategy for
Roche Diagnostics.
Sponsors of the 2004 contest include WebMD Envoy, Vanderbilt
University’s eLab, the Vanderbilt University Sloan Center for Internet
Retailing, the eBusiness & Technology Club at the Owen School and
the Owen Strategy Club.
For details about the Vanderbilt MBA eStrategy Case Competition, visit the competition’s website at www.estrategycontest.com.
Founded in 1969, the Owen Graduate School of Management at
Vanderbilt University is ranked as a top institution by Business Week,
The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times
and Forbes. For more news about Owen, visit www.mba.vanderbilt.edu.
Media contact: Susanne Loftis, (615) 322-NEWS
Susanne.loftis@vanderbilt.edu