DeGroote Dominated Two MBA Case Competitions in November

MBA students at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University dominated two separate case competitions in November. In the Scotiabank Ethics in Action competition, DeGroote MBAs placed second. In the John Molson Sports Marketing Case Competition, the DeGroote MBA team took home the first place prize.

Ethics in Actions

The Ethics in Actions competition is an annual, student-run case competition that draws in more than a hundred participants from the U.S. and Canada. It’s a weekend event where students participate in a case competition, conference, and video and essay competition. This year, Scotiabank was the sponsor thanks to a generous $1.5 million donation to support the event.

In a recent article by the University, MBA student Martin Routledge spoke about the event and his team. “Our team came together really well,” he said. “We focused on our individual key strengths when assigning our project and presentation responsibilities.” The other members of his team included Kaushik Parameswaran, Lea Matulovic and Stacy Drohomyrecky.

Parameswaran went on to say, “The fact that it was an ethics case inspired us. We recognized this to be a unique opportunity where we could step out of our comfort zone and try something new and exciting.”

The DeGroote team, along with all other case competition participants, were given the opportunity to develop and apply their skills and knowledge to create both a written and live business ethics case. For the live competition, teams presented their case to a panel of judges. “These cases forced us to think in a different mindset and added a new perspective to when we do cases in the future,” added Parameswaran.

John Molson Sports Marketing

On the same weekend as the Ethics in Actions conference, a separate team of DeGroote students competed in the John Molson Sports Marketing Case Competition. The team was composed of four second-year DeGroote MBA students: Zane Hussein, Christian Rosati, Matthew Smith, and Mohammed Isahan Khan.

“We were thrilled when we heard them call McMaster,” said Zane Hussein. “It was great to be rewarded for all the time and energy we put into our pitch, but above all I was proud of my teammates and the respect we earned our School.”

The John Molson Sports Marketing Conference was a three-day event that featured dozens of sports industry executives. It celebrated its twentieth anniversary—20 years of developing students’ marketing skills and sports-related knowledge. For the case competition, the DeGroote team was presented with a real-life dilemma of established companies and startups. The team then created a written report and presented their proposed solution to a panel of judges.

“Case competitions have been a huge part of my MBA experience,” said Hussein. “I think every student should compete in at least one. They’re a chance to combine all of the things you’re taught in class.”

regions: Toronto

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