SDSU MBA Students Win International Marketing Competition
Project Aims to Assist the Moroccan-American Trade and Investment Council

Contact: Randy Carmical, Director of Communications
(619) 594-0206 Randy.Carmical@sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO, Tuesday, June 20, 2006 - San Diego State University College of Business Administration MBA students were recently awarded first prize in the Brand Morocco Research Competition. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize.

Students Linda Ronn, Weixuan Liao, Caroline Alexander and Janel Schermerhnorn 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.

Sponsored by EdVenture Partners, this is its first-ever international marketing-focused case study competition. The students’ challenge was to assist MATIC with a strategy that would encourage U.S. firms to take advantage of the benefits that Morocco provides as a platform from which to launch new business initiatives. Competing universities were to conduct strategic marketing research focused on commercial decision-makers in one of the following areas: information technology, processed foods, parts manufacturing, textiles/apparel industry or design materials.  

EdVenture Partners CEO Tony Sgro, said “It was extremely hard for MATIC to make the final selections, as there were many strong programs for the research portion of this initiative. However, the best shone through!”

The SDSU students choose to focus on the natural stone import market in the U.S., for products such as granite and marble slabs and architectural stone products.  They conducted research at every level of the U.S. stone industry supply chain, including an online questionnaire of 274 residential home owners, many of whom had purchased stone within the past few years.  The SDSU students were members of an MBA Consulting course and were advised by marketing professors Don Sciglimpaglia and Lois Olson.

“Our team put a lot of time and effort into the Brand Morocco Research Program and I am very proud of the end result,” said SDSU MBA student Linda Ronn. “The competition was a
rewarding experience where we had an opportunity to apply what we have learned throughout the MBA program, and I was especially pleased to find out that MATIC is already putting our findings to use.”

Theodore R. Smith, president of Moroccan American Trade and Investment Council, said “SDSU’s final report reflected a very professional approach to collecting and analyzing data.  I am particularly impressed with the SDSU team’s ability to utilize the information collected to provide meaningful insights into real-world problems.” 
In January, graduate students from Sciglimpaglia’s Seminar in Marketing Research course were awarded first prize in a Honda Research Program competition, which was geared toward researching Gen Y awareness and car buying motivations. Two years ago, graduate students from Sciglimpaglia’s course won first place at the national level for another Case Study Competition and presented their ideas on how to market Cadillac to the Millennial Generation. Both previous cases were sponsored by EdVenture Partners.
“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.”
About EdVenture Partners
EdVenture Partners facilitates programs designed for students and educators, while reciprocally providing clients with marketing, brand building, research, sales and recruiting access to campuses across the country.  Its programs are designed to meet industry, government, and education objectives.
About the SDSU College of Business Administration
With over 5,500 students, the SDSU College of Business is one of the largest business schools in the U.S. Its programs in undergraduate international business and graduate entrepreneurship are ranked among the top programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report. This year, the college is celebrating “50 Years of Educating San Diego’s Business Leaders.”