Co-Sponsored by Deloitte and GE, Competition at Vanderbilt Challenged Student Teams to Address Business and Human Capital Issues for Energy Industry Merger
November 7, 2008
Media Contact: Scott Addison
Public Relations | Gabbe Group
(212) 220-4444 | scott.addison@gabbe.com
NASHVILLE (November 7, 2008) – Ten teams from the nation’s best and brightest business schools went head-to-head at this year’s National MBA Human Capital Case Competition, which took place Oct 16-18 at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. The one-of-a-kind contest, sponsored by Deloitte and GE, aimed to demonstrate the importance of human capital, a rapidly emerging academic and professional field focused on the people issues in business.
PHOTO: The winning team from Emory University accepting top honors at Vanderbilt's 2008 National MBA Capital Case Competition with Deloitte judges Joe Kelly and Alice Kwan. (Not pictured: Troy Henagan, judge from GE)
The team from Emory University (pictured) took home top honors and the $15,000 grand prize, with second ($5,000) and third ($3,000) place finishes awarded to Cornell University and Purdue University, respectively. This year’s competition focused on a merger between two major players in the energy industry: Cinergy and Duke Energy. Although students received the case in advance, they were startled to participate in a mock press conference that revealed a last-minute “twist” to the initial challenge: managing an opening for organized labor to make inroads at the merging firms.
Executives from Deloitte and GE – two leaders in the field of human capital – evaluated teams based on whether their solutions showed both a well-rounded understanding of the people issues of the merger and demonstrated the financial impact of their recommendations. “The breadth and depth of the proposed ideas made for lengthy deliberations among the judges, as all of the teams truly put their best ideas on the table,” said Nancy Abbott, vice president, organization and staffing for GE Commercial Finance.
However, the teams which came out on top successfully demonstrated the value of their human capital solutions to the merging companies’ bottom line. “This year’s multi-faceted challenge mirrored real-life business situations and offered a valuable learning experience for these students as they strive to become thoughtful, effective business leaders who can understand and manage difficult human capital issues,” said Timothy Vogus, assistant professor of management (organizational studies) and a faculty adviser for the competition.
The contest offered a distinct opportunity for the sponsors as well. “In addition to fostering the unique set of skills where MBAs can apply their knowledge to people issues, this event offers a valuable, hands-on way for us to recruit some of the top emerging talent in the human capital arena,” said Garth Andrus, a principal in Human Capital at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
The Owen School, which has long offered specialized study in issues of human and organizational performance, established the case competition in 2007 – the first to be solely focused on human capital challenges. 27 teams vied for a berth in this year’s showdown.
About Deloitte
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is ranked as a top institution by BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times and Forbes. For more information about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu
