The stakes were high — a chance to impress McKinsey consultants, a trophy with your name on it, and, of course, bragging rights. 140 well-dressed students in 23 teams prepared for the three-day MBA case competition centred on solving real-world business problems.
This was an ideal opportunity to apply much of what we had learned in the first three months of the program, particularly operations, finance, and marketing.
The cases involved a conglomerate exploring B2C opportunities in India, an established lawn company considering outsourcing its manufacturing to China, and a public clothing company debating going private. These complex cases required us to identify the key issues, analyze case facts quantitatively and qualitatively, and develop creative, well-reasoned recommendations.
In each of the three rounds, teams presented to a panel of judges consisting of Ivey alumni and faculty. Each team had ten minutes to present their solution and five minutes to respond to questions from the judges. Presentations needed to be professional and answers on point. Teams could be seen anxiously writing strategies and frameworks on whiteboards and rehearsing their presentations in hallways.
In the end, three outstanding teams were selected to present in the final round in front of McKinsey consultants and the entire MBA class. The tension in the auditorium was palpable. The finalists demonstrated not only their analytical thought and creativity but also highly effective presentation skills. Each speaker was confident and convincing, especially when faced with challenging questions from the veteran judges.
In the end, one team was deservedly named the winner; however, the remaining twenty-two teams all benefited tremendously from participating in the competition. We learned to work in teams under extreme time constraints, to think like managers, and to examine problems from multiple lenses. This is the Ivey difference.