P.E.I. wins first and third
UPEI students take top honours at inter-collegiate business case competition
CHARLOTTETOWN
Two teams from UPEI’s School of Business had excellent showings at the recent Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) at Queens University in Kingston, Ont. One of UPEI’s teams placed first in the marketing division; a second team came in third in ethics. ICBC is Canada’s longestrunning undergraduate business case competition, with participants competing in eight divisions: accounting, business policy, ethics, debate, finance, human resources, marketing, and management of information systems.
UPEI’s case teams competed in a preliminary round in October against dozens of teams from around the world. Students were presented a case of real-world problems faced by a business and were tasked with providing a written analysis and solution. UPEI’s strong showing in the fall earned it an invitation to participate in the final round in the marketing and ethics categories.
“We are proud to have had teams qualify in two categories in the final round of such a prestigious competition,” said Dr. Juergen Krause, dean of UPEI’s School of Business. “It is amazing that both teams were so successful. This is an exceptional achievement.”
Teams had five and a half hours to prepare, with no access to the Internet. They had 15 minutes to present their solution to a panel of judges, including academic and industry professionals, followed by a question and answer period and defense of their recommendations. UPEI’s marketing team was made up of Hannah Dawson and Cullen Mullally, fourth-year BBA students.
“ICBC was a great social and educational experience,” said Mullally.
“I am grateful to our program co-ordinator, Mary Whitrow, and our professors for the time they spent helping us train,” said Dawson. “Having the full support of our faculty and dean behind us made all the difference.” The ethics team was made up of Kate Kinsman and Harrison Wood, fourth-year BBA students.
“Not only did we have the chance to grow within our particular disciplines, we were given the opportunity to learn from industry professionals in all areas of business,” said Kinsman.
“Two podium finishes for UPEI is a testament to the quality of our business program and the preparation we put into competing at case competitions,” said Wood.
“These Canadian and American Institutions have some of the strongest case teams in the world,” said case competition program co-ordinator and coach, Mary Whitrow. “It is gratifying to see our teams compete and rank so well against them.”