Editor’s Note: This article is provided through a partnership between Georgia State University’s Center International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and Global Atlanta.
Could Popeyes’ signature Cajun-style fried chicken be a hit in China?
That was the question student teams were asked to tackle during Georgia State University (GSU) Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)’s recent International Business Case Competition.
The 2025 competition, held Feb. 27-28 at the GSU Buckhead Center, challenged students to determine whether Popeyes should make a third attempt to enter the Chinese market.
The International Business Case Competition is funded by the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of mounting U.S. competitiveness in the global market. The competition is offered by the MSI Consortium consisting of 10 CIBERs around the United States led by GSU-CIBER.
With participants from 14 minority-serving universities across the country—up from eight last year — the competition grows stronger each year and is an important vehicle for exposing diverse students to international business, said GSU-CIBER Faculty Director Cuneyt Evirgen.
The annual event, now in its 10th year, continues to be a launching pad for students from minority-serving institutions to tackle real-world business challenges and make their mark in the future global job market, he added.
“This milestone event not only celebrated a decade of excellence but also showcased the growing impact of the competition in fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving, remarked Paula Huntley, Managing Director at GSU-CIBER, who led the program.
A Real-World Business Challenge
This year’s case, Popeyes in China: Making Fried Chicken Fly in a Foreign Market, asked students to evaluate Popeyes’ potential success in China after two prior failed attempts.
Students were tasked with developing a strategy to localize Popeyes’ New Orleans heritage while competing against fast-food giants like KFC and McDonald’s.
The winning team captivated the judges by incorporating TikTok into their proposal, showcasing a new chicken menu tailored to Chinese tastes while maintaining Popeyes’ distinct brand identity.
“I think that being creative and thinking outside the box is really what got us there, but also having faith and just trusting in each other,” Micah Woods, a GSU student on the winning team minoring in international business, told Global Atlanta.
Several teams used AI-generated photos of Popeyes restaurants in China to visualize their proposals. The integration of technology, many suggestions about menu adaptation and the use of social-media marketing techniques demonstrated students’ ability to adapt to the evolving business landscape, Dr. Evirgen added.
“Every year, I am amazed at the creativity and polished presentations these students deliver. The recommendations they present are solutions that business professionals might not think of,” he said. “Participating in this competition makes every student a winner. The competition itself holds immense value in shaping future business leaders.”
Teams, with names like “Three-Piece Combo” and “CNS (Could and Should) Consulting,” were composed of students from different universities and disciplines, pushing them to navigate the complexities of cross-cultural collaboration in a short time.
The mixed-team format—one student from each university—also encouraged students to work through diverse learning styles and institutional cultures.
The case also asked teams to analyze the potential effects of the guochao trend in China, where young consumers have begun leaning toward domestic companies over Western brands, as well as how Popeyes might leverage synergies with its latest owner, Canada‘s Restaurant Brands International, which has an extensive presence in China through its local Tim Hortons affiliate, Tim’s China.
Theodore Brown, a professor from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., who brought a diverse group of students to participate in the competition for the 10th year, said the event was well-run and productive for his students.
“Just the exposure to the different groups of people and being thrust into a place where you got the case in a short period of time and you were placed in a team that you have no idea who you’re dealing with – to be able to flourish in that type of environment is a valuable experience,” Dr. Brown said.
Oakwood started a minor in International Business as a result of its affiliation with GSU-CIBER, Dr. Brown added, noting that Oakwood’s student body itself is international, with 46 countries represented on campus, including the Dominican Republic, Rwanda and Jamaica.
One feature of the event that his students enjoyed most, which was new this year, was coming to Atlanta a day early to explore cultural sites like the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and the World of Coca-Cola. Students commented that this experience helped teams build rapport and further strengthened the quality of the competition.
Stacey Williams, who works in human resources at Rollins Inc. and served as a judge, said the presentations that showed creativity and incorporated storytelling caught the judges’ eyes.
Teamwork, a skill companies often talk about, is easier said than accomplished, and the muscle the students exercised during the competition will serve them well as they enter the working world, she said.
An alumna of the GSU Master’s of International Business program, Ms. Williams said she relishes the chance to give back through the case competition.
“I’m not going to say no,” she said of Georgia State, “because you gain so much, and that’s why they are where they are in their academic achievements.”
Supporting Minority Students in International Business
GSU CIBER leads the MSI Consortium consisting of 10 CIBERs around the US where students and faculty from minority-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are targeted, aiming to further international education and provide underrepresented students with opportunities to engage in global business.
“Everyone is super smart. I truly believe we have to try twice as hard to get in spaces like this,” Gabrielle Pierre, an accounting major from Alabama State University told Global Atlanta. “And, you know, whenever they say you’re a winner when you come here, I really believe that’s not just participation hype.”
The competition allows students from diverse backgrounds to gain international business experience, even though few of them are majoring in International Business, as their schools may not have those programs, Dr. Evirgen commented.
“That exposure is so important. To learn there is life beyond where they’ve grown up,” he said. “There is a lot of diversity just in the U.S. and to see that here in Atlanta in a big city at a big university, plus discuss international business, is eye-opening for the students.”
A Platform for Global Success
Students presented their findings to a panel of judges from both academia and the business community, with each member of the winning team receiving a $500 prize, and the second and third-place teams receiving $350 and $250 per student, respectively.
The CIBER International Business Case Competition continues to provide a platform for students to tackle global business challenges while honing their skills in cross-cultural collaboration and problem-solving.
This competition is proving to be an invaluable opportunity for creating future global leaders, Dr. Evirgen asserted.
Participating Institutions:
- Alabama State University, AL
- Albany State University, GA
- Allen University, SC
- Bethune Cookman University, FL
- California State University, Sacramento, CA
- Community College of Denver, CO
- Claflin University, SC
- Georgia State University, GA
- Grambling State University, LA
- Howard University, DC
- Johnson C. Smith University, NC
- Morehouse College, GA
- Oakwood University, AL
- Rust College, MS
“As we reflect on the past ten years, we are extremely proud of the legacy built and excited for the future of this annual competition,” Ms. Huntley asserted.
Learn more about the case competition at https://ciber.gsu.edu/ib-case-competition/ or contact Ms. Huntley at phuntley@gsu.edu or Cuneyt Evirgen at tevirgen@gsu.edu.
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