Heavener School takes second place in international case competition

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A team of four students from the Heavener School of Business finished in second place at the Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge (TUBC) on Oct. 4-8 at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

Heavener students Anthony Cofrancesco, Mary Polidan, Sherman Wilhelm, and Sarah Winter were tasked with finding a solution involving PTT Global Chemical, Thailand’s largest petrochemical and refining company. The case focused on what steps PTT Global Chemical could take to prepare for the emergence of Electric Vehicles, a potentially disruptive force in the energy business. The team’s solution centered on the optimizing the company’s current product offering, focusing investment on lightweight materials for vehicles, investing in research and development, and manufacturing high-powered batteries.

The Heavener School—which finished second in this competition in 2015 and first in 2014—was the only U.S. school to reach the competition’s final round. Other U.S. participants in the 20-team field were the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

The winner of the competition was Veritas, a team of Thammasat University undergraduate students that qualified for the TUBC through The Challenger 2016—a case competition held in conjunction with the TUBC. Specter Consulting, another entry from The Challenger, finished third, and Singapore Management University was fourth.

The Heavener School will next compete in the Alberta International Business Competition on Nov. 6-12 in Edmonton, Alberta.