It's all aboard at the 2017 Engineering and Commerce Case Competition!
Executive team president Jonathan Maman: “Teams need to work together in a short amount of time.”
They’re travelling from as far away as Europe and the Middle East to make their mark.
From February 28 to March 4, Concordia is hosting the fourth annual Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (ECCC). Twelve teams from across Canada and the United States, as well as from Ireland, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia, will face off at the interdisciplinary student-run event.
Each team is made up of two engineering and two commerce students who must work collaboratively to find solutions to corporate and industry challenges.
The task? Take on three real-world cases, develop a plan to address their specific problems and present solutions to a panel of experienced judges.
Second-year electrical engineering student Jonathan Maman is president of the ECCC’s six-member executive team, made up of students from the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) and the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS).
“The cases are comprehensive and require well-thought-out solutions,” Maman says “At the same time, students have enough flexibility to come up with innovative solutions.”
This year’s cases are focused on data warehousing and aerospace.
‘Hands-on experience’
As Maman explains, the key to case competition success is creativity, technical knowledge and communication skills.
“Teams need to know how to work together in a short amount of time. They have to present their findings in a way that can convince the engineers their solution is technically sound, and the managers that the marketing and financials are worth the investment.”
The ECCC is also an opportunity for students to impress prospective employers.
Rather than using a simulation or theoretical model, the cases are based on actual internal challenges faced by the companies that sponsor and judge the competition. Thus, students get hands-on experience in their future fields. This year’s corporate partners include Bombardier, Siemens and Molson Coors.
Top teams will go on to the final, public stage of the competition where they’ll present their cases to a new panel of judges, the ECCC’s Board of Directors.
The winners will be announced at the closing ceremonies on Saturday, March 4, and on social media.
Those not competing are invited to volunteer or attend the case competition instead.
Register to attend the final presentations of Concordia’s Engineering and Commerce Case Competition on Saturday, March 4, in the Henry F. Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve W), Sir George Williams Campus.
