Lerner College sets annual Carol A. Ammon MBA Case Competition

10:47 a.m., March 6, 2013--Rent the Runway (RTR), an e-commerce business that enables women to rent high fashion dresses and accessories, has enjoyed growth since its launch in 2009. But now the company is faced with questions. Do they expand their inventory and focus on growing their customer base? Do they focus on making their operations more effective?

To address these and other questions, graduate students in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics have begun to prepare strategic recommendations and plans for RTR for presentation at the annual Carol A. Ammon MBA Case Competition on Friday, March 15.

Campus Stories

From graduates, faculty

As it neared time for the processional to open the University of Delaware Commencement ceremonies, graduating students and faculty members shared their feelings about what the event means to them.

Doctoral hooding

It was a day of triumph, cheers and collective relief as more than 160 students from 21 nations participated in the University of Delaware's Doctoral Hooding Convocation held Friday morning on The Green.

• Doctoral hooding
• Old Swedes
• Summer SAT, ACT prep
• 'Opus 13' pre-sale

Because of the unique industry focus, professors and graduate students in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at UD are working with the Lerner College students to provide industry information and context for the case.

This year, more than 70 graduate students on 19 teams will participate in the competition, representing the majority of degree programs in the Lerner College, including: the MBA; master of science programs in accounting, information systems and technology management, and organizational development and change; the dual MBA/MS in Finance; and the dual MS in Engineering/MBA.

On the morning of the competition, a panel of MBA alumni will judge closed preliminary rounds of student presentations. 

The final round, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. in 125 Alfred Lerner Hall, during which each of the three finalist teams selected from the 19 entered will give their 20-minute presentations.

A reception and awards ceremony will follow in the Lerner Atrium.

About Rent the Runway

In November 2009, Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, both Harvard Business School graduates, launched Rent the Runway (RTR) to address the “closet full of clothes but nothing to wear” moments so many women face. The e-commerce business is dedicated to providing women across America access to high fashion brands and clothing, where users can experiment with new brands and benefit from he expertise of professional stylists by renting clothing and accessories while remaining budget conscious. Dress rentals start at $50 for 4 days while accessories start at $10.

About the Carol A. Ammon Case Competition

The Carol A. Ammon Case Competition, named after its founder, began in 2000. The case competition, open to all Lerner College graduate students, provides an opportunity for students to implement and exhibit the analytical and presentation skills they learn in class. Team presentations undergo two rounds of judging. In the first round, alumni and friends of the MBA program act as judges. The teams that excel from the primary round move on to the final round, which is judged by executives from that year’s case company.

Article by Kathryn Meier