VSB seniors Dominica Delayo, Evan Woo, Sofia Arrascue and Earl Kelly represented the University at the San Diego State University Business Case Competition from Oct. 23 to 26. 

Held since 2013, the competition draws top undergraduate business students from across the United States and Mexico to solve complex international business cases.

The program is founded on the principle of providing an opportunity for experiential learning in global business education.

“The Moran Center for Global Leadership always does an amazing job connecting students with international experiences to help us grow as future business professionals,” Arrascue said.

After several rounds of competition against teams from across the country, the team advanced to the finals.

The finals themselves are already competitive to make it to, but the University’s team continued to advance.

Ultimately, Villanova’s representatives placed second and secured $2,000 in prize money.

For the case, the team was tasked with implementing an international business strategy for the Kenyan company, Ocean Sole.

It had to identify a South American country that provided Ocean Sole with a good opportunity to enter its market.

Then, it had to create an entrance strategy for Ocean Sole in the selected country.

The team was given the case details on the preceding Thursday at 9 p.m., and was granted the next 24 hours to prepare its presentation.

“Preparing the project was a complete team effort,” Kelly said. “We received the case Thursday night, read it together, and dove into developing our strategy. Once we identified the best path forward, we divided the work based on our strengths in marketing, finance and strategy. Everyone brought unique insights to the table that elevated the final deliverable far past the work of one individual.”

The group immediately had to get to work and cover each base.

Beyond the material component, the team also had to prepapre to present their ideas

Members were accompanied by a coach, Management and Operations Professor of Practice, Ward Utter.

“We were unable to have contact with anyone outside the team during the preparation day,” Arrascue said.

Thus, the team was on its own until the day of competition.

After considering various countries, the team settled on Colombia.

To enter the Colombian market, it decided to seek partnerships with domestic Colombian firms to ensure a smooth path toward establishing a foothold in the country.

Seeking partnerships would allow Ocean Sole access to local market knowledge, as its selected partners have insights into the market that foreign firms would otherwise not have.

Additionally, Ocean Sole would benefit from sharing risk with its partners, as it would not be solely liable for any potential setbacks or failures.

“Presentation day was both intense and rewarding,” Kelly said. “We presented to two different panels of judges for the first and final rounds, which helped us adapt our delivery throughout the day. The feedback was constructive and motivating, and beyond the competition itself, it was simply a fun experience.”

The effort and thoughtful strategy of Woo, Delayo, Arrascue and Kelly took them far in the competition, as the judges looked favorably upon their clever partnership strategy.

Besides their superb performance, the team also made the most of their experience in San Diego.

“Competing in San Diego was very exciting… we were able to go to the beach and work on our case in the nice weather,” Delayo said. “We all worked really well together.”

Given that the competition was based on case presentations, team chemistry and story telling were a critical factor for the team’s success.

The team delivered an exceptional final-round presentation in a massive auditorium to a panel of extremely accomplished judges.

Arrascue expressed that the Villanova School of Business did an exceptional job of preparing them for the competition.

“As VSB students, we’re given plenty of opportunities to practice [the competition’s] exact kind of format, so we felt prepared and excited to bring all of our knowledge from the classroom into the case competition,” Arrascue said.

Ultimately, the team’s endeavor was a success. Not only did it represent Villanova well with a second place finish, but it also gained professional experience that will aid members in their future careers.