At Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, the Jim Chelius Case Competition was established as an opportunity for all Rutgers graduate and undergraduate HR students to gain real-life experience in solving pressing HR problems faced by major corporations.
Over the past five years, corporate sponsors, like Morgan Stanley, Dow Jones, ADP, and Wegmans, have been able to spot talent early on for possible employment and gain significant consulting advice via the case presentations and analysis.
This year's event, initiated on September 19, 2016, garnered the largest ever registration of 25 teams (97 total graduate and undergraduate participants). The first round included a written submission by all teams regarding a Harvard Business School Business Case centered on customer service issues and the involvement of HR to identify critical issues, causes, resolutions, and appropriate metrics related to a global pharmaceutical/consumer business. The written responses were judged by a panel of students and faculty. Criteria used in screening the responses included the quality of the analysis, insightful and critical thinking, quality and feasibility of the recommendations, and written clarity.
Six teams were selected to enter the final round and take on the L'Oréal Operations Americas case: “Causes of High Turnover and Lack of Retention.” The students only had three weeks to research, analyze the data provided, and deliver a presentation.
December 9th marked the final round event with L'Oréal's team of HR executive judges: Penelope Sur, AVP of HR Learning; Ingrid Gardner, VP of Talent Acquisition; Joseph Lingle, VP of HR Manufacturing; Adriana Kloss, VP of HR Corporate Functions; Elida Pazmino, Manager of HR Learning; and Heather Gorzelnik, VP of HR.
The L'Oréal judges were very impressed by students’ professionalism, level of sophistication, and detailed presentations. It showed how much appreciation and interest they had for the company. At the end of each presentation, the judges asked questions to which the students responded with confidence and knowledge. Many of their points and ideas were accepted as valid and will certainly be taken into consideration for implementation. L'Oréal was honored to host the competition and thanks Rutgers University, represented by David Ferio, Director of the Graduate Program in HR Management, and his team whom partnered with L'Oréal to make this event a success.
L'Oréal congratulates the winning teams and all students for the amount of quality work and commitment to the company. According to the company's statement, "L'Oréal Operations Americas looks forward to continuing this partnership with Rutgers in the future!"
- article courtesy of L'Oréal
