CUS Case Competition
Overview
The Haskayne Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS) launched the SLIP project to lead student champions in innovative and strategic thinking on sustainability issues faced by businesses today. In collaboration with the Office of Sustainability, CUS organized a campus-wide case competition hosted by the Haskayne School of Business. Ali Epp from the Office of Sustainability and Phil Davidson, Director of the Executive MBA Program at Haskayne, provided guidance on the case theme, event planning, logistics, and further through their participation as judges during the event.
The project aimed to highlight various sustainability issues in business and offer insights into sustainable consulting while also encouraging the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Outcomes
To ensure the success of the event on November 18th, 2024, the following timeline was established:
| Milestone | Date Due |
|---|---|
| Marketing | November 1st - 13th |
| Team Placing | November 14th |
| Communications (Sending Case and receiving Slides) | November 16th - 17th |
| Case Competition Date | November 18th |
| Award Prizes (Through OS) | November 18th - December 2nd |
Students analyzed the case titled "The Plasteline Group: Sustainable Innovation Strategy" and presented their key findings on the day of competition. Each team of 3-5 members developed a 10-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A session, delivered over Zoom. After the presentations by 12 teams, judges from the Office of Sustainability and the Haskayne School of Business awarded the following prizes:
- First Place - Team 1: Rayyan Adnan, Sarah Martinez, Nayab Noor, Ahmed Khan
- Second Place - Team 5: Walter Ortiz, Ayushi Choudhary, Sana Bajwa, Zanir Bhanji, Sohum Jain
All teams presented innovative solutions to the case provided and in doing so, were able to gain invaluable insight into the processes that go with sustainability in business.
Next Steps
Following the completion of the 2023-24 event, the CUS look to host other sustainability related case competitions for upcoming academic seasons. By doing so, they hope to continue advancing the aforementioned SDGs and bring more awareness surrounding sustainability to their fellow undergraduate classmates.