BUSINESS STUDENTS ARE TOPS. CASE CLOSED.

Thomas Casares wants to be well rounded.

Pre-med-biology major Thomas Casares has been a student representative to Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services. So, why did this sophomore whose interests seem to point to medicine or law opt to participate in the case competition?

"I want to be well rounded," Casares said. "I also want to combine my knowledge of science with finance," an attitude reflected in his membership in the Accounting Association. And, he was interested in Johnson & Johnson, where team members from previous years have secured good jobs.

Casares heard about the competition from his good friend Miguel Martinez, another member of the team and president-elect of the Accounting Association.

Much of Casares' work on the case centered on marketing research, particularly tracking European data from the past decade on the gastric band—one of the two product options the team had to consider. He also was part of the financial assessment team and did contingency planning.

For Casares, the experience was a boon academically and personally. Perhaps the biggest benefit was the chance to hone his communication skills.

"We spoke in front of CEOs and department heads," he said. "We were able to refine our skills in front of people who have heard polished speakers."

Miguel Martinez got to apply what he learned in classes.

Miguel Martinez will graduate in the Fall of 2005 with a Bachelor's degree in accounting, after which he hopes to get a Master's, take the CPA exam, and then join the accounting or finance department of a private firm.

From the beginning, he thought the team had a good chance to win.

"I knew one of the other people already and what to expect from him," Martinez said.

What he most enjoyed about the experience was having the chance to apply what he had learned in his classes. He also gained valuable knowledge about how to manage his time.

"I work 25 hours a week in a pharmacy, plus take classes," he said. "Adding the case work to that meant I really had to control my time."

In addition, he learned team work and how to see things from others' perspectives.

"You spend weeks together," he said. "That takes a lot of flexibility."

Winning was important, but Martinez doesn't think it was everything.

"Even if we had lost, it was still a great experience," he said. "I made new friendships that I treasure. The experience was also about more than just me. I felt tremendous pride because I was representing FIU."

Ana Perez learns team work.

"I wanted to get a feel for finance," is the reason Ana Perez gives for joining the competition. She'll graduate in the Spring of 2005 with a major in accounting. Down the road, Perez hopes to take the CPA exam and would like to work in one of the Big Four accounting firms.

Though her interest is in accounting—she's been secretary of the Accounting Association, for example—her work on the case took her into other areas as she focused on the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.

She got to meet a lot of people and network with them at the national competition, which she enjoyed, but the key lesson Perez took from the experience was how to be a team member.

"I had to think about how I could compromise with people with different backgrounds and different styles of working and studying," she said.

According to Perez, "Being a member of the case team opened doors for me."

She took part in a leadership program over the summer to learn a new set of skills.

Julius Nuñez makes lifelong friends.

Julius Nuñez heard about the case competition from a friend who had done it a year ago.

"It sounded like fun," said Nuñez, who will graduate in December 2004 with a double major in marketing and finance and a minor in psychology.

Co-president of the College's Chapter of the American Marketing Association (see related story on the recognition the AMA has recently achieved), Nuñez had already run a small business on eBay selling Japanese videos. He's currently working for Caterpillar in the marketing department of one of their sub-units and hopes to go into the company's marketing program. He got the job when he saw an ad in the Career Services office.

"They wanted someone who had marketing and web skills," he said. "I had done a program for Coke that was exactly what Caterpillar was looking for." He also credits the course he took in marketing strategy with helping him in both the competition and his job.

The case experience yielded an important personal benefit as well as its professional impact.

"I think the most important thing I took away from the case competition is four new best friends," Nuñez said. "I know I can count on them for just about anything."

Ana Garcia sets priorities.

In December 2005, Ana Garcia will graduate with a Bachelor's in accounting and a minor in economics. A friend who participated in last year's competition encouraged her to join this year's.

"It sounded interesting and I thought I would learn a lot," she said.

Like her colleagues, one thing she learned was that teamwork was essential.

"Everyone thinks differently," she said. "You have to learn to be open and to listen to everyone. You also have to sacrifice a lot and prioritize."

For Garcia, prioritizing meant giving up her job.

"I couldn't do less with school, which has always been number one for me, but I did quit my job because I felt the case competition was for my career," she said.

She worked with Ana Perez on the SWOT analysis.

"We decided to do a weighted SWOT, weighing each factor. That meant a lot of research," she said, noting that other team members helped.

Perez landed a six-month internship at Ortho Biotech Products, LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of J&J, beginning in July, so she'll be heading back to New Jersey, where the national adventure began for her and her teammates.