“A team of our students has travelled to Hong Kong, competed head to head with teams representing 33 universities from 15 countries, and come away with first place in a test of their ability to make the most of a business case,” the minister said. “I think any student coming from such a strong school would be an asset to a future employer.”

The IIBD Case Competition is a test of students’ creativity and problem-solving ability. The competition highlights the strategic challenges and managerial dilemmas faced by global business leaders. Students have to work under pressure to solve a real-world business problem, using simulated business conditions such as time-critical deadlines and incomplete information, to formulate workable, action-oriented recommendations.

The UPEI team – Jordan McNally, Jingshu Zhang, Kristina MacLean and Janell MacDonald – competed in a case that emphasized Value Creation Through Branding. In the first round of the competition, student teams provided written submissions to the judges. Five finalist teams travelled to Hong Kong for final judging November 11 and were given a case study in the morning and judged on their work later the same day.

“This contest is a great test not just of the students’ business instincts but also of their ability to quickly respond to an unexpected situation,” Minister Roach said.