“If only I were the boss . . .”

That’s a fantasy most employees have at some point in their careers. But for the competitors in the “Be the Boss Challenge” run by the Chapman Graduate School at Florida International University(FIU), those musings translated into the opportunity to win an Apple iPad 16G (Wi-fi).

Pitted against improv actors, the participants faced outrageous business dilemmas in humorous, five-minute role-playing scenarios during which they displayed their ability to communicate, multi-task and find new uses for products. Interaction took place in a clear box truck, allowing onlookers to be a part of the action. The format enabled contestants to have fun while considering the benefits of getting an MBA at FIU.

Competition sparks widespread interest among contestants and voters.

Fifty contestants participated at four happy hour events at locations throughout Miami and Fort Lauderdale during March and April. Videos of the scenarios were uploaded to the FIU Business YouTube channel, and more than 2,000 votes were cast through an application on the FIU Business Facebook page

Voting narrowed the field to eight before Stefan Tenreiro (MSMIS ’07, BBA ’02) was declared the winner.

“As they campaigned aggressively online and competed for votes—particularly in the final round of the ‘Be the Boss Challenge’—our eight finalists exhibited the uncommon thinking and entrepreneurial spirit that are the hallmarks of the FIU MBA programs,” said Luis Casas, director of marketing, communications and recruiting in the College of Business Administration.

The college is one of the leading international business schools in the country with a top 15 undergraduate program in the specialty and a top 25 graduate studies program, according to U.S.News & World Report.

“Our programs continue to capture high rankings and the “Be the Boss Challenge” enabled us to get the word out about our graduate offerings in a memorable way to our target audience of young professionals,” Casas said.