Rider University Teams Compete in Johnson & Johnson Business Case Competition

Four students from Rider University’s College of Business Administration will compete in the final round of the 2009 Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Business Case Competition, to be held on April 3 at the corporate headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J.

The winning team was selected during the preliminary round of the competition, judged by J&J executives, on Wednesday, February 25 on the Lawrenceville campus where two other teams also competed.

The Rider team, which will compete in the finals, includes Nicole Addesso of Cape May, N.J., a junior Accounting major; Justin Chou of Westfield, N.J., a junior Finance and International Business dual major; Kelsey Kohler of Southampton, Pa., a junior Advertising and Marketing dual major; and Michael Venanzi of Hillsborough, N.J., a junior Marketing major.

This year, Rider’s College of Business Administration invited about 20 students from a range of business majors to participate in the competition. Dr. Cynthia Newman, chair of the Marketing Department, and Dr. Larry Prober, associate professor of Accounting, advised the teams.

“This is a great competition. It blends together accounting, finance and marketing,” said Prober, who has served as Rider’s adviser since the competition was initiated eight years ago. “I was impressed by all the students’ efforts and the ability of students to answer tough questions posed by the judges.”

The teams were assigned and given four weeks to analyze a case study to determine whether two new products should be introduced into two foreign countries. The case emphasized the importance of political, cultural, and economic factors in this type of decision. As in years past, the case represented real-world opportunities encountered by J&J and provided a unique way for students to better understand the financial decision-making process used by one of the world’s most successful and admired pharmaceutical companies.

The J&J representatives judged the students on how clearly they communicated their recommendations including the criteria established by the company. Students received positive feedback from the judges who were impressed by their composure and the ability to rationalize their arguments, explained Newman.

“We had more balanced teams this year with more marketing representation and varied perspectives,” said Newman citing the reasons for the teams’ performance. “This year, we really coached the students to work as a team from the beginning.”

The other Rider students who competed in the preliminary round included Mark Colasurdo of Easton, Pa., a junior Accounting major; Kevin Van Loan of Roselle Park, N.J., a sophomore Accounting major; Rose Indoe of Sussex, N.J., a senior Accounting and Finance dual major; and Danielle Becker of Merrick, N.Y., a senior Finance major of Team 2; and Christine Hogan of Basking Ridge, N.J., a junior Accounting major; Jamie Raspa of Morganville, N.J., a junior Advertising major; Kate Murphy of Holland, Pa., a junior Marketing and Finance dual major; and Erin Bethke of Hamilton, N.J., a junior Finance and Management dual major, of Team 3.

The selected Rider team will present their recommendations at next month’s final round, which will also feature students from the University of Florida, University of Illinois, Rutgers University, Villanova University, Penn State University, Bucknell University, LaSalle University and Seton Hall University.