As seen in the spring 2024 Ivy magazine.
They are, according to John Burnley, “the best experience any college student can have.”
The professor emeritus of information systems and business analytics refers to case competitions, in which student teams are challenged to solve a complex business problem an actual company faces. Working within a tight time frame, students analyze the problem and investigate potential solutions. They go head-to-head against teams from other universities and present their solutions to a panel of judges.
“A lot of the judges are C-level executives,” said Burnley, who has coached Ivy College of Business teams for nearly a decade. “They are nice people and want these kids to succeed, but they challenge them and make them uncomfortable on purpose. They play their role really well.”
Ivy teams have competed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
“We’ve grown this program over the last decade, and we’ve got name recognition now and are getting invited to more competitions than ever before,” said Burnley, one of several Ivy faculty members who coach undergraduate and graduate teams.
Competitions are offered in a variety of subjects, including business strategy, ethics, supply chain, and information systems. Burnley’s teams have consistently improved their performances over the years. In fact, they’ve taken first and second place in the annual Cy-Hawk challenge against University of Iowa teams for three years running.
Sophia Kvam, a senior in marketing and supply chain management, knows how intense and rewarding the case competition experience can be.
“We were challenged to improve the patient-care experience at BC Cancer in Vancouver,” she said. “The expansion of AI was the leading driver for our solution. We decided to implement chatbots into the BC Cancer webpage, and expected 3,000 plus calls saved annually, increasing flexibility for patients, their families, and employees. The team successfully presented our solution and came in first place for our division. Knowing we did well and that the company could implement our solution was a great feeling.”
The competitions allow students to develop various skills, including speaking and presentation, critical thinking, and leadership.
Aiden Vedder, a senior majoring in management with a minor in environmental studies, described case competitions as the defining part of his college career. “My goal is to get into environmental consulting, which shares many elements with case competitions,” he said. “Working with people under pressure, leveraging strengths, and producing a polished product is the bread and butter of a consultant.”
The reward for the coaches is “watching these students stretch and excel beyond the limits of what they thought they could do. They gain so much confidence,” Burnley said.
Derek Kinney (’23 business analytics, finance) works for Land O’Lakes and would agree.
“Case competitions helped me to become a quick thinker, a better public speaker, and a great teammate,” said Kinney.
Nick Aceto (‘17 management information systems, marketing) can attest to the lasting benefits of case competitions.
“I’ve gotten positive feedback throughout my career that I do a great job staying calm under stress. Case competitions have directly helped with this by getting the practice of being asked hard questions,” said Aceto, who now works for an Iowa tech firm. “I have experience on how to navigate a response that is both truthful and gives the customer confidence in my team’s ability.”
Learn more about case competitions at the Ivy College of Business.
July 3, 2024
