Solve problems and connect with other people in case competitions

The Aalto University team, which included Sonja Penttilä, Valentin Sattinger and Emma Salmela from the School of Business as well as Leo Josephy from the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, participated in the MBA Case Competition that was arranged by the John Molson Business School of Concordia University on 1–6 January in Montreal. University Lecturer Christa Uusi-Rauva from the School of Business was responsible for coaching the team for the competition.

‘Our team did a phenomenal job by reaching one of the nine best spots out of 36 teams in total. This spot in the semifinals is proof of our team's excellent work, and I want to thank and congratulate each member of the team for this achievement. The best team this year came from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, and their prize was $10,000’, says Christa Uusi-Rauva.

‘This Case Competition week exceeded my expectations. We did a good job, but the best part was the connections we made with all the different students’, Sonja Penttilä notes.

‘This was, without a doubt, the best experience I’ve had in Aalto so far’, Emma Salmela continues.

Solving Harvard Business School type cases as well as cases from real life

According to Christa Uusi-Rauva, case competitions provide a great opportunity for applying and developing one's own skills as well as for creating contacts with the business world and with students from other universities. For example, in Montreal, students solve Harvard Business School type cases as well as one real-life case.

Harvard cases are traditional written cases that describe a challenge that some company has encountered and that needs to be solved. With real-life cases, a selected company presents some real problem from their own business, and the student teams develop various solutions for it. Each team presents its solution to a jury composed of the representatives of the companies and receives feedback for it.

The next opportunity for students to challenge themselves in a case competition is in Aarhus, Denmark on the final week of March. The Aarhus Case Competition 2017 is open to both bachelor's and master's students who can participate in the competition in teams of three. 'The team selected for the competition can get, if they so desire, intensive coaching for resolving and presenting cases', Christa Uusi-Rauva promises.

For more information on the Aarhus Case Competition, visit: https://www.facebook.com/AarhusCaseCompetition/

Remember to also watch the competition’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bPnL6BHYWs.

Further information:
Christa Uusi-Rauva
tel. 040 3538 328
christa.uusi-rauva@aalto.fi