Case Competitions

Throughout time a key to success has been the ability to impart information in appropriate ways. Even the ancients stressed the importance of this when Cicero announced that all oratory presentations boiled down to "delivery, delivery, delivery" and Demosthenes practiced his way to greatness. Case competitions are a way of demonstrating the ability to strategically analyze businesses, create usable recommendations, and present them in meaningful ways.

Through the PD and PDT classes students are exposed to the case analysis process. All new students in the PD and PDT classes participate in the "Case Analysis" process early in the fall semester. The case for PD students focuses on business aspects ranging from marketing to management issues and may come from a wide variety of industries while the case for PDT students focuses on analysis of IT related issues within a variety of industries. Students are grouped into teams of 4, provided a case and are scheduled for presentation to a panel of judges about 2 weeks later. Judges for these exercises and competitions include SSB faculty and corporate representatives.

In the second year of study, the PD students take part in a case competition known as "Executive Interaction". This competition involves top level business professionals as judges giving students the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of, what might be for some, prospective employers. At the end of the first round of competition, three teams are selected to proceed to the final round. The finalists then present their findings and recommendations to the entire PD class as well as a panel of executive judges.
2007 Executive Interaction Finalists

From the PD Case Analysis and finalist groups of Executive Interaction travel case teams are assembled. These teams participate in the Big XII Case Competition and the George Washington University International Case Competition. Traditionally, our teams have done very well in these competitions and we hope to continue the pattern! 2008 MBA Traveling Case Team

From the finalists in the PDT “Case Analysis”, a group of students is selected to attend and participate in the ITERA Annual Conference and Case Competition. Members of the winning teams from the PDT Case Analysis and PD Executive Interaction competitions also receive other prizes including business apparel.