UW Tacoma CSR Case Competition

Combine the knowledge you've gained from courses with your teamwork skills to tackle a real-life business case. Compete with other student teams as you analyze a business situation to develop solution recommendations that you will present to a panel of local business professionals.

The Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility will host two case competitions in 2012:

Monday, February 27 - UW Tacoma Internal Case Competition

Friday, April 20 - Milgard Invitational Case Competition on Social Responsibility (MICCSR), a by-invitation-only case competition for universities from the Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, ID, and BC)

Registration for the February 2012 UW Tacoma competition is now closed.

UW Tacoma Competition Prizes

The February competition is open to all UW Tacoma students and will be held on Monday, February 27, 2012.  The Center strongly encourages teams to be multidisciplinary and welcomes students from all academic disciplines.

First place prize

The winning team will receive an exclusive tour of the headquarters of the iconic Northwest outdoor equipment company, REI.  Kevin Hagen, the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility will meet with the team and discuss REI's efforts to be a sustainable and responsible company.  

Each team member will also receive a $200 REI gift card to get you ready for a summer of fun in the outdoors. 

Your team will also represent UW Tacoma at the April 20, 2012 Milgard Invitational Case Competition on Social Responsibility.

Second place prize

• $50 UW Bookstore gift card for each team member

UW Tacoma Case Competition Key Dates

• January: Case competition information and team formation sessions.  Content for each session will be identical.  Sessions are offered on different days to accomodate student schedules.  LUNCH INCLUDED.
  • Wednesday, January 25, 12:30-1:20, Dougan 160
  • Thursday, January 26, 12:30-1:20, Dougan 160
• February 13, 2012: Deadline to register to compete
• February 24, 2012: 3 days prior to competition, case packets available for pick-up at 8:00 a.m. in DOU 401
  • Teams may draw for rooms on campus to complete group work over the weekend.  Use of a campus space is optional but highly recommended.
• February 27, 2012: Competition
  • 7:00 a.m. - PowerPoint presentations to CLSR: clsr [at] uw.edu
  • 8:00 a.m. - Preliminary Round presentations start in Cherry-Parkes
  • 11:30 a.m. - Final Round presentations in Tacoma Room
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. - Awards Luncheon, Tacoma Room 

Purpose of Case Competitions

Student case competitions are designed to test students' abilities to utilize the knowledge gained through their course work and apply it to a business case that involves the interplay and tension between business strategy and the business' broader societal impact. Teams are judged based upon the quality of their analysis, the quality of their recommendations and the professionalism of their presentation.

What's in it for you? 

• Gives students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in their courses to a real-life business situation. This not only reinforces learning but it also prepares students for scenarios they will certainly encounter on the job.
• Creates an opportunity to build and improve leadership and team working skills - critical skills in the job market and life!
• Provides an opportunity to make connections with business professionals from the local community that has the potential to lead to internships and jobs.
• Looks great on your resume and is a topic that you can discuss during interviews. Students may not have a great deal of work experience that showcases leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, or teamwork but your participation in a business case competition tells employers that you have those skills.
• Prizes and recognition! In addition to great prizes, the names of the winning team members are displayed on a plaque outside the Milgard School or Business main office and on the Center for Leadership & Social Responsibility website.  In 2010 the Tacoma News Tribune featured this story about the case competition.

Business Case Selection

The case study for the competition is typically selected from a case study library of a major global university. A copy of the business case is provided for each member of the team along with a cover page providing supplemental case information and logistics of the competition (order of teams presenting, maximum amount of time the presentation can be, etc.). Since the case competition is sponsored by the Center for Leadership & Social Responsibility, an element of corporate social responsibility can be expected. 

What is Corporate Social Responsibility? 

To understand what corporate social responsibility means, a review of the article Strategy & Society - The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer can be helpful.  The article is available through the library.

Team Formation

Teams are comprised of 3-4 undergraduate students. Teams tend to be more successful when they consist of members that posses a diverse set of knowledge and skills. It is also recommended that teams recruit student members from a variety of concentrations. If you are a team looking for an additional member or an individual student looking for a team to join, attend an Information Session in January. We will allow time for students to mingle with one another in order to create new or add to existing teams.

Students must register online no later than 10 days prior to the date the case will be distributed. Team member substitutions are allowed up until the day the business case is handed out.  If a team member drops out of the competition after the business case has been received, the remaining team members must go forward with the competition.   

Competition Format

The business case is given to teams 72 hours before the competition starts. For this competition, the business case and instructions are available for pick-up by 8:00 a.m. on the Friday prior to the competition. Team members use that time to analyze the case, conduct research, prepare recommendations, create a presentation and practice their delivery of the presentation.  In preparing for the competition, teams may use any reference materials available through the Internet and library systems (i.e. UW library system). Teams may not consult on any aspect of the case or presentation with any person who is not a team member.

An electronic version of the presentation must be sent to the competition moderator, Dr. Jill Purdy by 7:00 a.m. on the day of the competition. Once the presentation has been sent no modifications can be made. All team members must be involved in the delivery of the presentation and should be prepared to present even in the unlikely event of media failure.  The team must also bring five hard copies of the presentation to provide to the panel of judges. The order of teams presenting will be determined by lottery during the case pick-up.

When teams arrive to pick up the case, they will have the opportunity to draw for two things:

1. Preliminary round presentation time
2. UWT campus space for group work over the weekend.  It's up to each team to decide if they wish to use the UWT space provided. 

Judging

The judging panel is composed of up to five local business and campus community representatives. The judges will observe each presentation, ask questions of the contestants, and determine the winning team. The evaluation criteria for the presentation are as follows:

A.  Quality of Analysis:  includes the scope and depth of analysis and the ability to draw valid conclusions from case data and research.

B.  Quality of Recommendations:  includes the scope and viability of recommendations as well as their anticipated impact on the organization and its stakeholders.

C.  Professionalism:  includes communication skills, teamwork, design of presentation materials, and confidence in responding to questions.

Questions? Contact Joe Lawless, (253) 692-5685 or jlawless@uw.edu

Registration for the February 2012 UW Tacoma competition is now closed.