Student News

MBA Students Win 1st Prize in Morocco Research Competition

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SDSU team members pose in Washington DC with their award. From left to right: Ted Smith, president of the MATIC, students Weixuan Liao, Linda Ronn, Caroline Alexander and faculty co-advisor Lois Olson.

Last spring, marketing professors Don Sciglimpaglia and Lois Olson advised the winning MBA students in the Brand Morocco Research Competition. Students Linda Ronn, Weixuan Liao, Caroline Alexander and Janel Schermerhorn were awarded first prize in the competition, along with a $1,000 cash prize, for their research on the U.S. natural stone import market. The students are now working on the Brand Morocco Phase II National Case Study Competition, with Olson as their case study writer.

The students presented their research results to the Moroccan American Trade and Investment Council (MATIC) in Washington, D.C. on June 5, along with the second place team from George Washington University. MATIC is an American-based, non-profit trade association that assists the Kingdom of Morocco in its quest to promote economic growth and stability through its private sector. The event was sponsored by EdVenture Partners and it was the first-ever international marketing-focused case study competition.

"The Moroccan case was an excellent research project. The team was extremely well organized and diligent," Sciglimpaglia said. "They are providing information which will prove very valuable in helping the Moroccan stone industry to play an increased role in the U.S. market, as the demand for this type of product is accelerating. This consulting is very timely."

Business Fraternity Recognized at the National Level

Beta Alpha Psi, the national honors scholastic and professional coed business fraternity, received superior status at the national level. Sharon Lightner, director of the School of Accountancy, is the faculty advisor for the group. The fraternity was evaluated off a report submitted by the chapter to the Executive Office in accordance with Beta Alpha Psi’s Program for Chapter Activities. Chapters given superior status were granted $50,000 to be used towards scholarships and other endeavors.

My Two Weeks at Business Camp
By Shanelle Clare, SDSU Pre-Marketing Student
Editors Note: The following account was written by a student regarding her experience in the EMBL program this past summer.

The EMBL program stands for the Emerging Minority Business Leaders Program. The program was intended to help minority business majors learn about business, entrepreneurship, networking, business etiquette, achievement and leadership from the view of other successful minority leaders and business professionals. Students who were interested in attending the program could come from any academic major, have a cumulative 3.25 GPA, be a rising junior or senior, attend an accredited university and be a member of an ethnic minority group or student attending a minority-serving institute.

The EMBL program lasted for two weeks and was held in Wheeling, West Virginia on the campus of West Liberty State College. The beautiful environment helped students focus on learning and achievement while making long-lasting relationships. Out of about 300 students who applied, 83 students were chosen for this program. The students received free room and board and took two field trips outside of Wheeling.

As a minority student, it was easy for me to relate to the other students, business professionals and teachers because they, too, were minorities.

The EMBL program was a mixture of different events each day the students each had various responsibilities and tasks. The program was made up of seminars, academic classes, projects, and internship-like programs. The days were long, filled with classes and seminars. After 5:00 p.m. we would eat dinner and then work on a business plan until 1 a.m. We were also tested twice on class material, lecture notes, and reading that consisted of about 10-13 chapters from our text book, Entrepreneur Success.

To write a business plan, students were randomly separated into 10 groups of seven-to-nine students. Each group had a business professional as its advisor and examined three different patents and voted on one that interested them. The group was expected to change the product to make it more innovative and form a business plan around it. The patent was a foundation of a different product that each team was to innovate/invent. The business plan was a real business plan, about 40 pages long, and was presented to actual board of advisors, business professionals, and government officials at the end of the program. There were 3 prizes awarded to the three best teams; two cash prizes of $1000 and one cash prize of $2000. The students were expected to pass the rigorous course and were graded by their team leaders. A passing grade was a B. The students who did pass, and all did, were awarded $1,500 scholarships.

I’m happy to report that I passed the program and, in addition to the scholarship money, I earned three graduate credits. The program has inspired me to be a better business student. It has also helped to build my resume and increased my networking skills - all while making new friends.

email: business@sdsu.edu