"Should we buy a new comic hero, or create our own figure?" Such were the questions 32 MBA students had to answer at the 10th IESE International Case Competition in Barcelona.

Eight teams of MBA students from top-ranking business schools developed a growth strategy for Marvel Enterprises Inc. The New York-based media company has become well known for "Spider-Man", its trademark figure. Within just a few hours, the students from Bocconi, Columbia, IESE, Ivey, LBS, MIT, RSM, Wharton and Yale had to analyze the facts and figures of Marvel Enterprises Inc. The MIT team from Boston left Barcelona as the winners of this year's competition.

A great learning experience

Vice Chairman F. Peter Cuneo has great praise for their results: "We will certainly use some of the ideas in our business." He also appreciated the suggestion to expand the company's Internet platform. The Vice Chairman's attendance at the event guaranteed its hands-on character. "This was a great learning experience for me," said one of the IESE students.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of results to a high-caliber jury. Apart from Cuneo, the jury comprised João Pena and Jérôme Koelewijn, both Partners at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, and Roland Berger Project Manager Klaus Müller.

The competition has been held each year since 1996. 2005 marks Roland Berger's fifth year as the event's sponsor. Bettina Ramlau, the HR Coordinator at the international strategy consultancy, says: "This competition gave the students a feel for how an international strategy consultancy works in real life."

Work in real life

José Bueno, Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Barcelona, pointed out how important the event is for our recruiting efforts: "Such an event, where you meet potential candidates from the world's top business schools, is a unique opportunity."

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants offers its employees the opportunity to join an MBA program at one of its target universities in Europe and the US. To qualify for sponsorship, employees must be outstanding performers and have been with the company for several years. Between 15 and 20 consultants qualify for the company's MBA program every year.

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