D'Amore-McKim School of Business Supply Chain and Information Management students Mohamed Ahsan Mohamed Altaf, Basma Mosly, Oona Barberi-Pavolini, all DMSB'17, and Stephan Smirnov, DMSB'19, recently competed in the 2017 Northeast District 9th Annual American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) Student Case Competition. The students competed under the guidance of Professor Paul Tagliamonte.

Students participated in an online pre-competition meeting in order to acclimate to the supply chain management simulation software “Fresh Connections.” Settings in the software ranged from supplier selection to delivery of a specific product. Many factors were taken into consideration and adjusted during the simulation rounds of the competition including lead-time, perishability, quality, inspection, cost and distribution.

D'Amore-McKim came in eighth out of 14 teams when considering simulation results. The team also placed second in the presentation category.

“For our students to participate in this important case competition on a Friday and Saturday during Spring Break demonstrates a great level of commitment. In addition, their professionally crafted presentation was the result of true teamwork and effort over a several week span. I know that this experience was meaningful and enhanced their learning experiences within our Supply Chain program,” said Tagliamonte.

Another group of Supply Chain and Information Management students recently attended a case competition in Rutgers, New Jersey. Chris Crowley, DMSB'17, Erik Grant, DMSB'18, Claire MacLennan, DMSB'17, and Caitlin Pittorie, DMSB'18, competed in The 2017 Rutgers Business School Ten Plus Supply Chain Case Dual Challenge under the leadership of Professor Bob Murray.

“The experience of presenting under immense pressure was my greatest takeaway from the competition. While co-op provides an environment to develop presentation skills, the competition challenged us at another level,” said Crowley.

Of 13 teams, D'Amore-McKim students placed second overall in New Jersey.

“I took away so much more than I expected from competing in the Rutgers Case Competition. I learned what it felt like to work with a team of people you've just met in a high-stakes situation with an extremely restrictive time limit. I felt like a consultant and would do another case any time,” said Pittorie.

Murray expressed his happiness with the team's work during the competition.