by Elise Goitia '18

There's no better way to learn about business than by immersing yourself in an authentic business scenario, which is exactly what four Knox students did at the Simon Graduate School of Business Early Leaders case competition.

The Early Leaders Case Competition is held annually by the Simon Graduate School of Business to bring together undergraduate students to compete in stimulating diverse solutions to issues that business leaders commonly face. This year, 50 students from undergraduate institutions participated in the competition.

"Our case assignment was to learn as much as we could about Taco Bell and come up with a creative, feasible corporate strategy to guide the next three to five years of their business," said Jonah Frankel '16, whose team won second place. "This case made me far more interested in the world of startups and entrepreneurship."

Each student was randomly assigned to a team of five students from other undergraduate schools as they worked together to analyze a case study, procure a solution, and formally present it afterward to judges. A total of $10,000 was given out, with first place receiving $5,000, second place $3,000, and third place $2,000.

"My favorite part was how quickly my team came together, divided up roles according to relative strengths, and worked tirelessly without any quarrels," he added.

Wagner Distinguished Chair in Business and Professor and Chair of Business and Management John Spittell acted as the students' academic leader during the Case Competition. The students that participated on the program were Jonah Frankel '16, Laura Lueninghoener '16, Peter Yang '16, Hyunjin Jung '16, and Inez Pena '16.

Knox College and the Simon Graduate School of Business have had a long-lasting partnership that has allowed many ambitious  seniors and juniors to apply for the Direct Admission M.B.A. program.

Laura Lueninghoener '16, who has a self-designed major in media studies and a minor in business and management with a focus on marketing, has applied for the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester, among other graduate colleges.

"It definitely was a great opportunity to attend the competition," said Lueninghoener. "I applied to go because to work with other people from other schools on a case is very validating of your own Knox education."

"This was interesting because we didn't have several days to do this," Lueninghoener added. "We had 13 hours to look at a case, break it down and come up with a presentation. This case competition pulls on all subjects of academia that you've previously had. It's such an amazing experience."

Photos: Top of page, team member Laura Lueninghoener giving a business presentation at StartUp Term earlier this year. Below: Knox students on this year's Early Leaders team; team member Inez Pena talking with other students about StartUp Term; Knox students at this year's Fullbridge Program, which included development of business plans and presentations.

• Details and photos  from StartUp Term, Knox's 10-week, total immersion business-technology program
• Details and photos from the Fullbridge Program, which gave students a week-long workshop on global business development skills