Rider Places Third in Johnson & Johnson National Business Case Competition
A team of four students from Rider University’s College of Business Administration placed third in the finals of the Johnson & Johnson Business Case Competition on April 3 at the corporate headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J.
Rider competed against nine other universities, including Bucknell University, Florida International University, LaSalle University, Penn State University, Rutgers University-Newark, Seton Hall University, University of Florida, University of Illinois and Villanova University. Rutgers-Newark received first-place honors, while the University of Illinois finished in second.
The teams were given 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.
Dr. Larry Prober, associate professor of Accounting, and Dr. Cindy Newman, chairperson of Marketing, served as advisers to the Rider team.
“The high finish of our team reflects not only their ability to integrate complex business issues but their enormous dedication toward communicating their recommendations to the judges,” Prober said. “On behalf of everyone at Rider, we are very proud of their accomplishment.”
The Rider team is composed of 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.
The team was selected during a preliminary round of the competition, judged by J&J executives, on February 25 on the Lawrenceville campus where two other teams also competed. This year, Rider’s College of Business Administration invited about 20 students from a range of business majors to participate in the competition.
While their hard work was recognized, the entire Rider team received greater rewards from the experience, which will benefit them as they continue their studies and pursue a business career.
Venanzi said the experience allowed him to gain self-confidence, and improve his communication skills and his ability to work as a team member. The team as a whole gained vital business skills, he said.
“This was truly a valued experience that will, without a doubt, help me somewhere along the line in my future business career,” Venanzi said. “I can confidently walk into any interview and impress anyone with the skills and experience that I have gained throughout this entire process.”
The case study allowed Chou to gain insight in business development and financial planning, and improve his public-speaking and time-management skills. Meanwhile, Kohler said the competition allowed her to apply what she has learned in the classroom to a real-world business scenario.
Addesso said she not only improved her communication and time management skills, but she was able to explore other business topics, such as marketing.
“It was great experience. It really exposed me to projects we are going to work on in our future careers,” she said.
