Winners Announced in Target Case Competition

By Cathy Wilde

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A team of three juniors and one senior in the University at Buffalo School of Management has won the annual On Target Undergraduate Club Case Competition, sponsored by Target Corporation.

The winners, representing the International Business Association student club, were Jeffrey Kohnke of Niagara Falls, Li Yi Tan of Staten Island, Daniel O'Connor of East Amherst, and Daniel Yanega of Levittown.

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

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

Fourteen teams representing 56 students in the School of Management entered the competition. This year’s case focused on Target’s expansion into Canada. Teams were asked to develop strategies to ensure that Target is well received by Canadian guests.

In the final round of the competition on Feb. 15, the top five teams presented their analyses and recommendations.

Six Target professionals served as judges for the final presentations: Robert Boyd, assets protection business partner, Kelly Dumas, human resources business partner, Peter Firestone, district facilities manager, Erin Ingalls, food business partner, Randy Joseph, district team leader, and Amy Lauricella, senior field campus recruiter.

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,778 stores across the United States and at Target.com. The company plans to 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% of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $4 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.