IU places third in business contest

The third Diversity Case Competition, organized by the Kelley Student Diversity Council, went from a Midwestern competition to a national competition last weekend.

Representatives  from 32 universities gathered for the competition.

The contest, which challenges students to develop solutions for diversity-related business problems posed by real corporations, spanned two days. 

IU placed third.

“Becoming a national competition has helped the competition represent all different types of backgrounds that goes beyond just ethnic diversity,” IU team captain Tom Galstain said.

“We represent distinct experiences which I believe emulates MLK’s dream.”

The KSDC scheduled the event for the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day because it is prime time for attendance and sponsorship, competition director Anup Segu said.

“We wanted to coordinate it with MLK day because it’s still recruiting season for corporations and the students can appreciate the holiday with our diversity,” he said.

Seventeen corporate sponsors funded the event.

Target, the platinum sponsor, provided $20,000 for the cash-prize pool and created the case.

Each year a case is presented to address a specific area the platinum sponsor wants to focus on or improve.

Strategies were judged by the sponsors.

The participants who created the best strategy received a prize valued at $7,500.

This year, Target had teams created campaigns to attract Latino shoppers to their stores.

“The competition helps business diversity in multiple ways,” Segu said.
“The case addresses real-life diversity issues which Target incorporates and uses to address issues.”

He said the access to corporate representatives and networking opportunities also helps minority students gain recognition they might not receive at their own university
.
“A lot of corporations are very selective which universities they recruit from,” he said.
“By bringing together all schools, different students have opportunities to get jobs and break those stats that are making them unrepresented minorities in the first place.”

Competitors said they found value in hearing the diverse experiences of those from other schools.

“For me, the most beneficial time was the little moments of interaction with the other students and seeing everyone’s abilities and shared desire for diversity,” Galstain said.

Galstain continued, “It was great to see people who didn’t make the finals stick around to watch and learn. The benefit went beyond the prize money which I think is a very big advantage for all.”

The competition ensures minority students are represented by requiring teams to include at least two students who are part of an underrepresented group.

This includes people of Asian descent and women, said Ramesh Venkataraman, chairman of the graduate program at Kelley.

“It puts us on the map in terms of taking diversity seriously,” Venkataraman said.
“I don’t think there’s any other competition as focused on diversity as this one.”

Drexel University won first place.

Washington University in St. Louis ranked second, winning $5,000.

The IU team said it was satisfied with finishing in the top three.

The students on the IU team received a $3,000 prize.

“With 32 teams this year, our goal was to make it to the final round to represent IU well,” Galstain said.

“Very high caliber business schools competed with many different ideas and individuals. It’s great to see how it comes together.”

Next year, the KSDC hopes to gain more sponsors and recruit more schools especially from the west coast, Segu said.

They also hope to continue emphasizing the importance of diversity in an increasingly global business world.

“We want to help educate people working in diverse teams to bring out the best in each other,” Venkataraman said.

“I would say our motto would be to bring understanding to the strengths that diversity brings.”