April 4, 2017

Students representing the Darla Moore School of Business won the sixth annual UNICC held at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain on March 31, 2017.

The Moore School was represented by Courtney Floegel a senior finance and marketing major, Rachel Lunsford a senior international business and finance major, Robert Jay (RJ) Cunio a junior finance, real estate, GSCOM major, and Jakob Merz a junior exchange student from WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar, Germany. Patrick DeMouy, a lecturer in the management department, was the team advisor.

Sixteen top schools from the United States, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, Spain, and Thailand competed. The students analyzed three different business situations and then presented their solutions to panels of judges. The cases involved private label brands, selling Spanish wine into the United States, and Ernst and Young (EY) navigating the changing workforce.

For the first two cases students were given three hours to analyze and develop a solution based on a written case twenty pages on average. They were allowed to use two computers to prepare their presentations, but could not use any previously developed slides or have access the internet. For the final case, about Ernst and Young (EY), students were given twenty-four hours to research and develop a solution for the changing workforce. Teams presented their solutions to judges in groups of four. The divisional winners then presented to the head of EY Spain, his marketing director and the heads of the tax and audit divisions for the Pamplona region. The panel also included the CFO from one of the largest frozen food companies in Spain.

In comments on the Moore School student team's winning presentation, judges told them their solution addressed both the high-level issues and the necessary steps to make their plan viable.