The SEC MBA Case Competition Brings Real-world Problems to the Classroom
Twenty-four hours. Fourteen teams. One champion. For these competitors, it’s the challenge of a lifetime.
It’s the SEC MBA Case Competition.
Sure, many know the SEC is competitive when it comes to athletics — but the same can be said of its academics. And for the SEC, It Just Means More competitive spirit is challenging and encouraging students to be the best they can be.
The SEC MBA Case Competition was established in 2013. Since then, exactly 336 MBA students from SEC business schools have participated. This graduate-level event is designed to showcase students’ skills at solving simulated real-world problems that cover the spectrum of business disciplines.
Tara Mohrfeld, Director of Student and Academic Services at the University of Tennessee, thinks this is the ideal environment for a seasoned MBA student. “This competition is the epitome of an applied-learning opportunity for the students who compete in it,” she said. “Not only are students using their knowledge and skills to help solve a real-world, real-time business problem faced by a company, they are learning how to work as part of a team, how to capitalize on individual strengths, and how to deliver quality recommendations in a short amount of time.”
The competition rotates annually between host SEC universities, and MBA teams travel with their advisors to the host campus to compete against their peers. The best of the best receive shiny hardware and even shinier recognition.
For the students to bring home the glory, they’ve got to excel in three categories. The first is business acumen. Do they understand the case like it’s the back of their hand? The next category is strategic thought. Can the team members make an outstanding case for why they focused on what they did? And the third: decision-making rationale. Was the group able to consider more than one way to address the issue? And that, folks, is the mindset used by the future generation of SEC-raised business leaders.
But don’t forget that these four-member teams are just a small sample of the work ethic and talent that can be found within each SEC MBA program. Mohrfeld explains the selection process: “It is up to each school to determine how they select their team. At UT, we have a two-step process — the first step is submitting a formal application of interest that includes a resume and answers to a set of short-essay questions, and the second is presenting with two to three other applicants on a case we give them.”
Mark Zekoff, a 2018 participant from Auburn University, recalls his audition process: “We were given a case for a company in much the same format as the actual competition. Each person presented individually for a panel of judges, including our coach for the competition and other notable members of the MBA administration. From those who presented, the four applicants with the best content, insights, and presentation skills were selected.”
But once these students make the cut, they’re exposed to another level of business. Real-world business, that is. Companies from across the nation, including AT&T, Nationwide Insurance, Raising Cane’s, and Regions Bank, have offered cases as competition material. And while most of the competitors already have a post-graduation job lined up, they say that the competition helps them feel more prepared for the work world.
Jim Parrish also recognizes how much value the competition brings students. As Director of the MBA program in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn and staff advisor to the AU MBA team, he shares, “The amount of networking and exposure to a variety of professionals and corporate entities that these students receive adds a tremendous benefit to their overall MBA experience.”
Zekoff considers the competition “an extremely valuable experience.” He goes on to say, “More generally, getting to spend time with our coaches and administration while we traveled, getting to represent Auburn University ([which] is always something I am honored to do), and unwinding with all of the competitors the night after we completed the case were all very special moments over the weekend.”
The SEC MBA Case Competition gives SEC students the opportunity to put their innovative, business-focused minds to work. It’s an open door that can help prepare them for the real world. And for the SEC, It Just Means More hard work, talent, and school spirit is making a difference outside of the classroom.
