Business students win big at UHV business competition
Meeting almost every week to prepare for the 29th University of Houston-Victoria Bachelor of Business Administration Case Conference paid off for the top team when they presented their analysis of an oil exploration company.
“My team and I were very happy when we came to know that we actually won,” said Yasmin Ali of Sugar Land, whose team took first place. “We couldn’t stop smiling when we met afterward.”
Every semester, UHV students enrolled in “Strategic Management,” the BBA program’s capstone course, attend the conference to compete in the presentation of a company case analysis. This year, 173 undergraduate students on 30 teams participated in the competition on Nov. 20. The students analyzed a publicly traded company called EOG Resources, an oil exploration company based in Houston.
In addition to Ali, other members of the first-place team were Michael Murphy and Steffi Rodriguez of Houston, Olivia Salas and Kassandra Tucker of Victoria, and Beyonce Bowers of Killeen.
This year, the conference was held virtually through Microsoft Teams. The conference was the culmination of a semester-long case study of a company. The study included examining the competitive external environment of the firm to determine threats and opportunities, then evaluating the company’s strengths and weaknesses, before the final step of considering potential strategic directions. During the competition, students presented their findings to a panel of judges made up of UHV faculty, alumni and community business leaders, who gave scores to individuals and teams.
“The winning team did a great job in all those steps and had an outstanding presentation at the conference,” said Kaveh Moghaddam, a UHV associate professor of management who taught the first- and second-place teams. “It is really enjoyable to see my students performing well at the case competition. I am very proud of them.”
Ali said she found the presentation to be the most challenging part of the competition but also the most rewarding. After working with her teammates, and especially Rodriguez, who served as the team’s leader, she knew the team would do well.
“This presentation helped me boost my confidence in standing in front of judges and not showing signs of being nervous,” Ali said. “Now we know that we have experience that will benefit us in the career world.”
Other teams placing in the BBA competition were:
- Second Place – Kuang-Yu Hou of Sugar Land, Ismael Perez of Victoria, Abdon Mendez of Katy, Dien Huynh of Winona and Antonio Hernandez of Houston.
- Third Place – Monica Bonner and Fagner Sampaio of Katy, Tammy Cannon of Kingsville, Karina Hernandez of Richmond, Raven Owens of Wharton and Kara Warren of Cypress.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
