School of Management Names Winners in PwC xACT Case Competition

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A team of four undergraduates and one graduate student in the UB School of Management will share a $1,000 prize as winners of the seventh annual PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) xACT Case Competition.

Matthew Epstein of Great Neck, N.Y., Daniel Gengo of Cheektowaga, N.Y., Susannah King of Elmira, N.Y., Kyle McJury of Fairport, N.Y., and Chunqing (Brian) Yin of Shanghai comprised the winning team.

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

This year’s case involved the role of accounting consultants in helping a firm to implement international financial reporting standards (IFRS).

Fifteen teams representing 75 students took part in the competition. Each five-member team was assigned a faculty coach and PwC mentor.

Mary Ann Rogers, assistant professor of accounting in the School of Management, was the winning team’s faculty coach.

The teams had two weeks to conduct research and develop a 12-minute case analysis, which they presented to a panel of PwC judges. This year’s judges were David Gaulin, partner, Andrew Peer, senior associate, Keith Stolzenburg, partner, and Julie Leavoy, senior associate, who also served as the project coordinator.

The School of Management’s winning team will now compete nationally to become one of five finalist teams, who are invited to make their presentations at PwC’s New York City office. The national winning team will receive a $10,000 prize.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.