Business school seeks competitive students
The business school case competition season runs from late August to May, but for Mark Haber, head coach and advisor to the competition program at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), the summer months are some of the busiest.
Haber, along with his fellow coaches, is holding tryouts for next year’s competition delegation. He is hoping to recruit 80 undergraduate business students to the program, which is one of the most successful in the world. “This past year,” says Haber, “we participated in 32 competitions worldwide, fielded 64 academic teams and reached the podium 36 times.”
Tryouts for the upcoming season will run until the end of July, a month before the delegation sends its first team to a competition in New Zealand. Students interested in joining the progam are given 15 minutes to review a one-page business case and prepare a five-minute presentation. The presentation is followed by a five-minute Q&A period.
“We’ve seen more than 100 students so far,” says Haber, “but we’re looking for more. We want hard-working students who are flexible, dedicated and work well with others.” Asked about the most important characteristic a case competition student should possess, Haber replied, “They have to think fast on their feet.”
The successful applicants to the program will earn the right to represent Concordia at regional, national and international competitions that test students’ ability to analyze complex business cases, and propose recommendations to panels of judges typically made up of business executives.
Due to the program's tremendously successful season, which included winning two major competitions (one in Seattle, Wash., and one in Navarra, Spain), this year’s delegation has the opportunity to compete for the Champions Trophy at a competition hosted by the University of Auckland Business School in January 2014, the winner of which is generally regarded as the top case competition school in the world.
Students can sign up for a tryout by clicking here. Application deadline: July 1.
Related links:
• John Molson School of Business