Alan Llavore | Office of Strategic Communication | 909-537-5007 | allavore@csusb.edu
Students from CSUSB’s Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration (JHBC) have emerged as top performers in the prestigious 2024 International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (ICBSC), which took place from Jan. 30-April 20.
Three teams of business students (two undergraduate and one graduate) led by faculty advisor, Jose Navarrete-Cruz, competed in the 2024 ICBSC and brought home a total of five accolades, including awards for “Best Documents” and “Best Overall Performance.”
ICBSC, which marks its 60th anniversary this year, is renowned for being the most comprehensive and longest-running business strategy competition worldwide.
JHBC Dean Tomás Gomez-Arias praised the commitment and achievements of the students. “In this challenging competition, advanced business students put the knowledge gained from their coursework to use in realistic corporate scenarios in competition with teams from all over the world. We take great pride in our undergraduate and graduate students who have put in tremendous effort and achieved remarkable success in this year's competition, showcasing the exceptional quality of our education and the skill of the JHBC student body."
“The outcome of this year's ICBSC fills me with immense pride and excitement,” said Navarrete-Cruz, also a lecturer in the Department of Accounting and Finance. “The students' achievement of five trophies is truly remarkable, reflecting the dedication and hard work of our students. As a second-year advisor, I couldn't be happier with their success. Despite the challenges and emotions that came with the competition, everyone remained composed and finished strong.”
The ICBSC is unique for its challenging format, which includes both a remote phase and an intensive, on-site phase. During the remote phase, students engage in making up to 80 business decisions per quarter (each week, starting in January) and developing and implementing a strategic business plan over 10 weeks. The culmination is a three-day intensive phase, which took place April 18-20 in Anaheim. During the onsite phase, teams present their annual reports and defend their strategies before a panel of judges consisting of seasoned senior-level business executives and academics.
JHBC's graduate business team was notable for being the only all-women group in the competition and included MBA candidates Omotola Akanni, Olayinka Owoseni, Rochelle Reynoldson, Molly Riter and Bianca Serrano.
“Our team was a work-experienced group of ladies who used humor to get through the stressful times and finish tasks,” said Reynoldson, who is also a nurse manager.
Riter, a senior communications specialist, concurred and added, “It was an intense and rigorous competition, and I'm proud of my team’s hard work and tenacity. I feel it deepened my learning regarding the complexities and intricacies of successfully managing and leading an international organization."
The ICBSC experience transcends academia, merging concepts from advanced business courses with practical strategy and teamwork. The competition simulates a five-year business environment where teams act as strategic senior managers of their own virtual companies, competing against other teams in a dynamic market that includes global and domestic considerations. This setup not only provides a platform for practical learning but also helps in building essential career skills and networking opportunities with senior-level business professionals from notable companies such as Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Intel, and more.
The two undergraduate teams represented a variety of business majors, including accounting, finance, information systems and technology, marketing and supply chain management. Participants included Janet Arias, Irene Barajas, Ivan Herrera-Valentin, Lauren Hunter, Jessica Rodriguez, Juan Sibrian, Jeremy Stewart, Ryan Valenzuela and Princesa Villegas.
“As a business student working on my second career path, this was such a beneficial collegiate experience for me,” said Valenzuela, a supply chain management major. “The practical application of strategic theory is vital to any learning experience."
Reflecting on the grueling yet rewarding competition, Villegas, an accounting major, said, “I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside such amazingly dedicated students, professionals, and educators.” She emphasized the importance of hard work in succeeding in the competition, quoting Portuguese soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo: "We are all talented, but talent without hard work is nothing."
Reynoldson highlighted the comprehensive nature of the competition, referencing how she utilized learning from all of her advanced business courses, “beginning with the process of working with our team, figuring out financials and formulas, and what our next moves would be.
“It was a great learning experience,” continued Reynoldson. “We met some amazing undergrads and students from other universities along the way.”
Nearly 30 teams from various universities across the United States and Canada, including the University of California, Riverside, Cal State Long Beach, University of Western Ontario and Idaho State University, participated in this year's event, making it a diverse and enriching experience for all involved.
“Being onsite at the competition was an exhilarating and rewarding experience,” said Sibrian, an information systems and technology major. “Fist bumps exchanged in the hallway [with fellow competitors] and the networking session afterward fostered connections and friendships among participants. Standing among the best was a source of pride. I'm grateful for the experience and the bonds formed through it.”