Memorial University graduate students claimed victory over business schools from across Canada at a case competition recently.
Master of business administration (MBA) students Haris Ansari, Devdatt Uday Chobe, Allison Hiscock and Kirsten Williams won the third annual Asper Business Case Competition at the University of Manitoba last month.
Ms. Hiscock says she’s “so happy and proud” to have won the competition, particularly since weather and flight delays meant the team didn’t arrive on the ground until the morning of the first case.
“We had to drop our bags and head right to the presentation,” she said. “I’m really proud we were able to do so well when, for a while, we weren’t even sure if we would make it.”
The John Molson School of Business (Concordia University) took second place and DeGroote School of Business (McMaster University) placed third.
Nine graduate teams participated.
Three rounds
The competition involved three rounds with the first case focusing on a non-profit organization, the Manitoba Museum.
While many case competitions don’t divulge the subject of the cases in advance, teams had two weeks to research and develop a financially sustainable plan for the museum to bring in travelling exhibitions.
“It not only deepened our understanding of the challenges faced by non-profits, it gave us insight into how some museums are working toward financial sustainability.”
Coach and faculty advisor Dr. Peggy Coady brought in representatives from The Rooms in St. John’s to help the Memorial team prepare.
“Having personnel from The Rooms judge us and provide insights into museums was incredibly valuable,” said Mr. Ansari. “It not only deepened our understanding of the challenges faced by non-profits, it gave us insight into how some museums are working toward financial sustainability.”
Dr. Coady agrees, saying that feedback from Kate Wolforth, the director of the art gallery, museums and visitor experience at The Rooms, was “invaluable.”
“Business students don’t always get an opportunity to study the dynamics of a not-for-profit cultural institution,” she said. “I’m very grateful for the support of The Rooms during the team’s preparations, particularly Margie Allan, who helped facilitate their involvement.”
Ms. Allan (MBA’95) is chair of The Rooms’ board of directors.
In the second case, teams had three minutes for a one-slide presentation and then faced 22 minutes of questions from judges in a boardroom setting.
“Peggy’s guidance and support is unmatched.”
AROW Global, a manufacturing company that designs window glazing systems for heavy-duty vehicles, was the focus of the case, with teams being asked to devise a new market or product opportunity.
In the third and final case, teams had three hours to prepare a 20-minute presentation for People Corporation, a national provider of group benefits, retirement and human resource solutions.
The case focused on helping the company build trust around its key technologies.
Building on success
Both Mr. Ansari and Ms. Hiscock were also part of the MBA team that placed second at the John Molson International MBA Case Competition (also known as the Concordia Cup) in January.
Mr. Ansari says preparation for that competition, which involves practice presentations and simulated judging from alumni and past MBA case team members, helped them earn the Asper title.
“The experience form the Concordia Cup was invaluable,” he said. “It helped us move beyond textbook theories and develop a practical approach to solving real-world challenges.”
Dedicated coach
Dr. Coady coaches many of the MBA case teams, and Ms. Hiscock credits her dedication to the repeated success of MBA teams in competitions.
Memorial is the most successful case team in the history of the Concordia Cup, with five wins and 11 top three finishes.
Past MBA case teams have also won the US$100,000 G20 Global Business Challenge in Australia, the P&G Cup at Ryerson University and others.
“Peggy’s guidance and support is unmatched,” said Ms. Hiscock. “She has us practice with cases to broaden our way of thinking, brings in judges of varied backgrounds to ask questions and give critique and is always looking for ways to help the team improve. She really goes above and beyond.”
Community support
The business faculty’s Associates Program funded Memorial’s participation in the Asper Case Competition.
This membership-based program for organizations covers the cost of travel, accommodations, registration and more for business students engaged in experiential learning activities outside the classroom.
“Having this support is absolutely critical,” said Mr. Ansari. “The last thing we had to worry about was the logistics, [which] allowed us to channel all our energy into the competition. We were able to start the competition with a fresh mind and finish it on a high note.”
