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From left: Nick Discuillo, Krista Close, Gloria Majchrzak, Stefan Antony and Dr. Olivier Roche.

SALISBURY, MD---When the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec, selected the 24 top teams in the world to compete in its 33rd annual international case competition, Salisbury University was on the list.

SU’s strong showing at the competition in 2012 and 2013 earned four students from its Franklin P. Perdue School of Business a spot at the 2014 event. They vied against teams from Finland, Norway, Hong Kong, Thailand, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Brazil, as well as others in Canada and the United States.

“Just like a global market, the competition was from all over the world,” said Krista Close, a senior management major from Delmar, MD.

Joining her on the team were senior marking major Nick Discuillo of Baltimore; senior marking and information systems major Gloria Majchrzak of Frederick, MD; and junior accounting and information systems major Stefan Antony of Salisbury. Dr. Olivier Roche, the Perdue School’s director of international business and global programs.

During the week-long competition, each team researched and presented on four cases provided by Montréal-area businesses seeking creative solutions for rebranding or introducing existing products into new markets. For the first three cases, teams had three hours to determine recommendations before presenting them to judges. For the final case, participants had 24 hours to research and create a presentation.

Teams were divided into six brackets. On the final day, the winner of each bracket was given the opportunity to re-present its 24-hour case study to an overall judging panel, which determined the competition’s winner. Salisbury led its division during the first three rounds. Disciullo said he and his teammates reached a new plateau with each round.

“The level of competition was so high, there really wasn’t an option not to get better each time,” he said, adding that “Our presentation skills soared.”

According to Majchrzak, those skills, along with the team’s confidence, earned strong feedback from judges throughout the week.

“They said if it was based on presentation alone, we would have won,” she said, crediting the team’s preparation under Roche for its strength in that area.

In the end, ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõdid not win the competition, but it did place among the top eight in the world’s largest international business case competition. It also allowed the students to expand their horizons, networking with others from around the globe and, between the hectic competition schedule, getting a small taste of Québec.

“The culture was absolutely incredible,” said Disciullo, who was visiting Canada for the first time.

Close agreed that between the cultural aspects of the trip and the chance to go head-to-head with some of the world’s top business students, the experience was a prize in itself.

“In the end,” she said, “everyone really is a winner.”

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõwebsite at www.salisbury.edu.