48°
The event, which is taking place at the firm’s Purchase campus on Friday, Oct. 31, brings together local high school juniors and seniors to hone their problem-solving and business analytical skills. About 140 students from 17 schools competing for three prizes, awarded for the best presentations on “Wal-Mart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative,” a case study from the University of California, Berkeley/Haas School of Business.
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Morgan Stanley Multicultural Employee Networking Group have partnered with the AAMW for two years to help students to develop the skills they will need to compete in the business world.
“The AAMW is dedicated to promoting a diverse workforce among Westchester County’s businesses,” said Kara Underwood, Morgan Stanley managing director. “As a significant employer in the area, Morgan Stanley shares their commitment and is pleased to partner with them in encouraging young minority students to learn about the business world.”
Mandell Crawley, Morgan Stanley’s chief marketing officer, welcomed the students, who then broke into study groups to review the case and prepare their presentations. After lunch, each team was to give a four-minute presentation. A panel of judges – led by state Supreme Court Justice Bruce Tolbert – rated the groups based on teamwork, the proposed solution, and their presentation skills.
“The nature of work has changed drastically over the last 20 years,” said Bernie Thombs, an AAMW member and event co-chairman. ”Over 25 percent of today’s jobs did not exist 20 years ago, and this trend will continue. The AAMW recognized this in 2003 and developed the Business Skills Olympics to address the needs of a changing economy.”
“The Business Skills Olympics is designed to present high school students with real life problems that businesses face daily,” said Luvaghn Brown, co-chairman of the event. “Business school case studies present the student teams with topical problems, such as copyright infringement, social responsibility, human resource management and environmental issues. Working in a corporate setting to solve the case fosters collaboration and teamwork.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Harrison and receive free news updates.
