Alumnus returns to UTS Business for live case study project

UTS Business School alumnus and CEO of Sandhurst Fine Foods, Mimmo Lubrano, has partnered with the Business School to provide a live case study project for the post-graduate marketing subject Buyer Behaviour.

The idea behind the live case study project is to promote immersive student learning, while allowing the partner company to glean new insights into customer behaviour and the application of marketing strategy.

Mr Lubrano’s company, Sandhurst Fine Foods, is a family owned business that develops innovative products based on time-honoured Italian traditions. Their extensive retail collection includes products such as olives, pickled vegetables, antipasto and balsamic vinegar.  

While the company has achieved considerable success in the Western market, Mr Lubrano is now hoping to facilitate Sandhurst’s expansion into the dynamic East Asian market.

Seeking to better understand how the products – which are mostly Italian – may be perceived and used in East Asian countries, Mr Lubrano allocated each student group one Asian country to work on as part of the case study project.

Focusing on the country as a target market, students were asked to develop buyer behaviour analyses related to Sandhurst’s products, before then providing detailed recommendations to the company.

There were 23 group presentations in total, representing eight Asian countries and some segments of greater China, such as Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Dr Valeria Naguti, Buyer Behaviour subject coordinator, said the live case study project was incredibly beneficial for both students and the company.

“The idea behind the case study project is to allow a company fresh and unique insights into any buyer behaviour topic of interest to them,” she said. “The students also get a real problem to work on – so it’s a win-win situation.”

As the project goes beyond theory and can be considered a ‘business consultancy’, students are encouraged to include the project on their resume.

Company involvement entails nomination of a company representative, who delivers a presentation and Q&A at the beginning of the course, before returning at the end of semester for student presentations and feedback.

If you are interested in further information on live case study options, or are available as a volunteer lecturer, please contact paul.angwin@uts.edu.au for more details