Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Students fly to Texas for prestigious international business case competition
The four students, second year BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management students, Kim Lister and Timothy Stebastiaan Van Zyl, and final year BA (Hons) Business and Management students, Ryan Ahern and Edwin Parker, were selected as one of the top 16 teams in the world and will travel to St Mary’s University in San Antonio to take part in the second round and finals, taking place from 28 February to 4 March.
They are the only British team to have made it through to the championship round and will compete against teams from the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, China, Finland, Peru and the USA for a place in the finals on Friday 4 March.
The NIBS Worldwide Case is a prestigious competition that brings together elite undergraduate students from some of the world's leading international business schools. Teams of four analyse business cases, prepare solutions to real problems and present recommendations to panels of senior managers, policymakers and academics.
A qualifying round was held in November, where each participating university took part in a 'lock down day' at their own institution. The teams received the competition case and prepared their submission, whilst ‘locked’ in a room for eight hours with no mobiles or internet access, and were then assessed according to strict criteria.
Leeds Beckett BA (Hons) Business and Management student, Edwin Parker, said: “It's great to know that as a team our performance is on par with top business schools of the world. Getting through to the championship round in San Antonio at St. Mary's University is just the beginning - we're aiming to firmly establish Leeds Beckett University as the 2016 NIBS Worldwide Case Competition winners! The support from the academic team at Leeds Beckett has been impressive and I can't thank them enough. I am enjoying working with a diverse and dynamic team and I'm looking forward to contributing to our team's further development in preparation for the championship round. I can't wait to visit San Antonio and meet the teams from other universities!”
Jayne Mothersdale, Principal Lecturer in the School of Strategy, Marketing and Communication, and Val Finnigan, Senior Lecturer in the School of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, put the team together and managed their submission. Along with other staff in the Faculty of Business and Law, they are providing coaching and support to the team.
Val said: “The students worked really effectively as a team during the lock in, playing to each of their strengths. They represent the very real talent of our Business School students. The team now have a great opportunity to compete against teams from across the world.”
Jayne added: “Our students typically have lots of gumption which is underpinned with sound business knowledge and well-developed practice-based skills. Entering a prestigious international competition such as this provides them and Leeds Business School with the opportunity to showcase these talents. The coaching team have been very impressed with how the team worked together, organised their time and liaised with academic and administrative colleagues during the preparation period. They should be extremely proud of their achievements and we wish them every success.”