This annual series of competitions, reaching back over 40 years, is organized by the Society for Advancement of Management and provides an opportunity for students to showcase existing skills and further develop fundamental skills for business success.
“The business faculty and I are extremely proud of our students’ accomplishments during this year’s SAM conference and competition because they have utilized the skills and talent they have developed while as students in the Brad D. Smith Schools of Business,” said Dr. Avi Mukherjee, dean of the Lewis College of Business at Marshall.
Students compete in five business competitions designed to engage them in the application and practice of classroom learning to real-world challenges. The International Collegiate Business Skills Championships (ICBSCP) is composed of five events: the Extemporaneous Speech, Business Knowledge Bowl, Business Pitch, Written Case Study and Presentation Case Study Competitions. Teams are scored by Academic and Industry Professionals that have real-world experience in leadership and management.
“SAM is an avenue that paves the way for students to become lifelong learners and successful professionals,” said Kelly Leonard, an M.B.A. student at Marshall. “I am grateful for SAM and the networking and professional development opportunities it provides students like myself. I am inspired and enthusiastic for the future of SAM and witnessing the successes of students affiliated with this valuable organization.”
The Marshall team took third place, in Team Overall Achievement, with the New England Institute of Technology earning first place and the University of South Carolina — Sumter earning second place.
“The SAM 2021 International Business Conference was a great, beneficial experience for me,” Lewis said. “I am especially proud to have won third place overall in the Knowledge Bowl with the highest overall score in the Super Quiz qualifier round, particularly as a freshman. This was my first-ever victory at a national business conference, as well as my seventh time placing in business competitions over the past three and a half years. I look forward to representing Marshall University SAM at future conferences.”
The annual series of competitions is “an overwhelmingly positive experience for all of our collegiate competitors,” said Dr. Sandi Zeljko, SAM vice president of special projects. “This year, the entries reflected a variety of dynamic approaches to solving our case challenge and some very exciting business pitch ideas. We are delighted with the results of the competition and will continue to provide this amazing opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts from our competitors and the institutions that have imparted the wisdom so many of these students have displayed.”
The Society for Advancement of Management is the world’s oldest management society, formed in 1912 to provide a place for discussion and promotion of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s principles of scientific management. It is a nonprofit organization run and advanced by hundreds of volunteers. Its members come from a variety of disciplines— productions, finance, marketing, accounting, research and development, entrepreneurship—but share a common bond of interest in becoming stronger managers. SAM builds bridges among academicians, practitioners and students not only to better share management expertise but also to develop and promote new management ideas.
The Lewis College of Business at Marshall University is among the 1% of the world’s 13,000 business programs that are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for both business and accounting programs. For more information about Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business and Brad D. Smith Schools of Business, visit www.marshall.edu/cob.
For more information about the Marshall University SAM chapter, contact the chapter advisor, Glen Midkiff, by e-mail at midkiff2@marshall.edu, or the faculty advisor, Dr. Marc Sollosy, at sollosy@marshall.edu.