Otago to host international business case competition

The University of Otago School of Business, in partnership with the New Zealand Student Development Society, is hosting a major international business case competition at Queenstown that begins on Sunday.

Competition Director Dr John Guthrie, from the Department of Marketing, said the week-long competition will run from this Sunday to 5 September at the Queenstown Resort College.

“It is exciting for Otago as it is the first time that we have hosted an international business case competition,” he says.

“The purpose of the event is to put students in a very competitive situation where they have to analyse a business scenario and generate strategies for that business.”

Dr Guthrie says the students involved come from all disciplines; the Otago team includes a finance major, a marketing and tourism major and two law students. Other teams have a similar mix.

As well as Otago, teams have been entered from the University of Maastricht (Netherlands), Shantou University (China), Queensland University of Technology, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Massey University, AUT University, and the University of Canterbury.

Dr Guthrie said during the week the teams, comprising more than 40 students in total, as well as advisers, will each analyse and present three cases. All of the companies on which presentations will be made are New Zealand companies.
All 24 of the judges are Otago alumni, including former University of Otago Chancellor, Sir Eion Edgar.

The international competition will also see the completion of the NZ National Business Case League. The points earned by the New Zealand universities will be added to scores from competitions earlier this year. Otago is the existing 2009 champion and is currently in second place in the 2010 League, four points behind Waikato.

The Otago team is Damian Kearns (Marketing & Tourism), Emily Mason (Finance & Psychology), Will Skeggs (Law & Management), and Kris Kaurah (Law & Management).