Students from around the globe will have the opportunity to state their case in a business competition at Royal Roads University in Colwood.
The 14th annual Case Competition is a three-day event from March 17 to 19 where about 20 teams of four students compete in a round robin tournament. They will present strategic choices and a detailed plan of action for four business cases to a panel of judges who assess creativity, insight and the potential of real world application of the team’s analysis and presentations.
The teams have three hours to analyze each case and prepare a presentation no longer than 15 to 20 minutes.
The total accumulated score for each team will be tabulated at the end of the first three cases to determine the top four teams that will compete in the final case study.
A diverse panel of 45 local professionals from the Capital Region will judge the event that has proven to be a valuable growth opportunity for students and business owners with new perspectives.
Alaris Design owner Airifin Graham has volunteered to be one of the lead judges for the popular international undergraduate competition.
This is the fourth year Graham has been a judge, and the first time he will serve as one of the six lead judges who facilitate the process by providing feedback and handling the question and answer sessions between the judges and students.
Graham said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to be involved again. “The students can learn a lot from our comments and questions,” he noted. “We have the opportunity to be presented to by 20 teams of B Comm students from North America and Europe, so it’s a benefit to us and the business community as well. I encourage people to come out and get a flavour of what we’re doing. The finals on Saturday are a lot of fun.”
Kelsey Carragher, head of communications and media for the Case Competition executive team, will speak along with Graham about the experience of running the event with the support of her bachelor of commerce and entrepreneurial teammates.
“It’s a really intense experience that requires the ability to be able to think on your feet quickly,” said Carragher, who has competed in similar case competitions in the past. “I think events like this are a great practical learning experience for the students involved, despite the level of stress (the competition creates.)”
Putting on an event like this involves a great deal of collaboration between the students, the international competitors and RRU’s faculty, she added.
“This year is no doubt going to be one for the books,” Carragher said.
The Case Competition will be held at RRU’s Learning and Innovation Centre and is open to the public.
For a map, more information and daily schedules, check out rruiucc.ca.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com