Fierce competition put Alberta's brightest business minds to the test on real-world business problems.

Lakeland College's business case team, sponsored by Matrix Group, went head-to-head against student teams from other post-secondary institutions during the 14th annual Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton.

During the March 14-16 competition, business administration accounting majors Brianna Adams, Hayden Howrie, Krupa Shah and Pauline Ulliac, and small business and entrepreneurship major Kendra Harrison had nine hours to develop solutions for a real business.

It means covering all the business bases including financing, marketing, human relations and accounting, Adams explained prior to competition day. “Then we will present to a panel of business-minded judges.

“It's going to be a lot of fun to work on a live business case and use the skills we have been developing for months,” she adds. “There might be some pressure, but I think we are competition ready.”

Since December 2018, the five business students have put in more than 70 hours of practice by completing case studies and delivering mock presentations.

“The amount of work we put in scaled exponentially. The practices went from three to six hours weekly, with another three hours of presentations. The amount of work my teammates and I completed is astounding,” Howrie says. 

With the hours of preparation, Howrie adds their business skills progressed and, specifically, his approach to business scenarios improved throughout the experience.

“I find myself observing problems I encounter in a more in-depth way. Issues that seemed so much larger in my mind have been brought down to a level I can solve them at. So, by being a part of this team I have been given opportunities to look at a whole business and effectively make decisions on the issue and then solve them.”

Last year, Lakeland's case team placed third at the 13th annual competition and, in the last 13 years, has placed at the competition five times. The college thanks Metrix Group for their continued sponsorship and support over the years.

The 2019 competition is hosted by Athabasca University Faculty of Business and NAIT JR Shaw School of Business, and sponsored by the CPA Education Foundation.

Photo: Lakeland's 2019 business case team has been preparing for the 14th annual Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition since December 2018.