Ilitch School students win international academic writing contest

Mike Ilitch School of Business MBA student Samuel Brinson took first prize in the Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) academic writing contest. Ilitch School student Rivan Khamo, an undergraduate majoring in information systems management, received an honorable mention.

The top three papers were selected by a panel of TEC software and technology analysts, who chose from among submissions received from students around the world. Each winner will be awarded a cash prize and have their paper published on the TEC website with their own byline.

Participants were asked to write a paper on how emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital transformation are impacting businesses and, more specifically, how these technologies are affecting companies' enterprise software needs. Brinson won the top prize with his submission titled, "How Can We Use BI to Determine the Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on the Supply Chain & Distribution Industry?" and will be awarded $2,000. His paper was selected by a team of TEC analysts who based their decision on a number of criteria including mastery of the topic and quality of analytical thought. 

"I enjoyed researching the topic for this writing project. It extended my knowledge on emerging technologies like data analytics and autonomous vehicles, and how these are impacting enterprise software areas. My passion is in developing software, so I look forward to seeing how software will grow through these new realizations. I'd like to thank TEC for the opportunity, and appreciate the cash prize that'll be helpful in my pursuit of an MBA," he said. 

Khamo's paper was titled "The Two Chains: Blockchain & Supply Chain."

The TEC Award for Academic Writing is part of TEC's Campus Program – a program through which students from partner universities have access to hands-on, comprehensive learning experience with software evaluation and selection. As part of the program, students have access to TEC's software evaluation resources and tools, including TEC's extensive software and technology research database. 

"We'd like to thank TEC for helping us support the next generation of IT and business leaders," said Ilitch School faculty member Deborah Habel. "Wayne State University students were privileged to have access to TEC's resources for a major project during their Accounting Information Systems course. Their semester-end presentations were professional-quality, demonstrating how much they've learned about software selection and the competitive ERP system landscape – and they enjoyed 'chewing over the particulars.' The writing contest was an opportunity for our students to reflect on what they'd learned and to demonstrate their talents. Samuel is one of the Mike Ilitch School of Business stars. We're all extremely proud of him and delighted with his win." 

Pietro Mercuri, director of academic programs and services at TEC, said, "We are happy to give students the opportunity to share what they've learned through our campus program and to reward them for that. Technology is constantly evolving and it significantly affects the business world, so giving them a glimpse of what they'll be a part of once they graduate is one of the main goals of our academic programs." 

Students who missed out on the chance to participate in this contest can participate in the next one by submitting their papers on how cryptocurrency and blockchain are impacting certain industries or enterprise software application areas. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2018. 

View all news stories