UB MBAs Win Prestigious Whitman Competition

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A team of four MBA students in the University at Buffalo School of Management took the top prize of $2,000 in the annual Whitman Case Competition at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

In addition to the check, Don Harter, Whitman’s associate dean of master’s programs, presented a certificate of achievement to UB students Vibhuti Bansal, MBA ’12, Kanishka Pandit, MBA ’12, Sairam Ramakrishnan, MBA ’12, and Vikram Sundararaman, PharmD/MBA ’13 for winning the event.

Nineteen teams from MBA programs across New York State, including Cornell University, Syracuse University and the Rochester Institute of Technology, entered the competition, sponsored by the Whitman Graduate Student Organization.

The UB School of Management team was selected as one of six finalists to present their analysis and recommendations on April 8 in Syracuse.

The case study involved marketing and strategy issues for the initial product launch of a GPS tracking device suitable for implantation into shoes. The UB School of Management team developed a marketing plan focusing on using the device as a means to locate a child in the event the child went missing.

“This is a great achievement and truly defines the UB School of Management program, the knowledge our students gain, the quality of our students and their potential as future leaders,” said Arun Jain, Samuel P. Capen Professor of Marketing Research, who, with his wife, Jean, provided a generous stipend for the team’s travel expenses.

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.