The Economist Announces Winners Of Its 2014 International MBA Case Study Competition

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Economist announced the winners of its first-ever International MBA Case Study Competition at its February Online MBA Fair. Twenty-four teams representing 23 business schools competed for the grand prize of $10,000.

The competition, sponsored by Muddy Waters Research, a U.S. based investment research firm, asked competing teams to think unconventionally about a real world business problem. Teams from business schools around the world evaluated Zillow's $3.5 billion acquisition of Trulia, a rival property website, in a stock-only deal.

Carson Block, the Director of Research and Founding Partner of Muddy Waters Research, selected the top three proposals, and visitors to the case study site selected the People's Choice winner:

• First place – Monterey Institute of International Studies, Middlebury College
• Second place – The Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University
• Third place – The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
• People's Choice – Fundacao Instituto de Administracao, FIA Business School

The MBA Case Study Competition awarded $21,000 USD in prize money to the winning teams.

The competing teams' proposals can be viewed at The Economist's Which MBA? site. The Economist will launch its next Case Study Competition, an investment challenge featuring teams of undergraduate students, on March 9th.

The 24 teams hail from:

• INSEAD
• MIT's Sloan School of Management
• Bocconi University, SDA Bocconi School of Management
• Michigan State University, Broad College of Business
• University of North Texas College of Business
• University of Wollongong, Sydney Business School
• York University, Schulich School of Business
• Ball State University, Ball State MBA
• WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management
• University of North Alabama, UNA College of Business
• Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management
• Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
• Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management
• Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
• Fundacao Instituto de Administracao, FIA Business School
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business Administration
• Wagner College Department of Business
• Middlebury College, Monterey Institute of International Studies
• Florida Southern College, Barney Barnett School of Business & Free Enterprise
• Creighton University, Heider College of Business
• City University of Hong Kong College of Business
• Tufts University, The Fletcher School
• University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business

To inquire about opportunities to participate in The Economist's upcoming case study competitions, visit: http://success.economist.com.

About Which MBA? (economist.com/whichmba)
Which MBA? is a division of The Economist Newspaper Group which offers a suite of online products serving both prospective MBA students and business schools. Our consumer products for prospective students include a GMAT preparation course, annual MBA rankings, and content on Economist.com. Which MBA? offers multi-media advertising solutions for business schools ranging from online MBA fairs, to traditional online and print mediums, to custom white-label lead generation tools.

About The Economist (economist.com)
With a growing global circulation (approximately 1.6 million including both print and digital) and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications. The paper covers politics, business, science and technology, and books and arts, concluding each week with the obituary. Its website offers articles from the past ten years, in addition to web-only content such as blogs, debates and audio/video programmes. The Economist is now available to download for reading on Android, iPhone, or iPad devices

About Muddy Waters Research (muddywatersresearch.com)
Muddy Waters, LLC is a pioneer in on-the-ground, freely published investment research. Muddy Waters peels back the layers, often built up by seemingly respected but sycophantic law firms, auditors, and venal managements. Muddy Waters prides itself on assessing a company's true worth, and being able to see through the opacity and hype that some managements create. Their research approach is to combine diverse talents, including forensic accountants, trained investigators, valuation experts and entrepreneurs, many of whom have hands-on experience running businesses in the U.S. and emerging markets.

SOURCE The Economist