For the second consecutive year, Elizabethtown College business students placed first in the McDaniel College Gill Finance Case Competition. The annual contest, hosted in November by the Department of Economics and Business Administration at Westminster, Maryland-based McDaniel, gives participating teams a real-world scenario to consider. Students must then present a strategy to a mock board of directors. This year, according to McDaniel’s website, students were given a fictional business case about a German beer company in the process of expanding to Ukraine.
Seth Previty, a senior economics major, said the nature of the scenario case is an experience he hopes to encounter in his career.
“Expansion is always a goal for a company and, if it is possible, that must be determine through a number of steps such as we did for this case,” he said. “We had to look at different assumptions, financial models, as well the benefit analysis of different expansion opportunities.”
Previty added that the competition had other value. He and his classmates were able to meet the judges who held positions with companies that handle portfolios and investment opportunities for different clients. “This was very beneficial to me because we got to see how they viewed the case, the career path and get suggestions from them for our own personal growth,” he said.
Elizabethtown’s team, pictured above with the contest judges, was advised by Assistant Professor of Finance Emma Neuhauser, and they competed against Juniata College, Towson University and McDaniel. Keeping the real-world learning going, the $500 prize will be invested in the College’s Trostle Investment Portfolio.
“I was very impressed with the level of preparation and professionalism exhibited by our team at this event,” said Sylvester Williams, chair of the College’s Department of Business. “The level of confidence that was exhibited at this event was phenomenal. Emma really prepared the team for the competition and during the wrap up with the judges, the team was given lots of positive praise for their analysis and answers.”