NANYANG MBA

University of Munster Case Challenge 2018

Checked in a Bag Full of Autumn Leaves, Cobblestone, Schnitzel, and an Experience we’ll always remember.

21 hours, 5 days, and jetlag. After 6 weeks of intense selection and preparation for the case competition, we finally made it. The University of Münster Case Challenge (UMCC) is a young competition that started in 2017 and this year, it was Nanyang Business School’s first time to compete.

Nanyang MBA 2019 UMCC Representatives (L to R): Atsushi Takahashi, Neil Rojas, Daniel Pieter & Vishu Gupta.

There were 12 schools in total, each vying for the honor of winning the title. Schools came from all over Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. The competitive spirits were definitely brewing as the different teams sat across and beside one another during the opening night.

The competition went on for 3 rounds (1 case per round) where teams were grouped into divisions. The first two 3-hour cases were worth 75 points each with the last 4-hour case valued at 100 points for a total of 250 points for the entire competition. These points were distributed across the teams in each division. After the 3 cases, the points are tabulated and the team in each division with the most points will battle it out against the winners of the other divisions by presenting their 4-hour case to an auditorium filled with all the participants and organizers.

“The Schloss” is the symbol of the university and was built between 1767 and 1787. The case preparations and presentations were held in this castle.

Sadly, we didn’t come out of our division as the winner. We faced off against tough teams including the past year’s champions: American University of Beirut, whose coach shared meals with us and engaged us with stories of previous battles against Nanyang Business School in other competitions.

Lastly, our stay wouldn’t be as incredible if it hadn’t been for the generosity, attention to detail, and genuine care of our hosts: University of Münster Case Club. Our ambassador, Mr. Nils Reckmann, gladly toured us behind the castle and around the city. The organizing team all made sure that we were comfortable throughout our stay and we will always be grateful for their efforts.

Special Thanks to the following: Professor Vijay Sethi who equipped us with the rudiments of case preparation. Our coaches, Akshay Regulagedda, Jonah Wong, and Lokesh Gupta, who invested a lot of their personal time to train us and elevate us to competitive levels. The MBA office: Weilun, Ming Hui, and Rachel who supported us and provided us with everything we needed for the competition from coordination, to documentation, and preparation of case study materials.

To the team that will succeed us in UMCC: The competition is tough but given enough preparation and hearts in the game, Nanyang Business School can certainly bring home the trophy next season. Also, never forget to enjoy and have fun with your teammates. This one-year MBA journey is short.  Bond and share memories as much as you can and we assure you: you will have one of the most unforgettable experiences of your lives. Germany in Autumn is a sight to behold. And be sure to enjoy yourselves with beer in between cases… you’ll need it!

Westphalian cuisine and German Beer at Kruse-Baimken.

For more info about the Nanyang MBA programme, please visit our website.