Case Competitions

Case Competition FAQs

What is a case competition?

Participants of business case competitions are presented with a company or industry business dilemma, usually introduced as a case with supportive data and exhibits. Teams of students then work to create innovative solutions to the problems. The students’ presentations are analyzed and evaluated by a panel of judges on the overall quality, effectiveness, and feasibility of the derived resolutions.

What kind of work is done for a case competition?

• Students most frequently offer their recommendations/solutions through a PowerPoint presentation.
• Check out the TED Blog link here for tips on how to enhance a slide deck. In this presentation, different frameworks and analyses can be used to support claims and assumptions made. Some frameworks/analyses used are SWOT, Porters Five Forces, NPV, Ansoff Matrix, Value Chain, etc.
• Some case competitions require specific analyses to be performed. It is important to pull these details out of the case instructions as the recommendations are built.

Who can participate in case competitions?

All business students are welcome and encouraged to participate in case competitions! Though it is important to be mindful of what majors and class ranks are required when building teams for certain case competitions.

Why should I participate?

Case competitions offer many benefits and opportunities. All of these can lead to internships or full-time job offers!

• Application of classroom learnings to realistic business cases and offer recommendations to solve real-life company and industry issues.
• Allows students to build their analytic and communication skills while understanding what it is like to be a business professional after graduation.
• Incredible networking opportunities with various companies along with resume boosters and new experiences to speak to during interviews.

What if I’ve never been involved in a case competition before?

Case competitions are designed to be learning experiences and do not require prior participation.

How do I find a team?

Occasionally case competitions require applying as an individual, but more frequently students will need to assemble a team. It is encouraged to reach out to peers in student’s classes and organizations to create a team that is diverse in experiences, backgrounds, and majors to help students foster the most interesting and thoughtful case solutions.

How do I prepare for a case competition?

No two case competitions are ever the same. Each one has a different set of expectations so every case competitions should begin with a deep dive into the case itself with team discussions highlighting the case’s requirements. Team communication and meetings are essential for case competition success. For further help on how to prepare for a case competition, please reach out FCOB-CaseComps@osu.edu.

What case competitions are available?

There are many case competitions available for students across the entire country. Competitions Ohio State frequently participates in are outlined below:

Autumn Semester Opportunities

September

• Prospanica Conference, Career Fair & Minority Student Case Competition
• NBMBAA Conference, Career Fair & Minority Student Case Competition

October

• Fuels Institute

Spring Semester Opportunities

January

• National Diversity Case Competition (hosted by Indiana University Kelly School of Business)

February

• Accenture Innovation Challenge
• Ascend Case Competition-February
• Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club Case Competition
• People’s Bank Case Competition (Marietta College campus)

March

• Deloitte Start-Up Ohio State Innovation Competition
• Johnson & Johnson Internal Case Competition
• Delta Sigma Pi & Phi Chi Theta Case Competition
• Net Impact Crisis Management Case Competition
• Buckeye Capital Investor Stock Pitch

April

• Johnson & Johnson Corporate Case Competition
• Crowe Horwath Performance Consulting Case Competition
• Innovation Challenge
• TLA & GIS Case Simulation
• BDAA Data Fest

**This is a sampling of case competitions and is subject to change. Opportunities are marketed through student organizations, This Week in Schoenbaum, and the Office of Career Management.

“A rewarding aspect of case competitions is that they enable us to work on teams of diverse students from Fisher. In a world that is becoming increasingly globalized, it is critical to understand how to communicate and work with people of different experiences and backgrounds. Such communication skills will serve as the basis for a successful career."

“Regardless of the structure or length of case, these competitions provide me the ability to think creatively about issues faced by companies on a daily basis and encourage the entire team to apply their unique skills to solve complex problems. It is the thrill of finally coming to a consensus on a tough deliverable, or receiving a question from the judges that your team prepared for, or even just getting to know your team members over the course of the case that keeps me coming back.”

“Something that really attracts me to case competitions is the idea of solving a problem in a fast-paced team environment. Going through the case interview process for a few consulting firms this past year has highlighted how important it is to have a wide variety of ideas and approaches. I feel like every time that I’ve done a case competition, I’ve learned something new from someone else on my team.”