Frequently Asked Questions - Annual Business Case Competition
Alberta Deans of Business
Who is eligible to compete? Anyone who is registered as a full-time business student in one of Alberta’s Colleges, Polytechnics or Technical Institutes.
Do I have to be a full-time student? Yes, you must be registered as a full-time student.
How many students are on a team? Four students are on a team, plus an alternate, if desired.
What is an alternate? An alternate is a team member that participates in the preparation phase of the competition but not in the formal presentation of the team’s case to the judges and audience.
Why would a team want an alternate? First, it strengthens the team because it is one more person to help analyze and prepare the case presentation. Second, you may want to take a first year student as your alternate so that he or she can anchor your team in their second year, as they will be familiar with the process and how the competition works.
Are there any restrictions regarding diploma versus degree programs? Yes. A maximum of two members can be registered in a four year degree program or in a university transfer program.
How much does it cost? The competition is free to participating teams. Additional faculty advisors/mentors/guests are welcome at a cost of $75 per person.
What about meals? Dinner will be served on Thursday. Lunch will be served on Friday and Saturday.
How does a team prepare for the competition? Either as part of your formal course work, or informally with a faculty advisor, a group of students learn the case study approach. Then, by analyzing business cases, they put the theory into practice.
What if our school doesn’t have a case study course? You need to ask one or more instructors to help you prepare for the competition outside of normal class time. The rewards are immeasurable. Learning and applying a problem-solving methodology is a highly valued business skill and one that goes with you when you graduate.
How long does a team have to prepare their case? Teams have from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Friday of the competition to analyze the case and prepare their PowerPoint presentation.
What happens after the case is prepared? Teams have from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Friday of the competition to work on the oral presentation that will accompany the PowerPoint slides.
How long is the oral presentation? 12 minutes, plus a 5 minute question period.
What is the focus of the oral presentation? The focus is on communicating how and why your proposal will solve the most important or urgent problems you have discovered in the case material. You must convince a panel of judges of your solution’s ethicalness, suitability and chances of success.
Why might I want to get involved in this? Just possibly, it will be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of your college career. You grow in self-confidence by trying new things. Self-confidence is based on knowledge of your own capabilities. The more you do, the more you know you can do, and the greater your ease in doing things. That’s one of the reasons this competition is such a valuable experience.
How many Faculty Advisors can my team have? Each team can bring 1 or 2 faculty advisors to the competition. Additional faculty advisors are permitted at a cost of $75.00..
During the competition, can Faculty Advisors help team members analyze the case? No. each team is on its own during the case preparation period from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. However, after 6:00 PM on Friday, Faculty Advisors are free to go over the PowerPoint presentation the team has submitted and can help the teams prepare the oral presentation for the next day.
Can we change our PowerPoint presentation after it is submitted Friday at 6:00 PM? No. the version that is submitted at 6:00 PM on Friday is the one that the judges will see on Saturday and the one that will be loaded for your presentation.
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