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Cave Hill Debaters remain in winners row

For Release Upon Receipt - July 9, 2012

Cave Hill


The UWI Cave Hill Campus successfully defended their title as champions of the annual CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Inter-Campus Case Analysis Competition with an outstanding performance to beat out strong competition from sister campuses St. Augustine, Mona and specially invited guest; the University of Technology, Jamaica.

The fifth edition of this fledgling competition; an excellent representation of the UWI’s continued successful partnership with the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, was hosted from May 27th to June 2nd by the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. It featured a weeklong schedule of events and initiatives aimed at promoting practical business realities within a Caribbean context, training in analytical and presentation skills development and the promotion of regional interaction amongst students and faculty alike. The participants were treated to tours of the magnificent north coast of Trinidad and Maracas Bay, downtown Port-of-Spain and the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank’s corporate offices in Maraval.

This year’s case study focused on the series of critical events surrounding an eight-year power plant project in the Caribbean and encouraged participants to find creative strategic solutions for the controlling firm’s future management of the project and beyond. Primarily drawing on strategic management solutions, the case also called for knowledge in other disciplines such as finance, human resource management, project management, operations management, international business and general management.

In completing their second consecutive win in the competition, Cave Hill team ensured that they closed the gap on three-time winners Mona, which holds the victory benchmark for the event. The Cave Hill team, represented by Vincentian undergraduate students Jason Da-Silva and Shamir Francois, and Barbadian students Imran Corbin-Boyce, Shae Lashley and Janelle Turton were guided by Faculty advisors and Dr. Nadini Persaud and Mr. Dion Greenidge. The team demonstrated its dominance of the competition by also winning the prize for the Best Analysis of the Case, while the St. Augustine team, who finished second, won the prize for the Most Original Presentation of the Case Analysis with a highly creative portrayal of a student-professor interactions during final examinations. Mona placed third for the second year running while the University of Technology, Jamaica, who last competed in 2009, came fourth. There was some consolation for the UTech team with Mark Scott copping the prize for the Best Individual Presenter with his confident demeanour and handling of the presentation materials and question and answer responses from the judges.

The competition also awarded individuals of each participating team for their role in building and supporting team spirit and motivation. Shamir Francois, Felisha Hosein, Kenzil King and Charlene Hall-Howell from the Cave Hill, St. Augustine, Mona and UTech teams won respectively.

Managing Director of CIBC FirstCaribbean Trinidad, Mr. Ian Chinapoo, a former graduate of the UWI, St. Augustine Campus, hailed the ongoing relationship between the Bank and the UWI which has seen undergraduate business students receive over US$25,000 in cash prizes over the competition’s history and over US$100,000 in financial support. This support also includes intangible opportunities for students to network with some of the Caribbean’s finest private and public business practitioners who perform the roles of judges. 

A five-member panel of judges representing various relevant sectors of corporate Trinidad assessed the participants on their cases analysis, presentation and responses to the panel’s question and answers. Included among the judges were two representatives from the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank; Head Judge, Mr. Sharaz Ahamad, Director, Origination & Capital Markets Products, Southern Caribbean and Mrs. Usha Ramlal, Audit Portfolio Director. They were joined by Mr. Sharan Chandradath Singh, Director, International Office, UWI St. Augustine Campus, Mr. Fitzroy Hareword, General Manager, PowerGen Trinidad, and Mr. Glenford Joseph, Managing Director, Joseph and Associates, Human Resources Management Solutions.

The competition was co-ordinated by the Cave Hill Campus’ Office of Student, Corporate and Alumni Relations in conjunction with the Cave Hill, Mona and St. Augustine Campus’, Faculty of Social Sciences, Departments of Management Studies.

 

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