RSB team wins Goldman Sachs case competition

By: Michael Gurovitsch, BBA2

Posted: 11/7/05

During fall break, a team of four Ross MBA students attended the Executive Leadership Council's 17th annual recognition dinner for winning the Goldman Sachs/Executive Leadership Council (ELC) business case competition, which they participated in this past May.

The team included five members- Sheila Collins (MBA2), Suman Mishra (MBA2), Larry Thompson (MBA2), Sanjiv Gupta (MBA2), and Karimah Malcolm (MBA 2005) -who completed a first round submission in late April and were accepted to present in the finals in New York along with business schools from the University of North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania.

The RSB team's presentation to executives from the ELC and Goldman Sachs focused on creating a comprehensive strategy for The Coca-Cola Company for implementing a black economic empowerment policy in South Africa. The Ross team was selected as a winner based on the breadth of its solution, quality of analysis, and connection with many of the socioeconomic trends in present-day South Africa.

As first place winners, the team received $20,000 to split amongst its members and an invitation to participate in a week-long honors symposium in New York City and Washington DC. Four of the team members were able to attend the symposium, and they were joined by 11 undergraduate students who had won the ELC's essay competition.

The combined group toured ELC member companies including Citigroup, American Express, Booz Allen Hamilton, Axa Financial, Merril Lynch, and Williams Capital, where they had a chance to meet with senior executives and discuss various initiatives the companies were undertaking.

The group was also granted a private tour of World Trade 7, which is the first building to be finished at the site of the 9/11 attacks.

Following three days in New York, the team traveled to Washington D.C. for the awards dinner where they were joined by 50 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, gave the opening address and was followed by E. Neville Isdell, the Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Pitney Bowes also recognized the group with an award for its work on diversity initiatives.