UH Business Students Compete for Awards from BAE Systems

May 23, 2008

"The results under Professor Jack Suyderhoud were impressive and we look forward to a sustained relationship with the University of Hawai'i. The quality of the first phase results are testimony to the caliber of business students here in Hawai'i and the energy they bring with them is infectious."

Galen I. Ho, President,
Galen Enterprise LLC

(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — An innovative public-private partnership between BAE Systems Inc. (BAE) and students in the Department of Financial Economics and Institutions at the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, was celebrated recently during an awards luncheon. This marked the conclusion of phase one of a three phased study approach over a 10 month period.

"We are thankful to Jack Booher of BAE Systems and Mr. Galen Ho for their support of our Shidler undergraduates. By funding this competition they provided our students with the opportunity to provide real-world, real-time research that will be used by BAE Systems in formulating their strategies. The students rose to this challenge with high-quality effort. I'm only sorry we could not award more prizes," said Dr. Jack Suyderhoud.

Bringing real world application into the classroom, students worked in teams of two or three to research countries in the Asia-Pacific region to assist BAE Systems in developing a business strategy for possible expansion into the Asian market. The teams each evaluated one country's economic climate, political environment and aerospace and defense demographics and presented their market research to a BAE Systems management team on May 9 at the Shidler School of Business. Five Winning teams received cash awards totaling almost $6,000.

"We at BAE Systems believe we can build on our substantial presence here in Hawai'i to create the launch point and foundation for our Asia-Pacific market aspirations," said Galen Ho, president of Galen Ho Enterprise LLC and a consultant to BAE Systems, Inc. for the Asia-Pacific study. "We found an excellent resource and partner in the UH Shidler School of Business to help us analyze the region."

The students appreciated the opportunity to conduct meaningful research. "I was grateful for the opportunity to present in front of a real company, and put my name out there," said Daniel Lee, a winning team member.

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About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the College is a professional school, offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The College places a strong emphasis on the development of management skills, entrepreneurship and the management of business information technology. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawaiʻi accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whosbe purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses.

BAE Systems, Inc. consists of three operating groups that provide support and service solutions for defense, intelligence and civilians systems; design, develop and manufacture a wide range of electronic systems and subsystems for military and commercial applications; and design, develop, produce and provide service support of armored combat vehicles, artillery systems and intelligent munitions. BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 97,500 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US $31.4 billion) in 2007.