UB MBA Case Study

In the UB School of Management's 14th annual MBA case competition students applied their problem-solving skills to a real-world situation close to home: how to boost the economy of Wilson, N.Y., after the recent closing of the Pfeiffer Salad Dressing plant.

In first place, winning cash awards of $300 each and moving on to the George Washington University International MBA Case Competition on March 19 and 20, were second-year MBAs Alex Banfai of Niagara Falls, Ont.; Chris Bodkin of Snyder; Alina Cofas of Bucharest, Romania; andq Dave Gordon of Amherst.

Winners were chosen from among four teams of finalists who presented their strategic assessment of the situation on Feb. 5 at Wilson High School.

The winning teams recommendation focused on the town achieving three main objectives which were improving efficiency through lowering the Village’s operating costs, strengthening existing businesses and attracting new businesses.      

The teams’ six recommendations are as follows:

1. Consolidate functions of the Village government with the Town. This helps improve efficiency by eliminating much of the overlap that exists between the Village and Town’s operations.

2. Relocate the water treatment plant currently located at the mouth of the harbor. The plant is aging and will require significant investment to remain operational in the future. Building a new plant will allow the Village to take advantage of new technologies that will be feasible years into the future. Furthermore, by moving the plant further east and away from the main tourist district, existing businesses will be in a better position to attract customers.

3. Introduce a blanket WiFi network in the Village. This will help strengthen existing businesses and attract new businesses as the network will provide publicity for the Village, facilitate higher productivity, and help retain visitors. Furthermore, it can serve a practical purpose for the local government, schools and library.

4. Attract local artists to establish a collective where they will sell to the public. This will help attract daytrip visitors and encourage new investment in the Village.

5. Set up a business incubator at the Pfeiffer plant to produce small-batch gourmet food. This concept is unique in Western New York and will help boost the number of jobs for local residents.

6. Attract investment for an elective surgery clinic that will include a hotel and spa. This concept caters to the high-end health care market, providing a relaxing setting for patients while drawing from the pool of medical talent in nearby Buffalo.

Village Mayor Patrick Kelahan, a UB MBA alumnus, worked with the UB School of Management to develop the case. He also served as a judge of the competition, along with Arjang Assad, dean, UB School of Management; Joseph Bell, vice president of acquisition integration, Moog; Karen Howard, vice president of finance and CFO, Columbus McKinnon; and Kathleen Neville of Neville Consultants Inc.

"My goal in reaching out to the UB School of Management was to leverage the perspective the MBA students gain through their studies by applying their knowledge and creativity to a challenge faced by hundreds of communities in New York: what do we do now that our primary employer has closed or reduced staff?" said Kelahan after the presentations. "Wilson recognizes that it must embrace diverse ideas and consider other directions if the community is to remain viable. As expected, the depth and breadth of ideas presented in the competition were wonderful-- and actionable," he added.

Judges evaluated participants on the quality of their analyses, the creativity and clarity of their recommendations, the quality and detailof their implementation plans, the quality and style of their oral
presentations, and how well the students defended their recommendations in their question-and-answer responses.

"This type of real-world learning is a key component of the UB MBA experience," says David Frasier, assistant dean and director of the MBA, MS and PhD programs in the School of Management. "And using a real case in which the outcome could have a positive economic impact on a Western New York community makes it ideally suited to UB's mission."

Columbus McKinnon Corporation, Ernst & Young, Moog, Sevenson Environmental Services, Time Warner Cable, The Clark Companies, HSBC Bank, The Wilson (N.Y.) Community Enhancement Charity sponsored the competition.

The Wall Street Journal has ranked the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek has ranked the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes has cited it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For moreinformation about the UB School of Management, visit
http://mgt.buffalo.edu (http://mgt.buffalo.edu).