Flocking to the University of Connecticut for the ninth time in school history, international students from around the globe participated in the Center for International Business Education and Research Case Challenge Oct. 17 to 21.
Formulated to foster U.S. competitiveness in the international market place, the CIBER program was established at UConn in 1995, making it one of 33 universities nationwide designated as a national resource centers for international business education.
The initiative gives UConn access to a network of those 33 schools for collaborative programming, said Kelly Aceto, the managing director of CIBER at UConn.
“The program really helps us improve the quality of the business education we offer,” said Aceto.
CIBER really links links UConn to the international business community, fosters diversity, and establishes UConn as an international business education leader, said Julia Zaslavsky, UConn student and spokeswoman for CIBER.
“It is an incredible experience working with international students and fosters diversity amongst the participants because students are from all over the globe,” Zaslavsky said.
The importance of the CIBER Case challenge lies in its realistic format, said Zaslavsky.
“It is great practice for what the real world is like; you work in teams, which is why it’s so important to foster team work because you will always be collaborating with a group on ideas,” Zaslavsky said.
The students are divided into teams of four with one international student on each team. This year, 54 students participated in the challenge, traveling from all over the globe including the University of Miami in Florida, Purdue University, Georgia State University, the University of Trento in Italy, the American University in Cairo, and Rikkyo University in Japan.
The teams are presented with international marketing cases, hypothetical situations where a company is trying to implement a new program in the international arena, and it is up to the team to decide how to sell it to interested buyers.
The goal for UConn’s participation in CIBER is for the university to emerge as a leader in global business education, and a national resource for international business teaching, research, and outreach, said Zaslavsky. The most important take-away from CIBER for her, was the program’s role in making her more well-rounded and accepting.
“A lot of us who grew up in Connecticut are from small towns, so we have not had a lot of exposure to a diverse group of people,” Zaslavsky said. “CIBER offers us great exposure to international students and students from around the country.”
One participant, Cara Craddock, an accounting major from Georgia State University, said participating in this case challenge is an incredible learning experience. Craddock hopes to own her own business someday.
“It is definitely outside of the young adult comfort zone, but that is what makes it a great learning experience. To come up with a business plan in 24 hours is incredible,” she said.
International students also praised the UConn program. After enduring the 13-hour plane ride from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Rina Takahashi was enthusiastic and excited to participate in her first CIBER challenge.
“It emphasizes team building, and rooming with your teammates really helps foster relationships amongst your own team,” she said.
After some team building activities the first day, each team is given just 24 hours to come up with a business plan and presentation to show the judges. Each presentation is 20 minutes with 20 minutes addition for a question-and-answer session from the judges.
The biggest challenge was the time constraint, said Lucas Castanzo, a marketing major from The Ohio State University.
“Coming up with a business plan and presentation in just 24 hours is very difficult, but it is incredible meeting people from all over the world and working on a business project with them,” Costanzo said.
An added benefit to hosting the case challenge at UConn is that it is student managed, said Aceto.
“Having a team of undergraduate students who manage the logistics and event planning of the challenge is an incredible experience for them,” Aceto said.
