The St. Mary’s University Greehey School of Business will host the championship round of the 21st annual Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Worldwide Case Competition, Feb. 28-March 4.

The event, one of the oldest undergraduate case competitions in the world, is an intense competition that brings undergraduate students from business schools worldwide to analyze business cases, prepare solutions to real problems, and present recommendations to panels of senior managers, policymakers and academics. It is a test of problem-solving ability, business acumen, cultural insight, communication skills and teamwork.

How it works
Teams of four undergraduate students compete on behalf of their respective universities. Each team is given a written business situation and a limited amount of time to assess the business’s hypothetical challenges and make recommendations on how to improve sales and profitability. Then they present their recommendations to panels of senior managers, policymakers and academics. In the past, these cases have dealt with companies such as Apple computers, Oreck vacuums and Café Xaragua coffee.

Competitors
Sixteen teams, comprising 64 students and 22 coaches, will compete:

  • Avans University of Applied Science, Netherlands
  • Carleton University, Canada
  • Concordia University, Canada
  • Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
  • Heilbronn University, Germany
  • International Business Academy, Denmark
  • Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, China
  • Lahti University of Applied Science, Finland
  • Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom
  • Rotterdam University of Applied Science, Netherlands
  • Shantou University, China
  • Southeast Missouri State University, U.S.
  • St. Mary’s University, U.S.
  • Universidad del Pacifico, Peru
  • University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
  • University of Vermont, U.S.

2015 champion: Universidad del Istmo, Guatemala

More about the event
St. Mary’s Professor Jeffrey E. Johnson, Ph.D., chair of the 2016 NIBS Organizing Committee, describes the event as “an exceptional opportunity for teams to test their business strategy skills in a highly competitive and challenging environment.”

“The Greehey School of Business is honored to host the 2016 Network of International Business Schools Worldwide Case Competition. We are excited to showcase our school and University, as well as provide an exceptional education and cultural experience for our students,” Johnson said.

The competition began with a qualifying round in November, with the top 16 advancing to the championship at St. Mary’s. An opening ceremony and welcome reception will be held on Feb. 28, with matches starting the next day. The champions and other award winners will be announced during a banquet March 4.

The NIBS Worldwide Case Competition is an initiative of the Network of International Business Schools, an association of business schools from around the world that work to support the incorporation of global perspective, cultural insight and international experience into management education. NIBS was formed in 1993 and now has more than 70 member institutions in more than 30 countries.

The NIBS Board is responsible for selecting the host school for each year’s competition after a formal bidding process.

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