Lindner Graduate Students Finish Third in Prestigious NBCUniversal Analytics Challenge

A student team from the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner

College of Business Master of Science in Information Systems

program were awarded third place in this year’s

NBCUniversal Analytics Challenge

. Out of more than 50 student teams from around the world who competed, only ten were chosen as finalists and were given the opportunity to present their work in front of a judging panel at the

Association of Information Systems (AIS) Student Chapters Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, April 12-14, 2018.

“What an experience,” says team member Amanda Lopes. “I’m extremely proud to be a part of Team UC as we secured third place in the NBCUniversal Analytics Challenge. It was a great learning experience for me with the most amazing teammates.”

The student team, which also included Hansel D’Souza, Akhil Mudgil, Nikhil Chakravarthy Kurnool and Satyam Singh, earned $500 for their analysis of the QVC business problem, "Does Speed Matter in E-Commerce?"

Out of the three data sets that competing teams could choose from, Team UC chose the QVC data set and the

associated business problems

. “We felt that it provided a challenge in terms of both analysis and visualization,” says D’Souza. “The crux of our project was an analysis of how speed of delivery affects QVC's business model.”

The students used Tableau software to create interactive data visualizations of the existing QVC warehouse distribution network and clustering algorithms to suggest relocating warehouses based on customer density to increase market penetration. They then looked at delivery performance of various product categories and determined that local stocking would not only decrease delivery time, but would also increase revenue significantly.

The judges, who were comprised of industry experts from NBCUniversal and QVC, awarded Team UC third place in the analysis category for their unique warehouse distribution re-structuring approach as well as the numbers on delivery speed and how it affected customer retention.

In response to their third-place win, the team members commended IS club president Kausthob Das and Lindner faculty Michael Fry, Andrew Harrison, Robert Rokey and Jeffrey Shaffer for their encouragement to compete. “The feedback that we received really boosted our confidence,” says team member Mudgil. “We are all very thankful for their support and the opportunity that they provided us to present before the main competition.”

About the Association for Information Systems Student Chapters

The AIS serves society through the advancement of knowledge and the promotion of excellence in the practice and study of information systems. AIS is the premier professional association for individuals and organizations who lead the research, teaching, practice, and study of information systems worldwide.

The AIS Student Chapters are a program of the Association for Information Systems that promotes the study, application, and advancement of information systems through career enhancement, professional networking, and chapter development.

About the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business

The Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati

is at an exciting moment on its path to continued preeminence. As a leader in research and teaching excellence, the College has earned national acclaim in several academic areas across its undergraduate, graduate and online programs. In 2019, the College will move into a new state-of-the-art building, which will serve as a 21st-century hub for students, faculty and the Greater Cincinnati business community and provide a collaborative space for education, research and innovation to thrive. The 225,000-square-foot facility is one of the most ambitious construction projects ever undertaken by the University and promises to firmly position Lindner among the best business schools in the nation.