Four MBA students from Samford University’s Brock School of Business were selected earlier this month to compete in a national case writing competition.  The competition, sponsored by Baylor University, will be hosted by the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), the largest independent, professional, academic organization in the world focused on advancing entrepreneurship, during its national conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina in January. Devon Bagwell, Noel Dowling, Will Satterfield, and Heather Williams wrote their case, “Alabama Air Shuttle:  Fight or Flight,” under the supervision of Charles (Chad) Carson, Associate Professor of Management in the Brock School, during an elective Entrepreneurship course last summer.  As part of the course, students conducted research on a small business and then wrote a case study detailing the current situation along with an instructor’s guide recommending what the business should do in the future. “We are extremely grateful for this recognition,” said Carson.  “We are increasing our emphasis on entrepreneurship in our MBA program, and having a team selected as a finalist the first time we enter a national case writing competition, especially one with an entrepreneurship focus, is very encouraging.  The students have worked very hard on their projects, so we’re very pleased their efforts have paid off.  We’re looking forward to their presentation at the USASBE Conference.” The case was selected from more than two dozen submissions from universities around the world, including Cornell University, Iowa State University, Louisiana State University, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Windsor-Ontario, and IBS Center for Management Research-India.
“We are obviously thrilled that our students have been selected from a field that includes several elite universities,” said James Reburn, acting dean of the Brock School of Business.  “We work very hard in our graduate programs to hone students’ analytical, conceptual, and communication skills, and this recognition shows they can compete on an international level.” To become eligible for the competition, cases had to focus on entrepreneurship issues in new, small, family, or large businesses. Winning cases will be announced January 16, 2011 with cash prizes of $2,000 for first, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third place, respectively.