Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

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International Team Takes Home MTU Husky Investment Tournament Win

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The Husky Investment Tournament hosted by the College of Business at Michigan Technological University this spring drew high school business students from across the country and world to compete for a cash prize and scholarships toward a Michigan Tech education. 

Students Prabhnoor Singh, Tijil Gupta, and Amol Singh Cheema of Amity International School in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, came in first place at the conclusion of trading on April 16.

L to R: Prabhnoor Singh, Tijil Gupta, Amol Singh Cheema

“The tournament really helped us to get real-world trading experience while competing with other people,” the team, who worked together remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said.

Their teacher, Virendra Verma, taught the eleventh-graders the basics of stock market investing and reached out to the College of Business for a platform to complement their existing high school curriculum and help further develop their investment skills.

The competition utilizes a virtual stock-trading tool and college student- and faculty-led video modules to help high school educators lead engaging conversations and lessons of their own. Teams of three to four students receive $1,000,000 in virtual US dollars to build a portfolio. The group with the highest-valued portfolio earns $1,000 in prize money and all students who actively participate are awarded a scholarship to attend Michigan Tech.

As a result of increased interest, this semester, the competition expanded to include international participants. 

The Husky Investment Tournament is embedded in high school economics, business, and personal finance classes. Since its launch in September 2019, 917 students from across California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin have participated in the Husky Investment Tournament.

High school educators or administrators wishing to sign teams up for a future competition should visit mtu.edu/business-tournament.

About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of  Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.

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My Life On Campus During COVID-19

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Emily Kughn is a second-year student in Michigan Technological University’s College of Business, dual majoring in marketing and management with a concentration in supply chain and operations management. The Horton, Michigan, native is also a member of the American Marketing Association. Below is her piece about what it’s like living and learning on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walking onto campus to start my first year, I felt a huge mix of emotions: happy to start a new chapter, sad to leave my family and friends back home, anxious about what’s to come, and excited about my new independence. Just like any other first-time college student, I had my guesses about what college might be like, but I really had no idea what to expect. I can assure you the last thing I anticipated was a global pandemic!

Fast forward now into my second year at Michigan Tech—my everyday campus life looks much different than it did last year. Obviously, I wish more than anything that this virus never existed, but I’ve learned to forge a new path and create a new normal.

The sense of community on Michigan Tech’s campus is especially strong this year. We’ve found creative ways to come together and show support for one another. Since we can’t attend sporting events, have large gatherings, or socialize much outside of class, it makes the interaction we do get extra special. My favorite ways to safely socialize now include our outdoor movie nights, bonfires, going on hikes, and Zoom calls with my friends.

In order to thrive in online classes, I find it vital to establish a routine to stay organized. I treat my classes the same way I would if they were all in person. I make sure to mask up and head to the library at least twice a week in order to get a change of scenery while studying. I am also still very much involved in student organizations, which keeps me busy.

In the American Marketing Association, we participated in a virtual marketing competition and the Women’s Rugby Club competed against our conference in a virtual season. My student org involvement has been a major blessing; being able to stay connected with others in new ways while also staying involved in things I enjoy.

The most challenging part of the year so far has been not being able to attend all classes in person, not being able to see all of my friends, trying to meet new people, and constantly dealing with the many unknowns.

Finding opportunities to learn and grow given our current circumstances is important. Living and learning on campus during a pandemic definitely comes with challenges. However, I am thankful to be on the campus I love, still doing the things I enjoy (even if virtual for now).

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My College Internship in the Time of COVID-19

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By Mitchell DeLong

My name is Mitch DeLong, and I am excited to share information about my summer 2020 internship with Plexus Corporation. I am a fourth-year Michigan Tech student studying management with a concentration in supply chain and operations management in the College of Business.

MTU business student Mitchell DeLong

Despite the many challenges COVID-19 has presented, I was fortunate to find an opportunity to learn and grow with Plexus at their Neenah, Wisconsin, operations. While completing work with a mask on and undergoing regular temperature checks has not previously been routine during an internship, I am thankful for the safety precautions Plexus established.

Due to the pandemic, all in-person gatherings for interns were canceled. However, Plexus took steps to ensure we could still connect and have a great experience. They offered safe and engaging activities from virtual game nights to book clubs. Overall, my internship relied heavily upon the use of computers to do my work and connect with peers. Training from both Plexus and Michigan Tech prepared me for these technology-centered interactions. 

I held the title of materials intern. The title may sound simple, but the work I was exposed to was beautifully complex. In the center where I was based, low-volume, high-complexity circuit boards are manufactured for use in advanced electronic equipment. The circuit boards Plexus makes are found in equipment ranging from advanced medical machinery to airplane controls. Some of the circuit board assemblies I worked with contain more than a thousand individual parts!  

