School of Management Names Winners in Target Case Competition

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A team of three seniors and one junior in the UB School of Management will share a $3,000 prize as winners of the fourth annual On Target Undergraduate Case Competition.

Assen Petrov and Tae Hyun Moon of Buffalo, Matt Stabel of Williamsville and Ho Wing Chan of Fresh Meadows, N.Y., comprised the winning team.

The competition, sponsored by Target, is intended to help undergraduate students hone their analytical, problem-solving and teamwork skills by proposing solutions to a real-world business challenge.

Fourteen teams representing 47 students originally entered the competition. For the final round of the competition on Feb. 26, the top five teams presented their analyses and recommendations for a case involving how Target can improve its merchandise and sales in home-industry products, as that category has faced declining revenues for the last decade.

Five individuals from Target served as judges for the final presentations: Peter Firestone, district facilities manager; Randy Joseph, district team leader; Caitlin McCraken, assets protection business partner; Ben Gregory, store team leader; and Adam Fatzinger, investigations team leader.

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at more than 1,600 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5% of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

The Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek has ranked the school as one of the country’s top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes has cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.