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. 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.

History 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. 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.

Format

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, and Boeing executives acted as judges.

Participation Participants exercise skills and knowledge on a "real world" case for an actual organization, with the support of representatives who can provide professional advice. 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. 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.

Depending on the competition, participants may be able to sign up on their own through an online portal, or through their school's engagement office. Competitions are often advertised through word-of-mouth advertising and local portals. Platforms such as CaseComp also exist to provide a central database of in-person and virtual competitions worldwide. Some competitions are hosted partially or entirely online.

Notable competitions

Invitational competitions Competition Country University Level Teams Inaugural Year Alberta International Case Competition (AIBC) Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta Undergraduate 12 teams 2016 Asian Business Case Competition @ Nanyang (ABCC) Nanyang Technological University Undergraduate 12 teams 2007 Australian Undergraduate Business Case Competition (AUBCC) QUT, UNSW, University of Melbourne Undergraduate 16 teams 2013Belgrade Business International Case Competition - BBICC University of Belgrade Undergraduate 20 teams 2013BI International Case Competition - BIICC BI Norwegian Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2016 CBS Case Competition Copenhagen Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2002 CaseIT MIS Case Competition Beedie School of Business Undergraduate 20 teams 2004 Central European Case Competition (CECC) Case Solvers & Corvinus University of Budapest Undergraduate 20 teams 2019 Champions Trophy Case Competition University of Auckland Undergraduate 12 teams 2008 Chulalongkorn International Business Case Competition (CIBCC) Chulalongkorn University Undergraduate 20 teams 2014 Citi International Case Competition HKUST Undergraduate 20 teams 2003 Engineering and Commerce Case Competition(ENGCOMM) Concordia University Undergraduate 12 teams 2013 Global Business Case Competition (GBCC) Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Undergraduate 16 teams 2015Global Microfinance Case Competition (GMCC)University of Melbourne (Melbourne Microfinance Initiative) Undergraduate & Graduate16 universities2011 Global Business Case Competition University of Washington Undergraduate 15 teams 1999Grossman School of Business Family Enterprise Case Competition (FECC)The University of VermontUndergraduate & Graduate24 teams2013HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case CompetitionThe University of Hong KongUndergraduate24 teams2008 International Graduate Competition HEC Montreal Graduate 08 teams 2012 International Case Competition @ Maastricht Maastricht University Undergraduate 16 teams 2009 Japan MBA Case Competition Tokyo-based MBA programs Graduate - MBA 09 teams 2013 John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC) John Molson School of Business Undergraduate 28 teams 2009 John Molson MBA International Case Competition John Molson School of Business Graduate - MBA 36 teams 1981 Lazaridis International Case Conference (LazICC) Lazaridis School of Business and Economics Undergraduate 16 teams 2018 Marshall International Case Competition (MICC) University of Southern California Undergraduate 20 teams 1997 McGill Management International Case Competition McGill University Undergraduate 12 teams 2001 McIntire International Case Competition University of Virginia Undergraduate 06 teams 1982 NUS Case Competition National University of Singapore Undergraduate 20 teams 2009 RMA Credit Risk Case Competition Sobey School of Business Graduate 08 teams 2013Rotterdam/Carleton International Case Competition / Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Carleton UniversityUndergraduate16 teams2020RSM STAR Case Competition Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Undergraduate 16 teams 2012 Sauder Summit Global Case Competition UBC Sauder School of Business Undergraduate 16 teams 2013 Solvers' Cup Case Solvers Undergraduate 09 teams 2016 Sydney International Business Competition The University of Sydney Business School Undergraduate 12 teams 2017 Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge (TUBC) Thammasat University Undergraduate 16 teams 2007University of Münster Case Competition (UMCC) University of MünsterUndergraduate - MBA12 Teams2017 University of Navarra International Case Competition (UNICC) University of Navarra Undergraduate 16 teams 2013 University of Technology Sydney Global Case Competition (UTSGCC) University of Technology Sydney Undergraduate 16 teams 2020 WBS Case Challenge Warwick Business School Graduate 08 teams 2013 Capitox Case Competition University of Oxford undergraduate 08 teams 2019

Competitions by application APEX Business-IT Global Case Challenge, Singapore Management University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition, Queen's School of Business Aarhus Case Competition, Aarhus University

References