CBA Team Places Third in Case Competition

The CBA team of Fanyi Kong, Finance major, and Jeffrey Swan, double major in Marketing Management and Integrated Marketing Communication, recently won third place after two rounds from among 15 universities competing, and earned $750 prize at the Peoples Bank Undergraduate Business Case Competition. The challenging case scenario, which Peoples Bank CEO Chuck Sulerzyski noted was similar to an MBA-level case, required the students to tackle a bank merger and develop a marketing plan during the pre- and post-merger phase. The students also had to make a hiring decision as part of the business case. Pictured (l. to r.), is faculty advisor Dr. Bhanu Balasubramnian, Jeffrey Swan, and Fanyi Kong.

Competing for two days at Marietta College, in Marietta, Ohio, each team presented its business case response to a group of Peoples Bank executives. The Undergraduate Business Case Competition serves as an opportunity for students to compete against peers to provide a solution to a real-world business scenario. In addition to the competition experience, participants also interact with business leaders in the financial services industry and receive immediate and valuable feedback on the results of their work.

Peoples Bank is a Community bank with offices in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The bank invests in its communities through educational development and outreach. Peoples Bank also uses the competition so bank leaders can meet promising students who would be potential candidates for employment through their Professional Development Program.