Friday, December 15, 2006

K-STATE AT SALINA’S STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISE BEAT OUT TEAMS FROM ACROSS THE REGION, TAKE 3RD PLACE AT CASE STUDY COMPETITION

SALINA - K-State at Salina’s chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) kicked off its third year by beating out more than a dozen other schools for 3rd place in the Walgreen’s Wrangle I competition in Magnolia, Arkansas.

The case study competition, which was held Nov. 9-11, 2006, was host to 16 SIFE teams from the south-central region. The teams were divided into four leagues. The league winners – of which K-State at Salina was one – then competed against each other. This was the SIFE team’s first ever case study competition.

“I was so proud of how our team members worked together to generate a solution to the case. It was a great opportunity for the students to learn the importance of team work and to experience the struggles that teams can sometimes face.” Kathy Brockway, SIFE team co-advisor said.

This year’s entrepreneurship case focused on the Southern Aluminum Company, a manufacturer of commercial grade furniture in Magnolia, Arkansas.  Students were asked to create a marketing plan to sell banquet tables to the hotel market.

K-State at Salina’s SIFE team marketing plan included four recommendations, the first of which was to deemphasize the word “aluminum” in the company’s name. Brockway said that the team’s research revealed that people perceive the material to be cheap and flimsy. The team also suggested the company make its website more user-friendly, stress its lifetime guarantee and emphasize the company’s environmentally friendly policies. Brockway said the environment is a hot topic in the hotel industry these days.

SIFE team member and K-State at Salina student Brandon Nemechek, of Goodland, said the experience was a real life lesson in how valuable it is to work together under pressure.
Nemechek said that the night before they were set to present their case, their computer crashed and took with it the team’s presentations. That meant they had to stay up late and redo every single detail.

“We just kept joking about stuff and rolling with the punches … and everything seemed to come out well,” Nemechek said. And that’s exactly what they’d have to do in the real business world.

 The team received an $800 cash prize for their win. K-State at Salina’s team was also recognized with the Spirit Award – the only other honor granted outside of the rankings themselves. The Spirit Award is a traveling trophy and students will have the opportunity to add something to it from K-State at Salina

 This year’s SIFE competition team members are Stacey Lee, of Dwight; Jen Augustine, of Salina; Matt Torrey, of Axtell; Katie Cooper, of Minneapolis; Keith Livingston, of Spring Hill; Brandon Nemechek of Goodland; and Robert Graham, of Salina. The SIFE team advisors are Brockway and Fred Guzek.  

 The competition was held at Southern Arkansas University. This win comes on the heels of a regional championship last academic year. K-State at Salina’s SIFE team was named a regional champion and went on to finish in the opening round of the national competition in May.

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