Sources: Yun-Oh Whang, 785-532-2879, ywhang@k-state.edu;
and Jeff Katz, 785-532-7190, jkatz@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

K-STATE'S MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COMPETITION TEAM EARNS SECOND PLACE IN BIG 12 COMPETITION

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's Master's in Business Administration Case Competition Team took second place at the Big 12 Master's in Business Administration Case Competition, April 2-4, at Baylor University.

The team's coach is Yun-Oh Whang, assistant professor of marketing.

Team members, all seeking a master's in business administration, are: Justin Dodge, Manhattan; Amy Rucker and Shaun Rucker, both from Peabody; and Ted Bauer, Stilwell.

From out-of-state: Katie Matthew, Plano, Texas.

In addition to the second-place team win, Matthew was recognized with awards for Most Valuable Player and Best Q&A.

The students were given an original, live case provided by DMX, a company offering music, image and messaging services to businesses. In less than 24 hours, each team was asked to come up with both short-term and long-term strategies in areas including marketing, finance and operations. The teams then prepared a presentation containing detailed recommendations for the company.

Case competitions provide master of business administration students the opportunity to test their analysis, problem-solving, and presentation skills against students from peer universities.

"We are very proud of how well our Master's in Business Administration Case Competition Team competes against other Big 12 teams," said Yar M. Ebadi, dean of the College of Business Administration. "I believe the success of our students speaks volumes about the quality of K-State's master of business administration program."

K-State's master's in business administration team members are nominated by their peers to participate in the Big 12 competition.