WCBA students win second place in supply chain case competition
Four students from the Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University achieved remarkable success, securing second place in the Association for Supply Chain Management’s Pittsburgh Supply Chain Case Competition held at Duquesne University on Nov. 16. Competing against 11 teams from nine universities, the YSU team proudly shared the $3,000 prize among its four members.
Alina Marculetiu is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Marketing and is the faculty adviser for the team. She said the judges, who were supply chain executives from several organizations in Pittsburgh, were impressed with the team’s thorough analysis and convincing responses to additional questions.
“Teams were presented with a qualitative case study on the morning of the competition and had just 2.5 hours to devise a solution and prepare a five-minute presentation. Our team excelled by crafting a compelling business case, quantifying the value of the problems and their proposed solutions, which distinguished them from the majority of the other teams,” Marculetiu said. “Their podium finish demonstrates our students' ability to compete alongside peers from across the country and highlights the value of the quality education they receive here at YSU.”
The WCBA Supply Competition Team comprised Skylar Brocious, a senior Accounting major from Southington; Elizabeth Saur, a senior Business Administration major from Grove City; Caleb Sturgeon, a senior Business Administration major from Beloit; and Sean Ascano, a senior Supply Chain Management major from Girard.
“Participating in the ASCM case competition was a challenging yet rewarding experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I gained valuable insights into the complexities of sourcing and the importance of building strong supplier relationships. I appreciated the opportunity to receive feedback from industry professionals and engage in friendly competition with students from across the tri-state area. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside a fantastic team and am extremely proud of our achievements,” Ascano said.
Marculetiu met with the students at the beginning of the competition week to help them identify individual strengths and weaknesses and answer general questions about the competition and the types of cases they could expect. The team took the initiative to meet independently, discussing two case studies from previous events, assigning potential tasks and creating shared documents to ensure a smooth workflow during the competition.
Students in the Supply Chain Management track at WCBA benefit from an integrative and hands-on curriculum designed to build a strong supply chain management foundation while developing the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to excel in a dynamic, global business environment. Throughout their degree program, students learn essential skills such as teamwork, presentation, professionalism and critical thinking.
The Supply Chain Management course integrates current supply chain news, issues and various case studies, providing students with a broad understanding of decision-making and performance objectives in different supply chain contexts. A key focus of the course is teaching students to make a business case for proposed solutions by leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to support their arguments.