Case competition

In a case competition, participants strive to develop the best solution to a business or education-related case study within an allocated time frame, typically with teams of two or more individuals pitted against each other in a head-to-head or broader relative ranking.[1][2] Teams deliver presentations for judges and, while competitions vary in composition, a standard format and purpose exists. In terms of cumulative number of participants, the HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition is the world's largest case competition, with over 130,000 participants since 2008.[3]

History

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The case competition concept originated in the United States and originally included participants from domestic universities. The notion of expanding to include international competitors emerged later, with the concept eventually taking hold across North America and Western Europe. Today, a wide range of international competitions are hosted in various countries in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia.[1] International case competitions have also begun expanding beyond the undergraduate level, as competitions like the Wharton China Business Society International Case Competition offer high school divisions.[4]

Format

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Formats vary according to a number of dimensions. The following dimensions are often used to classify and compare competitions: Host: corporate versus educational institution; Participant selection: "by invitation" versus "by application"; and, Level: undergraduate, graduate. Formats may vary along practical dimensions, including: Case specificity (whether the case has been written especially for the competition or not); Number of teams; Organization (student-run, professional etc.); Rules, e.g.:Time (common formats are 3-4 or 24 hours), Materials, Degree of access to expert advice (either from within the competition or externally, and electronically or face to face).

Some competitions add complexity to create a more interesting challenge. For example, Ohio State University (OSU)'s Center for International Business Education And Research (CIBER), in its annual Case Challenge, created teams from the overall pool of participants, regardless of school, dissolving the usual school-based team format. For the Ohio State scenario, once the students are assigned to teams, a full day of team-building exercises is run for competitors.

Competitions can be internal to a business school, or they can involve teams from multiple schools. Sometimes the competition includes several rounds, with the final round typically judged by outside company executives (sometimes the panel consists of executives from the actual company in the case). For example, the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business' 2010 round of its Global Business Case Competition featured a customized case on the Boeing Company,[5] and Boeing executives acted as judges.[6]

Participation

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Participants exercise skills and knowledge on a "real world" case for an actual organization, with the support of representatives who can provide professional advice.[1] Other competitions select an issue based on its degree of importance, and employ the competition as a means to both highlight the issue and create potential solutions through the efforts of the competitors.[2] Participants can also be assessed as potential candidates for analysis-based jobs within the targeted companies.

Teams in case competitions are tasked with assessing the situation facing the organization, analyzing available information, crafting a solution, and defending their recommendations. In general, teams adhere to a time limit and specific rules. Each team is judged independently, and the judges' decision is final, although a confidential summary evaluation is generally provided.[7]

