UIS students finish in first place at a national Society for Advancement of Management competition

A group of four University of Illinois Springfield students, who are members of the Society for Advancement of Management (SAM) student chapter at UIS, finished in first place at the Thomas Greensmith Open Division Collegiate Management Case Competition held on March 23, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia.

During the national competition, UIS students competed against 22 other colleges and universities. UIS students presented solutions related to a business case involving Ryder, a fortune 500 company. Students analyzed some specific problems Ryder is currently facing (more specifically “low wages” and “demand for more drivers”) and presented short and long-term recommendations to solve these problems for the company.

“This award is special in so many ways, it's the first time UIS participated, and with our presentation and hard work, we were confident of winning something at the competition,” said Prashant Bidhuri, a UIS student on the team. “Our team had never worked together before and as much fun winning the competition was, getting to know the other members of the team and becoming great friends with them was an unforgettable experience.”

UIS students Prashant Bidhuri, a graduate Management Information Systems (MIS) major from New Delhi, India; Apoorva Kanthwal a graduate MIS major from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India; Michael Kirchgesner, an undergraduate business administration major from Springfield, Illinois; and Adella Nguyen, a graduate MBA student from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam made up the team. The team was advised by Sundeep Sharma, Ph.D., UIS assistant professor of management.

“Winning this award shows that teamwork and working together pays off,” said student Michael Kirchgesner. “Each group member contributed in their own way to make this one of the best presentation experiences available for college students. This award has motivated me to work at my best level until my good becomes my better, and my better becomes my best.”

For more information on the Society for Advancement of Management student competitions, contact Assistant Professor Sudeep Sharma at 217/206-8275 or sshar5@uis.edu.