Students

Student team competes at CaseIT 2011

A team of students from the Department of Information Systems was one of 16 chosen from across Canada and the U.S. to compete in the CaseIT 2011 competition Vancouver in last month. They gained experience solving a problem under pressure and presenting their ideas persuasively to a panel of tough-minded industry experts. They met students, faculty and business leaders from around the world. But the most far reaching impact might be the new curriculum thread that resulted from this student-driven initiative.

2011-03-05

Stripped of their phones and computers, armed only with a secured laptop and Internet access, CIS students Ian Alexander, Braden Emerson and David Roman were sequestered as soon as the hotel room door closed. Starting at that moment, they had 24 hours to leverage everything they've learned about management, marketing, finance and IT to come up with a winning solution to a business problem. The team was representing the Department of Information Systems at CaseIT 2011, an international undergraduate case competition with a strong focus on information systems held at Simon Fraser University in downtown Vancouver. Sixteen teams from Asia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. faced off. In the end, the W. P. Carey team did not bring the laurels home, but they were winners all the same. They gained experience solving a problem under pressure and presenting their ideas persuasively to a panel of tough-minded industry experts. They met students, faculty and business leaders from around the world. And back at the Department of Information Systems, they planted the seed of what may grow into a valuable new curriculum thread. How it started The story started about a year before the competition. According to David Roman, some students stumbled on the competition website last spring, and further searches netted a second IT competition open to undergraduates — that one in Singapore. Word of these opportunities soon spread around the Department of Information Systems Club membership, and the students decided to approach the department about participating in one of the competitions. The response was positive, and a faculty/staff committee selected the three students who made up the team. As it happens, the fact that IS students provided the drive to compete is completely consistent with CaseIT. The student association in the information systems department at the Beedie School of Business organized the completion in 2004 as an intramural event. The next year teams from other schools in Western Canada were invited to compete, and the annual showdown has grown every year since — and it's still run by students. "I was approached to help them train," said Professor Ajay Vinze. He and the team met once or twice a week. They looked at sample cases and discussed articles Vinze assigned them to help them think about frameworks and the challenges of innovation. And they practiced — tackling cases and presenting. The first hurdle was qualifying: "You have to apply to compete," Vinze said. CaseIT 2011 sent a sample case to interested schools, and the teams submitted the documents that they would have used if they were presenting. "16 teams are selected to compete," Vinze said. Other U.S. teams included Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University (Kelley), University of Minnesota (Carlson) and San Diego State University. Out of the 16, the W. P. Carey team was the number 5 seed — great placement for first-time competitors. The seed determined which pool they would compete in. As it turned out, they were up against Queen's University — the number two seed and ultimately this year's winner. 24 hours At the competition, the pressure dialed up when that hotel door closed. For the first hour, all three participants studied the facts of the case. The students were asked to evaluate the business model and the options for the sustainability and growth of a start-up company called Binnj, whose product would automate restaurant menus via mobile (iPad) technology. Then they began to develop an analysis. One of the complications involved resources: with just one laptop, only one team member could be working on PowerPoint slides or research at any given moment. Another challenge: Ian was sick when the competition started, and Brady developed a fever during the evening. By about 2 a.m. the team had developed their recommendations and began to practice presenting. Since teams were given the case at staggered intervals, judges representing the major companies that sponsor the event were able to hear presentations precisely 24 hours later. Standing in front of the judges, the team waited for their cue from the video cameraman — then they were off. "I enjoyed the presentation," David said. "I enjoyed fielding questions during the presentation because I felt we were very thorough with our analysis." "I think you're always nervous," Brady allowed, "but very soon you get into your groove. We're very happy with our performance." After the competition, the team posed in front of the Olympic torch, which was lit that weekend in honor of the one year anniversary of the games. From left are David Roman, Ian Alexander, Ajay Vinze (coach) and Braden Emerson. Monday morning quarterbacking Team coaches were permitted to sit in on presentations, and Professor Vinze said that the judges, representing companies that included IBM, Wipro, Cbi, Orbis and SAS, were "floored by the quality of these undergraduate students." "The students came away with tremendous networking opportunities with people they met from around the world," he said. The students added that the case itself was valuable real world experience. "This is probably the most beneficial exercise that any student can do in an academic setting," Ian said. "Case studies are — for the most part — based off real-life problems, and the applications are real as well. Without question, these types of competitions help prepare students better than almost any other exercise for working in the real world." Do they have any advice for future teams? Don't forget that this is a business competition with an IT focus, they said. "When it came down to the actual competition, it wasn't meaty on the MIS side," David commented. "That caught us a little off guard," Brady said. That made the competition all the more real world, however. "Sometimes students are so steeped in technology that they forget that technology derives value from its place in the business setting," Vinze said. Customers need to want it and businesses need to have it presented in such a way that its value is clear, he added. To do that, Vinze said, students had to cross into management, finance, marketing and other functional areas of business in order to make a strong case. Brady said the experience was like being in a "Business 300" class — i.e. upper division! The students realized that they could have prepared in advance for the logistics of the event itself. "You need a plan for the 24 hours — for what task each individual would tackle," Brady said. Dual majors who could bring depth in another field would be helpful. And presentation skills are key, they learned. Vinze said that the department is discussing ways to incorporate case competition preparation into the curriculum — possibly as a class in itself. It was student initiative that put the W. P. Carey School in the spotlight at CaseIT 2011, so it's no surprise that students are part of this conversation as well. Says Ian: "Students who are interested in this should reach out to their professors or the department and just express their interest. We are actively looking to incorporate these types of skills into a class and are trying to gauge student interest." — Published March 7, 2011

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