A message for you!

The faculty and staff of the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship have a message of encouragement and well wishes for you, our majors!

OB Case Competition Winners

The bi-annual Organizational Behavior (OB) Case Competition, was held this week live via Zoom. This competition, now in its second year, is held every semester as part of Management 336 and teams of students are challenged to analyze a business case and showcase their skills by presenting their case solution in a live case competition format including preliminary and final rounds. This years competition was moved on-line and students did an excellent job creating videos of their team presentations. Three out of 12 teams made it to the finals and two winners were selected:  the competition winner as selected by faculty judges and the "People's Choice" winner as selected by peers in the class. 

This years winning team included Claire Benson, Keith Fowkes, Mykal Phinney and Keenan Sudderth and the People's Choice winner included Jack Abrams, Jack Huddleston, Amanda Stachey, Courtney Tourville, and Allen Weber.  Honorable mention was awarded to finalists Sarah Swicegood, JT Tapke, Abigail Thenthirath and Tyler Williams.  Congratulations to all 12 teams competing this year and our three finalists.

What is one lesson you have learned since the shift to a virtual classroom?

I have learned that good leaders find ways to inspire others, even in the face of adversity. I have been so impressed by the way my professors have handled this situation and how understanding they have been of student’s adapting to this new setting. Many of my professors have gone out of their way to make sure students were okay and reassure us that while this situation is unprecedented, there is nothing to be afraid of. They have also done a great job of hosting extra office hours and promptly answering any questions about the state of the course going forward.

More of Andrew's interview.

How are you connecting with friends and family remotely?

I am utilizing facetime quite often to stay connected with distant family and friends.

More of Cortney's interview.

As I interned at DENSO, I was looking for a position and upon graduation, I obtained a full-time position in HR at Monterrey Mushrooms at the Loudon, TN facility.  I was promoted and moved to the Princeton, IL facility as HR manager. This location is smaller and has allowed me to make a bigger impact. I obtained my SHRM-CP as I grew in my position at the Loudon facility.  Taking Management and HR classes and being on the diving team, allowed me to see I wanted to work with people and teams.

Maurucio Robles' interview with Distinguished Lecturer Debbie Mackey.

He describes how early in his career, it was more about individual performance, but now recognizes that the team you build around you is critical for your success. “It is so critical to build … a good team where you have trust and build comradery.” He also urged students to use this time “to work on personal and professional development” and think about “how can you support others.” 

Richard Consoli's interview with Professor Russell Crook.

He firmly believes that leaders need to lead with principles and treating others with respect. Reflecting on this time (April 2020), Steve shared these encouraging words: “This is a time of opportunities…companies will be looking for leaders and quality employees to help them through this difficult time… they will need exceptional people.”  

Steve Nussbaumer's interview with Professor Sara Williamson.

Mark Tasman recommends Sam Walton’s book Made in America. “This book talks about entrepreneurship in a way that he looked at it. If you go into this [entrepreneurial venture] to just make money, you will most likely not make it. That is what I think about entrepreneurship, it really is about success. If you look at it from that standpoint, I can almost promise you that you’ll probably be successful.”  

Mark Tasman's interview with Professor Shawn Carson.

Jim Schwab provides advice for students during this time, “Be open to the challenging experiences, be willing to go do these things won’t do, be mobile, be willing to try new places … [which will] open up the opportunities... Be willing to go take on these challenges, not everyone will. But if you do them, you will prove that you can do the hard things and bring value and grow as a leader and be stronger” 

Jim Schwab's interview with Professor Jackie Jacobs.

Jim Foxworthy shares lessons learned over his long 30+ year corporate career, “You need to be willing to work hard, be willing to do whatever it takes, be willing to take on things if not within your normal responsibilities… And be willing to take risks… an opportunity presents itself, go for it, take a risk!”

Jim Foxworthy's interview with Professor Cheryl Barksdale.