Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) today announced the winners of its 2007 Business Case Competition, held in collaboration with the Hampton University School of Business, located in Hampton, Va. The competition marked the first time that Prudential has sponsored a business case competition and the first time that Hampton University, one of the nation’s premier historically black universities, has collaborated on a case study with a financial services company.

“We are excited about this new aspect of our relationship with Hampton University, which offers us the opportunity to interact directly with promising students from a prestigious institution,” said Mark Grier, Vice Chairman in charge of Prudential’s International Insurance and Investments Division, and the former head of its Financial Management unit. “By helping prepare some of the best and brightest students today, we can help ensure the success of our global businesses tomorrow.”

Executives from Prudential’s International Insurance and Financial Management units collaborated with professors from Hampton’s School of Business to develop the case study, which sought recommendations for strategies to enter the insurance industry in China. Both graduate and undergraduate students at the school, grouped in teams of three, were eligible to prepare and present recommended strategies, based on a predefined set of criteria.

“This business case competition has been a tremendous experience for all of the participants,” noted Dr. Sid Credle, Dean of Hampton University’s School of Business. “Having the opportunity to analyze a real-life issue in the global economy, and present their ideas to Prudential’s senior leaders, gives them invaluable exposure to the expectations and opportunities in business today.”

In March, six teams presented their recommendations to a panel of four Prudential executives, who traveled to the university to meet with the competitors.

On April 10, three finalist teams visited Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, N.J., for a full day of events, including the presentation of their strategies to a panel of six senior executives at Prudential, representing the company’s Finance, International Insurance and Human Resources units.

“We were impressed by the in-depth analysis and creative recommendations presented by all three teams,” noted Rich Carbone, Prudential’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of the judging panel. “These students are clearly well-prepared to tackle the complex issues faced in today’s global business environment.”

Following the three presentations, the executive panel awarded the first- place prize to the team known as the ICE Consulting Group, which consisted of Sean Linder and Latanya Vicks, both of Philadelphia, and Starla Stallings, from Delaware.

As the grand-prize winners, the team has won an all-expense-paid, five-day trip to China, where they will participate in a variety of business and cultural activities.

The members of the second-place team, known as the KNJ Consulting Group, were Karrah Clay, Nathia Nicholas and Jonathan Turner. Each second-place team member received a laptop computer.

The members of the third-place team, known as the TPS International Specialists, were Terrell Purdy, Tyrone Smith and Greg Turner. Each member of the third-place team received an MP3 player.

Hampton University, a dynamic, progressive institution of higher education, is a privately-endowed, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-education, historically black university. It is located in southeastern Virginia and boasts one of the loveliest campuses in the nation, with a picturesque waterfront and historic buildings and landmarks. Comprised of seven schools, a Graduate College and a College of Continuing Education, Hampton University is among the leaders in higher education.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) , a financial services leader with approximately $616 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2006, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Leveraging its heritage of life insurance and asset management expertise, Prudential is focused on helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. The company’s well-known Rock symbol is an icon of strength, stability, expertise and innovation that has stood the test of time. Prudential’s businesses offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, asset management, and real estate services. For more information, please visit http://www.prudential.com/.

Posted: 04|11|07 at 8:06 am. Filed under: News.