Notable competitions

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Invitational competitions

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Competition Country University Level Teams Inaugural Year
Alberta International Case Competition (AIBC)  Canada Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta Undergraduate 12 teams 2016
Asian Business Case Competition @ Nanyang (ABCC)  Singapore Nanyang Technological University Undergraduate 12 teams 2007
Australian Undergraduate Business Case Competition (AUBCC)  Australia QUT, UNSW, University of Melbourne Undergraduate 16 teams 2013
Belgrade Business International Case Competition - BBICC  Serbia University of Belgrade Undergraduate 20 teams 2013
BI International Case Competition - BIICC  Norway BI Norwegian Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2016
CBS Case Competition[8]  Denmark Copenhagen Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2002
CaseIT MIS Case Competition  Canada Beedie School of Business Undergraduate 20 teams 2004
Central European Case Competition (CECC)  Hungary Case Solvers & Corvinus University of Budapest Undergraduate 20 teams 2019
Champions Trophy Case Competition  New Zealand University of Auckland Undergraduate 12 teams 2008
Chulalongkorn International Business Case Competition (CIBCC)[9]  Thailand Chulalongkorn University Undergraduate 20 teams 2014
Citi International Case Competition  Hong Kong HKUST Undergraduate 20 teams 2003
Engineering and Commerce Case Competition(ENGCOMM)  Canada Concordia University Undergraduate 12 teams 2013
Global Business Case Competition (GBCC)  Japan Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Undergraduate 16 teams 2015
Global Microfinance Case Competition (GMCC)  Australia University of Melbourne (Melbourne Microfinance Initiative) Undergraduate & Graduate 16 universities 2011
Global Business Case Competition[10]  United States University of Washington Undergraduate 15 teams 1999
Grossman School of Business Family Enterprise Case Competition (FECC)  United States The University of Vermont Undergraduate & Graduate 24 teams 2013
HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition  Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong Undergraduate 24 teams 2008
International Graduate Competition  Canada HEC Montreal Graduate 08 teams 2012
International Case Competition @ Maastricht  Netherlands Maastricht University Undergraduate 16 teams 2009
Japan MBA Case Competition  Japan Tokyo-based MBA programs Graduate - MBA 09 teams 2013
John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC)  Canada John Molson School of Business Undergraduate 28 teams 2009
John Molson MBA International Case Competition  Canada John Molson School of Business Graduate - MBA 36 teams 1981
Lazaridis International Case Conference (LazICC)  Canada Lazaridis School of Business and Economics Undergraduate 16 teams 2018
Marshall International Case Competition (MICC)  United States University of Southern California Undergraduate 20 teams 1997
McGill Management International Case Competition[11]  Canada McGill University Undergraduate 12 teams 2001
McIntire International Case Competition[12][13]  United States University of Virginia Undergraduate 06 teams 1982
NUS Case Competition  Singapore National University of Singapore Undergraduate 20 teams 2009
RMA Credit Risk Case Competition[14]  Canada Sobey School of Business Graduate 08 teams 2013
Rotterdam/Carleton International Case Competition  Netherlands /  Canada Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Carleton University Undergraduate 16 teams 2020
RSM STAR Case Competition[15]  Netherlands Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Undergraduate 16 teams 2012
Sauder Summit Global Case Competition  Canada UBC Sauder School of Business Undergraduate 16 teams 2013
Solvers' Cup  Hungary Case Solvers Undergraduate 09 teams 2016
Sydney International Business Competition  Australia The University of Sydney Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2017
Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge (TUBC)  Thailand Thammasat University Undergraduate 16 teams 2007
University of Münster Case Competition (UMCC)  Germany University of Münster Undergraduate - MBA 12 Teams 2017
University of Navarra International Case Competition (UNICC)  Spain University of Navarra Undergraduate 16 teams 2013
University of Technology Sydney Global Case Competition (UTSGCC)  Australia University of Technology Sydney Undergraduate 16 teams 2020
WBS Case Challenge  United Kingdom Warwick Business School Graduate 08 teams 2013
Capitox Case Competition  United Kingdom University of Oxford undergraduate 08 teams 2019

Competitions by application

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  1. ^ a b c Stephanie Wold Hadler (11 November 2011). "What is a case competition?". Copenhagen Business School. Copenhagen Business School. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b Staff (1996–2011). "Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership | Educational Case Leadership Competition". University of California, Berkeley | Haas School of Business. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  3. ^ "HKU won the Championship of the 12th HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition". www.fbe.hku.hk. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  4. ^ "Wharton China Business Society International Case Competition".
  5. ^ Staff (November 2002). "Archives Global Business Case Competition". Foster. Michael G. Foster School of Business, University of Washington. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  6. ^ Ridgley, Stanley K. (2014-08-10). "Case Competitions Test Your Mettle". Business School Presentations. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  7. ^ Staff (2012). "Contact John Molson MBA International Case Competition". John Molson MBA International Case Competition. John Molson MBA International Case Competition. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  8. ^ "CBS Case Competition: The Concept". Copenhagen Business School. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Chulalongkorn International Business Case Competition". CIBCC. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Global Business Case Competition". Foster School of Business. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  11. ^ "MMICC: Concept". McGill Management International Case Competition. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  12. ^ "McIntire International Case Competition". Chinese University Bulletin. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  13. ^ "At U.Va.'s McIntire School of Commerce International Case Competition Showcases Business Skills". University of Virginia. 3 February 1997. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  14. ^ "RMA Credit Risk Case Competition". Sobey School of Business. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Global bachelor teams compete in RSM STAR Case Competition". 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  16. ^ "Home". aarhuscasecompetition.com.