Building business networks
This concept — along with developing business analytical skills — is at the forefront of the annual John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC). Each year, students from 24 of the planet’s top business schools gather at Concordia to compete by solving real-world corporate cases.
The teams present their recommendations to volunteer judges from the business world.
JMUCC will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year. The preliminary rounds take place at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) while the final rounds and ceremony will be held at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure hotel.
Teams are divided into six divisions. In the first round, each team has three hours to tackle a case and present its findings to the judges. In the second and final round, the six division winners have 24 hours to ponder their cases and present their recommendations to a new panel of judges.
“When solving business cases, you’re in a team, and ultimately it’s about working together and maximizing each other’s strengths while learning a great deal from one another,” says Guillaume Leverdier, president of JMUCC’s organizing committee.
Leverdier participated in several case competitions over the past four years and learned the benefits and tests they provide. “The pressure is intense. You’re dealt the hardest challenge you’ve ever faced in your life.”
JMUCC’s sponsors and case suppliers include such major Canadian companies as Bombardier, RBC, Desjardins and Groupe Dynamite.
“For companies, not only is it a sort of ‘clinic’ but also a great place to recruit,” says Khalil Daldoul, JMUCC’s VP executive.
Students prepare for the JMUCC and other case competitions through special courses offered by JMSB.
“For a business student, nailing a case in a competition is an achievement that could potentially jumpstart your career,” says Catherine Richard, a recent human resources graduate who participated in a student competition in Maastricht, Netherlands, and is now JMUCC’s VP academics.
Richard insists that making connections at an international level in an increasingly globalized society can help propel students along their career paths.
“What’s great about these competitions is that you get to meet and network with people from all over the world,” she says.
“At events like this, people realize that in business it’s more than just cold hard numbers and finance models,” says Leverdier. “You never know where you’ll be in five years.”
Interested in being a judge at the competition? Contact Bianca Bertoia at b.bertoia@jmucc.ca.
Related links:
• John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition
• John Molson School of Business