BREAKING DOWN A QUESTION

Doing your rst case competition can be daunting. You might nd yourself with a big brief and little idea of how to approach it. For this reason, I’ve written up a few points to guide you on how to get you started so that you can tackle the case with con dence.

Let’s begin with an example. Company X is a top player in the retail industry but has been struggling lately. They’re facing declining pro ts and are wary of new competition in the market. They’re here today to seek your help in devising a strategy which will improve pro tability and help them regain market leadership.

Read and Analyse the Brief

Your analyses starts here when you open the brief for the rst time. Note down the most important points – you can synthesise this by using a “SCQ” structure: Situation, Complication and Question.

The situation is all the facts about the company – they are a top retail player

The complication is the problem or opportunity they’re facing. In this scenario, Company X has declining pro tability and are threatened by new competitors.

Lastly, the question is what the case is asking you to solve for i.e. a solution that will improve pro tability and will make them competitive in the market again.

Research for Additional Information

There may be gaps in your knowledge that you’re still questioning after reading the brief. This is where you start to search online. Questions might include what Company X is known for and what their product or service o erings are. Just remember to not get trapped and start researching for hours – prioritise what you need to know now.

Brainstorm those Rocketship Ideas

Get the team together and begin brainstorming your strategy. Try and go wild with this. Even if you think it’s unrealistic, note it down and discuss it as a team. Although those “rocketship” ideas might not be feasible, they could o er some inspiration and form the backbone of your strategy.

Finalise your Strategy and Start Forming your Story

Now that you’ve brainstormed, esh out your strategy and add those extra details you were missing before to give it some “wow” factor. Then, start thinking about your storyline – how are you going to explain the situation and your strategy all in your allocated time, and translate the messaging e ectively onto slides. This will help structure your slide deck so that you are able to sell and convince the judges that your strategy is the best.

By this point, your team should be working away at slides and feeling con dent about the strategy. If you discover any concerns and or questions about your strategy at this stage, ask yourself whether it is something you can resolve with a mitigation strategy in place.

Case competitions are where I have learnt the most at university - content wise and about myself. University teaches the importance of critical thinking and communication skills, however it is through the competitions where you can truly practice these abilities and learn how to improve them. Above all, working alongside like-minded and incredibly motivated teammates to solve a gruelling case is the crux of why case competitions are the most rewarding experiences. No matter your degree, age, or experience, I would highly recommend anyone to give a go at a case competition.

Coming into university I was actively looking for a way to balance professional, personal, and sociable development which I found through case competitions. The malleability and creativity needed for a case competition allows your intuition to ourish, providing an amazing platform to learn more about yourself. Also, being in a team setting of 3-4 individuals with di erent specialisations and striving to the same goal creates a sense of connectedness as you learn from each other. This is the beauty of case competitions and if it’s your rst one my best advice is to get creative because at the end of the day there is no set structure, it's just the team and the case question.

“Achievements Runner-up | Forex Society x Vantage Case Competition (2022) State Finalist | FMAA x Kearney Management Consulting Case Competition (2022) 3rd | Actuarial Society x Taylor Fry Joint Case Competition (2022) Finalist | Alternatives Investment Society: Stock Investment Pitch (2022) National Heats | Macquarie Capital Boardroom Pitch (2022)”

Those who have ever nished a case competition have probably signed up to many others they never submitted. Understand that case competitions take time - deconstructing the case and working and presenting with your group - but you’d surprise yourself with just how much you can put together in a limited amount of time. So don’t shy away from the opportunity - commit to trying, I’m sure you won't have any regrets.

“Achievements - 1st | Google x United Nations SDG Case Competition (2021) 2nd | Kearney Global Microfinance UNSW Case Competition (2021) Finalist | MasterCard Innovation Challenge Case Crack (2021)”

Case competitions are the perfect way to practice problem solving and presentation skills, meet like-minded individuals, and learn about various industries and business problems. Personally, participating in case comps has improved my self-con dence and provided me with many opportunities to network with professionals in industries I aspire to work in. No matter how daunting it may seem, I highly recommend all rst-years get involved with case competitions. There are a great range of beginner-orientated competitions as well as various societies that o er programs teaching case competition fundamentals and providing students with an opportunity to apply casing to real business scenarios.

“Achievements - 1st | Bain’s Champions’ Cup (2022) 1st | Microsoft Protege National Case Competition (2022) 2nd | WPP x BSOC Case Competition (2022) 2nd | Mastercard Innovation

Challenge Case Competition (2022) Finalist | UMCG Internal Case Competition (2022)”