Winners Named in Target Case Competition

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A team of four juniors in the University at Buffalo School of Management has won the annual On Target Undergraduate Club Case Competition.

The winners, representing the UB Accounting Association student club, were Sergio Gangarossa of West Seneca, Daniel Ovadia of East Meadow, Katherine Pizzutelli of Pittsford and Jeannette Russell-Shepherd of Syracuse.

The team and the club will share a $3,000 prize, with each student receiving $250 and the UB Accounting Association receiving $2,000.

The goal of the competition, sponsored by Target Corporation, is to help undergraduate students strengthen their analytic, communication, presentation and teamwork skills beyond the classroom by developing recommendations for real-world business issues.

Eleven teams representing 43 students in the School of Management entered the competition. This year’s case focused on how Target can enhance the wellness of its guests, incorporate the concept of wellness throughout its stores and balance its business to connect with the wellness-conscious guest and the traditional guest.
In the final round of the competition on Feb. 10, the top five teams presented their analyses and recommendations.

Six team leaders from Target stores served as judges for the final presentations: Nick Bowe, Dayna Bracy, Nancy Farrell, Katie Ferrari, Mike Pollutro and Nikki Royal.

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,767 stores across the United States and at Target.com. The company will open its first stores in Canada in 2013. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week. For more information, visit target.com.

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.