Asper case competition season concludes with prestigious graduate win in business ethics

In the 2023-24 season, 80 Asper School of Business teams participated in 37 external competitions, bringing their business insights to cases across North America and to Thailand, Ireland, Lithuania and more.

As part of Asper School of Business’ commitment to offering diverse experiential learning opportunities to students, case competitions combine the excitement of live presentations, the intensity of deadline-driven preparation periods and the unique chance to apply classroom knowledge to real problems faced by organizations today.

The second half of the season rounded out Asper’s success with a total of 37 podium spots, including 15 first-place wins. Visit the Asper Business Case Competitions webpage for a full list of 2023-24 results.

1^st Place – International Business Ethics Case Competition

Eli Koulack, Laura Kroeker and Ramy Penner represented the Asper School of Business at the International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC), bringing home gold in the 25-minute division and 10-minute division as well as silver in the 90-second division.

For IBECC, teams prepare a presentation in which they explain the legal, financial and ethical dimensions of a business problem, recommending a solution that addresses each element.

Koulack, Kroeker and Penner’s presentation “All Bets Are Off: DraftKings and the High Stakes Race for Consumer Protection,” tackled the online gaming and sports-betting industry. Their choice of a timely and controversial subject grabbed the judges’ attention, and they “highlighted the tangible good that regulated gambling provides society and define the ethical issue of consumer protection,” as Penner explains, raising a discussion with high stakes for “government, the business community and the public,” adds Kroeker.

Kroeker explains the value of competitions like this.

“Participating in a competition that couples ethics and business underscores the fact that the ethics of a business strategy don’t need to be—and shouldn’t be—a secondary consideration,” she says.

1^st Place – JDC West, Not-for-Profit Division

For Lead of Experiential Learning Judy Jayasuriya [BComm(Hons)/10, BA/12, MBA/14], the biggest achievements for the Asper case competition program this year include continued international success, coupled with renewed efforts to connect case to the local community. She notes the impact of investing in community involvement in internal competitions and practices.

“By changing our internal competitions to feature real Manitoba organizations, we’ve helped spark early interest in case competitions and set students down a pathway of exploring more challenging external opportunities both nationally and internationally,” she explains.

Eric Wagner, Skyler Delaurier and Abrianna Graham at JDC West.

Asper BComm students Eric Wagner, Abrianna Graham and Skyler Delaurier echo this sentiment following their first-place victory in the Not-for-Profit division of JDC West.

“We believe our success in this division reflects the strength of Asper’s business community and the growing commitment of our School to Winnipeg’s not-for-profit sector. It was an incredible experience for all of us, including the connections, networking, life-long friendships, the fun of that weekend and skills for our lifelong careers,” they say.

The community that case built

These connections define the Asper School of Business case experience, as this year, the hundreds of students who competed were supported by 26 Asper faculty and staff members, 86 industry judges and 165 mentors and coaches. It’s a community that IBECC winner Penner describes as “dedicated, passionate and inspiring.”

Many of these supporters and community members are Asper alumni who themselves participated in case competitions. As IBECC winner Kroeker explains, it’s not surprising that so many case alumni want to come back to give back.

“I definitely plan to stay connected to the Asper case community. This experience was the highlight of my MBA program, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the coaches and volunteers that dedicated their time to mentoring us,” she says.

Reflecting on another incredible year, Jayasuriya also turns to the value of connection. “Building on our community connections and continuously enhancing our training and coaching methods are key to continuing this momentum,” she says.

“Enhancing student experience is at the heart of everything we do, and our community connections enrich, define and sustain this experience.”

—

For more details about an amazing season of case competitions at the Asper School of Business, download the 2023-24 Case Impact Report here.

Emily Wilson