Adrian Frost and Keerat Jaura presenting at the Creative Shock Case Competition
Experiential learning continues to thrive at the Asper School of Business
Asper kicks off the case competition season with strong results
After only a few months into the case competition season, the hard work of our Asper Bachelor of Commerce and Stu Clark Graduate School students has paid off with national and international recognition.
In the past month, seven Asper teams have competed in five different competitions around the world. These in-person experiences provided the students an opportunity to interact with other business school competitors and to present to judges who are experts in their respective fields.
“The Asper School of Business is committed to supporting experiential learning opportunities to our students through case competitions. We are honored to celebrate our Asper students who represent our school so well across the globe,” said Dr. Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the I.H. Asper School of Business and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership.
Experiential learning is an intrinsic part of Asper’s value proposition. Through case competitions, students are deeply engaged with theory through a relevant and complex learning environment while gaining immersive business experience.
Ted Rodgers Ethical Leadership Case Competition (TRELCC) – [November 11-12, 2022]
Logan Basarowich, Megha Jaryal, Avleen Kaur and Peter Paa
The Asper School of Business BComm team comprised of Logan Basarowich, Megha Jaryal, Avleen Kaur and Peter Paa reached the top of the podium with a first-place finish at the Ted Rodgers Ethical Leadership Case Competition (TRELCC), Canada’s largest undergraduate business ethics case competition. The team performed strong and after the final around, which involved teams from Schulich School of Business and HEC Montréal, the judges commented that the team “stood out due to their balance of ethical and business information” and their “strong stance on accountability.”
“Case competitions have given me the opportunity to travel and meet like-minded individuals. The improvements I have seen in my public speaking skills and in my critical thinking are evident,” said Asper team member Megha Jaryal. “The opportunity to apply learnings from inside classes to real-world business situations is one that I recommend everyone should take.”
DeGroote Innovative Solutions Competition – [November 12-13, 2022]
The Asper MBA Stu Clark Graduate School team Daniel Kokan, Elliot Codispodi, Kaushal Patel and Lianne Huberdeau, placed second in the DeGroote Innovative Solutions Competition hosted by McMaster University. First place went to the DeGroote School of Business and third place went to the University of Alberta.
A national MBA case competition, DeGroote Innovative Solutions Competition challenges students to solve pertinent business problems related to the themes of agility, digital transformation and community engagement. This year the teams were asked to solve two cases. At first, participants were asked to propose a digital strategy for Loblaws with the goal of maintaining their market leadership position. The second case focused on Shared Services West, a not-for-profit shared services organization that provides end-to-end supply chain services to hospitals with the aim to drive value in the support of patient care. Students had to develop a full plan for pandemic readiness.
In the same competition the school were also represented by a second team of MBA students. Teammates included Jordi Johnson, Bobby Currie, Chelsea Kokan and Laura Effinger who delivered two excellent presentations.
Creative Shock – [Final round: November 24-27, 2022]
The Asper team placed third at Creative Shock, a global business case competition. Adding to the wins are Asper students Keerat Jaura (BComm student), Adrian Frost (MBA student), Rohan Shanker (MBA student) and Qiyang “Bruce” Zhang (MFin student). The international competition started in October with 528 students in 88 teams from 28 countries. Students were challenged to solve finance, marketing, communications and strategic problems for social businesses and introduced to new social business models. In the third round, the team proposed a plan that involved community outreach, female empowerment and the integration of technology, which gave them a place in the top five and the opportunity to present at the finals.
“It was my first time participating in an in-person inter-school case competition and it was an experience like no other. The opportunity to meet and connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about changing the future was remarkable,” said BComm team member Keerat Jaura. “Personally, this experience instilled more passion and sincerity to not only work toward my goals, but making our society a better place.”
World Mining Competition – [October 20-23, 2022]
Asper also celebrated the success of the interdisciplinary undergraduate team comprised of two students from the Asper School of Business and two students from the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment. Teammates, Peter Hanna and Aseel Eid from Asper, and Adam Nykyforak and Djelika Sogoba from Riddell examined the Easton Mining Company’s interest in acquiring a junior mine (South Shore Mining) and placed third at the international World Mining Competition, Canada’s largest multidisciplinary mining competition.
Ethics in Action – [November 3-5, 2022]
Rutik Patel, Adriana Ong, Braden Hargreaves and Denise Huang
Asper teams competed with excellence in the Ethics in Action event. A national premier case competition that focuses on ethical leadership in business. Trent Vos, Xiaojie Chen, Serene Desmond and Aabhishek Grover competed in the graduate level and Braden Hargreaves, Denise Huang, Rutik Patel and Adriana Ong represented Asper in the undergraduate level.
This case competition is held alongside the presentation of the Scotiabank Ethical Leadership Award. This year, the award was presented to Christa Big Canoe, an Anishinabek lawyer and mother who advocates on behalf of First Nations women and children.
The Asper School of Business continues to succeed thanks to the support of all volunteers, alumni, coaches and the tremendous commitment demonstrated by students.
For more information about how to participate in case competitions please visit student experience [link] or contact Judy Jayasuriya, Lead, Experiential Learning at Judy [dot] Jayasuriya [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.