36 MBA student teams contend for the $10,000 Concordia Cup
The 2018 MBA-ICC organizing committee (left to right): Misbah Natour, Karolyne Courville, Jesse Prent, Harshita Nigam, Aleksey Cameron, Kuldeep Patni, Ela Profka, Adriano D’Angelo, Jean Simon Castonguay.
Of all the experiences that an MBA has to offer, few provide the intellectual challenge, lesson in group dynamics and adrenaline rush of the John Molson MBA International Case Competition (MBA-ICC).
That’s according to Tim Field, senior lecturer in the Department of Management.
“Students who compete in this event are highly sought after by recruiters. They become part of a strong network of competition alumni and are truly the pride of our MBA program,” says Field, who is the long-time coach of the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) competition team.
36 teams, 270 judges, 400 volunteers
The 37th edition of the six-day event kicks off New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1) at the Hilton Bonaventure Montreal. Thirty-six teams of four students from around the world will vie for the Concordia Cup’s $10,000 cash prize by analyzing seven unpublished business cases and preparing oral presentations on them.
It is the oldest and largest competition of its kind and is entirely student-run. Concordia awards the nine JMSB student members of the organizing committee academic credit for their work. Responsibilities range from recruiting 400 volunteers to organizing the participating schools, as well as handling the hotel reservations, securing sponsorships, booking convention rooms and managing budgets, logistics and marketing.
The competition follows a round-robin tournament format and culminates in a three-team final round on January 6. Participants tackle business cases focused on a variety of strategic management issues. They present their recommendations to a panel of judges comprised of senior management–level business professionals.
The 270 judges come from as far away as Toronto, New York and Boston, and many return again and again.
“It’s an incredible learning experience for the students to make live presentations in front of executives,” says long-time judge Rod Budd (BComm 74), former corporate director and now retired partner at EY.
The most anticipated moment of the competition is the “live case,” during which a company presents a current real-world problem for the students to solve. It’s open to the public and will be streamed on the MBA-ICC’s social media accounts.
Concordia’s John Molson MBA International Case Competition takes place from January 1 to 6, 2018 at the Hilton Bonaventure Montreal (900 Rue de la Gauchetière O). The presentations are open to the public, with no registration required.
