Mount Allison Commerce students dominate Atlantic Canada case competition
2009-12-04 10:33:08
SACKVILLE, NB — Three teams of Mount Allison Commerce students have advanced to the final round of a case competition entitled “Are You Smarter than a CEO.”
Nineteen teams from universities across Atlantic Canada created short videos outlining recommendations for a strategic challenge developed by the New Brunswick-based real estate company PropertyGuys.com. Only three teams advanced to the final round — all of them from Mount Allison University.
The teams then developed a 20-minute video and submitted a written report detailing their proposed recommendations for the organization. The winning team will be announced on December 7, and team members will be awarded $1,000.
Dr. Gina Grandy, Commerce professor at Mount Allison’s Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies, incorporated the competition into her fourth-year Strategic Management course.
“Applying the concepts and frameworks taught in class to case study organizations is an important aspect of Strategic Management. Innovation and experiential learning are guiding principles of Mount Allison’s Commerce program. Participating in real-world competitions improves the quality of our students’ learning, and earning top honours in contests such as this advances our ambition to offer one of the best business programs in the country,” says Grandy.
"Property Guys provided us with an amazing opportunity. We were able to take our in-class knowledge, apply it to an actual business situation, and come up with a creative solution that might have a real impact on their business,” says Commerce student Jamie Smith.
The competition is organized by Saint Mary’s University’s Business Development Centre and is sponsored by several organizations including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). It is part of a series of case competitions where students solve problems for five small to medium sized Atlantic Canadian Companies.
The Mount Allison teams in the finals include: Real Realty Solutions (Jason Patterson, Lindsay Tanner, Mike McKinnon, and Adam Fraser), Property Girls (Samantha Lebans, Amanda Burns, Caroline Millette, and Lauren Macdonald) and Property Girls and Guy (Caitlyn Murphy, Rachel Brookins, Angela Mitton, and Jamie Smith).
To watch their videos visit the website www.SmarterThan.ca.
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For more information contact Commerce professor Gina Grandy directly at ggrandy@mta.ca or Tracy Bell in Mount Allison’s communications office at (506) 364-2529 (tbell@mta.ca).
Photo caption: Finalists for the “Are You Smarter than a CEO” competition, Mount Allison Commerce students (standing from left to right): Caroline Millette, Jamie Smith, Lauren Macdonald, Angela Mitton, Mike McKinnon, Rachel Brookins, Amanda Burns, Jason Patterson, and Caitlyn Murphy. Seated are Lindsay Tanner and Adam Fraser.