3 September 2013 Lincoln University students compete at international conference in Atlanta

Five Lincoln University agribusiness students experienced a valuable learning opportunity in Atlanta this year when they competed in an international student case study competition.

The competition was part of the 23rd annual International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) Symposium held in Atlanta in the United States.

The IFAMA student case study competition is designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their analytical and presentation skills to academic and industry leaders, and provide universities a venue to showcase outstanding talent.

In June, 22 highly skilled student teams from universities across the world competed to solve a business problem relating to the agri-food sector.

The Lincoln students who attended were Salil Bhattarai, Leicester Murray, Benjamin May, Julia Galwey and Kelsi Finnerty. They were joined by five Massey University students.

The competition required the students to work in groups of four or five and undertake an in-depth analysis into a particular agribusiness. This involved outlining an issue and developing a strategy for the business to adopt and meet specific goals.

Preparation for the case study competition started in March and included discussions of several Harvard Business School style case studies, to improve the students’ analytical and presentation skills.

At the competition, the teams had four hours to complete the case study, then one hour of practice, before presenting to a panel of judges. The two combined Lincoln – Massey teams presented confidently and received positive feedback.

Sharon Lucock, Lincoln University lecturer in Agribusiness Management, was one of four academic facilitators who also attended the conference. She says the trip was a “real eye-opener” for the students.

“They came back from the trip really invigorated. It was a wonderful learning experience being able to see how other parts of the world farm and how they run their agribusinesses, compared to New Zealand.

“I personally feel that the students really benefitted from the networking side of things as well. They met many people – most of whom they still keep in touch with.”

Lincoln student Julia Galwey says the competition was a huge learning experience. “It was a great way to put many of the frameworks learnt at university into practice. The competition day itself was great for practising public speaking, and provoking thought and discussion amongst the team.

“Although it was disappointing that we did not progress into the finals, I was very happy with the effort that our team put in. A highlight was the large number and diverse range of students from around the globe that we got to meet and socialise with regularly. Overall, a very worthwhile experience.”

Some of the students also attended a post-conference tour, which was a road trip that began in Atlanta, Georgia and ended a week later in Orlando, Florida. During the tour they visited a range of agricultural enterprises and two universities.

“The tour was one of the highlights of the trip for me,” says Julia. “It was great to be exposed to many differing agribusinesses throughout Georgia and Florida – and to see some of America.

“It was nice to learn about some of the crops that we aren’t exposed to in New Zealand but are so significant globally, such as cotton, tobacco and soybean. It was also particularly interesting to learn about the different relationships that occur throughout the supply chains.”

Other mentors who attended the conference include Lincoln University Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Management, Nic Lees, as well as Professor Nicola Shadbolt and Senior Lecturer Elena Garnevska from Massey University.

The trip was funded by the Massey-Lincoln and Agricultural Industry Trust (Partnership for Excellence Programme), Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) and the Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management.

“We would like to thank our funders, as without them the trip would not have been possible,” says Sharon. “The students learnt so much and we were thrilled the IFAMA case study organisers complimented our involvement and encouraged our future participation.”