Clemson students compete in international Business Case Competition at Georgetown

Published: March 25, 2013

CLEMSON — A team of Clemson senior honors students — Hannah Bordner, Trey Erb, Kristen Martin and Ginny Reed — participated in the invitation-only 2013 Business Strategy Challenge, held at Georgetown University Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

During the competition, 20 teams of undergraduates representing countries from North America, Europe and Asia were given a case about an actual nonprofit and had 36 hours to develop strategy recommendations.

The Business Strategy Challenge is the only undergraduate case competition in the country focused on nonprofits, which presents unique challenges to competitors due to their unique business structures. This year’s case involved the Goodwill organization of the greater Washington, D.C., area as the company asked the participants to help them expand its revenue offerings while looking at reducing expenses and providing a more profitable bottom line.

On the final day of the competition, all four team members presented their findings to a panel of judges made up of professors, Business Strategy Challenge board representatives and Goodwill employees. The Clemson team, which has been working on analyzing cases and presentation skills since October, was advised by management professor Jack Hopkins.

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