Bryant takes second place in B-School Beanpot

Competing in the business case competition for the first time, a team of Bryant students is recognized for their work analyzing a real-life case and presenting their findings to a panel of corporate executives.

It was a successful first appearance for Bryant University in the prestigious B-School Beanpot Case Competition. Taking part for the first time yesterday, one of the Bryant teams earned second place.

The group included Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA), Megan McCourt ’09 (Chicopee MA), Gergely Nemeth ’09 (Balatonfured, Hungary), Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA), and Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH). They returned to Bryant with a $1,250 cash prize and bragging rights for their work in analyzing an unpublished case study about the strategic decisions of the online match-making company eHarmony.

"As I watched final presentation made by our students, I could hear and see them confidently using ideas and concepts from the classroom to put together a terrific analysis of eHarmony and a sound strategic plan for how the company should move forward," says Mike Roberto, associate professor and trustee professor of management, who accompanied the students to Boston and coached them leading up to the competition.

(L-R) Gergely Nemeth ’09 (Balatonfured, Hungary), Megan McCourt ’09 (Chicopee MA), Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA) Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH), and Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA).

The team was given the case for the first time yesterday, and they had five hours to prepare an executive summary and a ten-minute presentation. The winning Bryant team was picked out of 15 entires (including a second team from Bryant) to advance to the final four where they finished second to perennial B-School Beanpot power Northeastern, who captured top honors for the fifth year in a row. Bryant was the only school from Rhode Island to take part in the competition, which for the first time this year was expanded to include schools outside of the Boston area.

The ten students who were part of the two Bryant teams are all members of Bryant's Honors Program and were chosen based on their past accomplishments in the classroom.

Learn more about the B-School Beanpot or read a live blog from the day written by Roberto and Ken Sousa, associate professor of CIS and director of the Honors Program, who also accompanied the students to Boston and coached them leading up to the competition.

February 20, 2009

Bryant to compete in prestigious B-School Beanpot Case Competition

Bryant students will present their findings on a real-world business case to corporate executives.

For the first time, Bryant will take part in the B-School Beanpot Case Competition, which takes place this Saturday in Boston. As part of the program, teams of students will analyze an unpublished case study and present their findings to a panel of business leaders. (Learn more about the B-School Beanpot.)

This year’s competition has been extended to schools outside of the Boston area. Bryant is the only Rhode Island school in the competition that includes Babson, Bentley, Boston University, Merrimack, Northeast, Suffolk, and UMASS Boston.

The University will be represented by two teams of five students. Each student is a member of Bryant’s Honors Program and was chosen based on his or her past accomplishments in the classroom. Team one includes Lauren Amarante ’11 (Southington, CT), Stephen Fitch ’09 (North Kingstown, RI), Mark McDonnell ’10 (South Berwick, ME), Michelle Richard ’10 (Peabody, MA), and Steven Rosenblum ’09 (Morganville, NJ). The second team includes Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA), Megan McCourt ’09 (Chicopee MA), Gergely Nemeth ’09 (Balatonfured, Hungary), Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA), and Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH).

Teams will have five hours to prepare an executive summary and a 10-minute presentation on a case they will see for the first time on Saturday morning. Students will not be able to use outside resources and must rely on the concepts and creative ideas they have developed in the classroom. To help prepare, the teams had an opportunity to review the case that was examined in last year’s Beanpot.

Back row (L-R): Chris Lussier ’10 (Spencer, MA), Steven Rosenblum ’09 (Morganville, NJ), Jeff Steacie ’10 (Bellingham, MA), and Megan McCourt ’09 (Chicopee MA). Front row (L-R): Stephen Fitch ’09 (North Kingstown, RI), Mark McDonnell ’10 (South Berwick, ME), and Matthew Veves ’10 (Hudson, NH).

After the presentations, the top four teams will advance to the final round, where the winning group will take home $2,000 and the all-important bragging rights.

“I expect that the competition will illustrate that Bryant builds and develops competent, skilled, and creative students who are prepared to excel in their careers,” says Ken Sousa, associate professor of CIS and director of the Honors Program, who will accompany the team to Boston.

Preparation is the key

Nemeth has been a regular in intercollegiate competitions throughout his four years at Bryant. Most recently, he was part of the University’s 2008 Fed Cup Challenge team and was a member of the winning team in the fall semester’s Target Case Competition. He says these experiences are good opportunities to put into action everything he has learned.

“Getting our feet wet with a real-world problem is more challenging and interesting than learning about concepts and theories,” says Nemeth. “In the end, the application of what we learn is what makes it useful.”

Adds Steacie, “These events give us experiences we cannot always have in the classroom. I feel that they help further develop the character and integrity that Bryant prides itself on instilling in students.”

Veves is also a veteran presenter. He was a member of Bryant’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team that placed in the top 10 percent of all SIFE chapters at the national competition last spring. As preparation for the Beanpot competition, he is reviewing some key financial ratios that can be used in the analysis, and he is looking forward to drawing upon his past work.

“I think our strongest asset will be the knowledge we gained in the classroom and through our involvement on campus,” he says.

Opportunities outside the classroom

Fitch says he is looking forward to the opportunity to interact with students and faculty away from the traditional classroom setting.

Mike Roberto, associate professor and trustee professor of management is coaching the students and will also accompany them this weekend. “This is a chance for the kind of close faculty-student interaction that Bryant is all about,” he says.

The competition also generates exposure for Bryant and allows the students to compete against some of the best and brightest students in the area.

“Our students will have the opportunity to test their skills and knowledge against other remarkable young people and showcase their talents in front of some prominent Boston-area businesspeople,” says Roberto.

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Associate Professors Ken Sousa and Mike Roberto will be blogging live from Boston throughout the day on Saturday. Follow their blog.