Peters School of Business Manitoba High School Case Competition

The competition originated in 2017 and was modelled from similar competitions in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan. The Manitoba competition was initiated by Kyle Prevost and a handful of Manitoba business education teachers and supporting business communities.

A case competition is an event where teams of three receive a case study (a scenario or specific set of circumstances) that is to be completed in a limited period. Teams must identify the most prominent issues presented in the case study and develop a customized strategy to solve these issues and achieve the stated goals. Winning teams must work together in the most efficient way to present a cohesive recommendation that includes creativity, specific detail, and technical background knowledge. At the end of the time period, competitors present their recommendation to a board of accomplished judges. Competitors are judged on their ability to identify the key issues, present creative solutions, and communicate effectively. Case competitions were initially created for business students at the graduate and undergraduate levels but have recently exploded onto the high school scene.

It is important to remember that while case competitions have a formal competitive element, there is so much more to the overall experience for both students and teachers. Students can network with like-minded business-centric peers, and business educators will find no more valuable form of professional development. When industry, educators from all levels, and the bright young leaders of tomorrow get together to expand their business knowledge – the future is the real winner!

Teams consisting of three high school students compete in two categories, personal finance and entrepreneurship. Each team is given approximately three hours to deconstruct their case, analyzing the key issues, assessing potential solutions and risks, and ultimately deciding on a course of action. Following case deconstruction, teams will be given 20 minutes maximum to present their findings and recommendations to a panel of judges composed of members of the Manitoba business community. Following the first round of presentations, the top two teams in each category go head to head in a final round of presentations.

• 2024 Event Itinerary

Students will need to bring the following:

• Business clothing for the Thursday evening banquet
• Business clothing for competition presentations
• Personal computing devices (wi-fi will be provided)
• Flash drive to backup files
• PowerPoint templates, either the team’s own slides or what has been provided on the MHSCC website.

General

• Business Case Competition for Beginners (.PPT)

Videos:

• Indian University, Kelley School of Business - 1st Place | Macy's Case Competition, 24mins
• University of Western's Ivey Case Competition Club Video - Tips to Succeed in Case Competitions, 48mins

Entrepreneurship

• Sample Entrepreneurship Case #1 (.PDF)
• Sample Entrepreneurship Case #2 (.PDF)
• Sample Template for Entrepreneurship (.PPT)
• Judging Rubric for Entrepreneurship (.PDF)

Videos:

• SBTA 2017 High School Business Case Competition - Entrepreneurship

Personal Finance

• Sample Personal Finance Case #1 (.PDF)
• Sample Personal Finance Case #2 (.PDF)
• Sample Template for Personal Finance (.PPT)
• Judging Rubric for Personal Finance (.PDF)

Videos:

• Saskatchewan Business Teachers' Association (SBTA) 2017 High School Business Case Competition Personal Finance Playlist

Lesson Plans:

• National Personal Finance Challenge Coach Toolkit

Case Studies:

• National Personal Finance Challenge Sample Case Studies