UPEI case team repeats success at international competition
Luke Gaudet (fourth-year BBA with accounting specialization) and Hannah Dawson (third-year BBA) have added to the growing list of successes for UPEI case students this season. The two students recently won third place in the final round of the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, from January 14–16. ICBC is Canada's longest-running undergraduate business case competition, which features eight different events in which students can compete (accounting, strategy, ethics, debating, finance, human resources, marketing, and management of information systems).
In October 2015, UPEI competed in the preliminary round of ICBC in the marketing category against over 60 teams from business schools around the world. Students analyzed a case detailing real-world problems that a business was experiencing and provided a written case analysis. UPEI’s strong showing in the preliminary round earned them an invitation to the final round to compete against Okanagan College, Queen’s University, University of Regina, University of Toronto (St. George campus), and Trent University.
“The preliminary round competition is extremely fierce. With over 60 Canadian and international schools competing, securing a spot in the top six is already an amazing accomplishment,” said Case Competition Program Coordinator and Coach Mary Whitrow.
During the final round in Kingston, students were again tasked with assessing a case they had never seen before, analyzing available information, and crafting a strategic marketing solution in only 5.5 hours. They then had 15 minutes to present their solution to a judging panel of academic and industry professionals, and then an additional five minutes to answer the judges’ questions and defend their recommendations. This process is rigorous and forces students to think quickly and critically about their solutions. “ICBC was an incredible learning experience,” said Hannah Dawson.
Luke competed in ICBC last year in the strategy event, where he and his teammates received third place. “ICBC was a fantastic experience once again. It was a pleasure to work alongside such a great teammate, and I cannot thank our coach and advisors enough for their tremendous support.”
Juergen Krause, Dean of the UPEI School of Business, knows that the case team is an important program for not just the School of Business, but all of UPEI. “These students are representing UPEI and improving our reputation worldwide. We are proud of our students.”
The students appreciate all the support they have received from faculty and staff at the UPEI School of Business. “We are very thankful for this program and to have been given such an opportunity.” said Luke.
Congratulations team!