Coordinating the movement of so many parts was challenging and it was also rewarding knowing that the assignments I completed helped provide end-users with a risk-free experience.

https://connect.plexus.com/sites/Communications/MMD/Approved%20Images/_w/Markets_AD_02_jpg.jpg

My tasks entailed procuring parts within the aerospace and defense market sector. I made connections with supply chain professionals and practiced techniques I learned in my courses at Michigan Tech.

Interning during a pandemic also provided the unique opportunity to learn firsthand about extreme fluctuations in supply chains. Some parts experienced a “Bull-whip” effect and were directly impacted by manufacturing changes related to the public health crisis. As a purchaser of those parts, it was my job to minimize the negative impacts of the supply chain so that production managers and customers could get the products they need on-time and at a fair cost. 

Beyond that, I worked with mentors to develop a long-term agreement project to stabilize and guarantee the supply and demand for critical components for circuit board assemblies.

While my internship only lasted 11 weeks, I am grateful that Plexus provided me with a project that will make a difference for years to come.

https://connect.plexus.com/sites/Communications/MMD/Approved%20Images/_w/Markets_AD_06_jpg.jpg
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My First Year at MTU: Marco Marquez

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MTU student Marco Marquez stands at a podium
Having grown up in Detroit, Michigan, Marco Marquez felt ready for the natural, rugged beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The unique location, along with Michigan Tech’s STEM focus, led him to enroll in engineering management.

Since starting at Michigan Tech in the fall of 2019, Marco has adjusted and loves his second home. At first, he wasn’t sure what to expect and found it difficult to leave behind access to shopping, family, and friends. However, he says that meeting new friends and exploring the Upper Peninsula made the transition to college easier than expected. 

Marco has enjoyed getting to know students from other cultures and connecting through language. As a bilingual student, Marco finds language to be a starting point in learning about other people. Of his new connections, meeting a fellow Husky from Spain in Intro to Finance has been one of the most rewarding. He finds that collaborating on homework in Spanish to be a helpful way to continue using his second language.

Joining student organizations has also helped Marco gain new perspectives. One impactful experience was visiting Chicago with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to speak with pre-college students in primarily Hispanic schools. The group encouraged students to think about their lives after high school and the opportunities that are available to them in STEM and college. Marco also traveled to Minneapolis with the Accounting Club, which prompted his decision to switch majors to accounting and finance. He is also a member of the Society of African-American Men, which participates in community service activities on campus. 

In his first year at Michigan Tech, Marco’s vision for his future has evolved. Initially, his goal was to get a degree and a well-paying job to help support his family. Since then, he has learned to aim even higher. Marco now aspires to create his own company in the automotive industry, where he will work to make travel easier, faster, and more affordable. He would also love to use his passion for language to connect with others while undertaking this journey.

Marco credits his growth to the encouraging culture at MTU, and wants to let other students know that stepping outside their comfort zone just might change their perspective for life. 

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Week Five—Husky Investment Tournament

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Attempts to limit the spread of COVID-19 have closed schools, suspended face-to-face classes at many universities (including Michigan Tech), closed restaurant dining areas, and are causing countless events and functions to be canceled.

The markets have been extremely volatile (rapidly changing) in the past few weeks and will likely continue to be until the effects of the virus level out and normalcy is restored to the financial system (the President indicated yesterday that this could be sometime in summer). 

The bull market (remember, a bull market is when the market continually goes up, whereas a bear market is when stocks are dropping), one of the longest in history, was still going strong a month ago. However, in just a few weeks, things have taken a major turn. Last Monday, the S&P fell 7.6 percent in one day; that’s the biggest drop since 2008. Stocks then rebounded on Wednesday and fell again (by 9.51 percent) on Thursday. On Friday, they soared by over 9 percent again. 

For a bull market to turn into a bear market, the market needs to drop 20 percent over a period of time. The Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq all ended their historic 11-year bull run last Wednesday and Thursday, with stock prices less than 20 percent than they were just a month before. 

Typically, a bull market turning into a bear market is an indicator of a looming recession, but this is not always the case. Prior to market disruptions from the Coronavirus, the US economy was booming with 50-year low unemployment, a 20-year high in household income, and record-low interest rates. It is yet to be seen if the Coronavirus will propel us into a recession, or if the markets will rebound following these unprecedented times.

Of course, this is not the first time the markets have seen huge fluctuations. You may remember learning about the Great Depression, the financial crisis of 2008, and the dot-com bubble in your classes. All of these events triggered detrimental effects on the stock market, but the market recovered from each event. There is yet to be an event in history where the market could not recover—with time. 

We know many students are out of school right now. Keep following the markets and making trades! This is an excellent time to learn how the markets react in times of distress and is a great time to practice virtual collaboration, a useful skill for anyone. We recommend using a video conferencing software, such as Zoom, to meet with your team and discuss your trading strategies. 

For this week’s video, Laura Connolly, an assistant professor of economics at Michigan Tech, discusses economic indicators and how investors can use them to gauge their investment decisions. Please note, the rates and indicators in this video are as of October 2019; however, the information surrounding how to read and interpret these ratios is correct. 

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