The University of South Carolina Case Competition team took first place in the academic case competition at business University of Navarra International Case Competition (UNICC). The final case, pertaining to the 24-hour audit firm Ernst and Young (EY), placed second and third to students from the ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong and the University of Alberta (Canada).

A total of 64 students from 16 universities, from 9 countries, have participated in the VI edition of this Competition, unique among Spanish universities, and organised exclusively by students of the School of Economics and Business Studies.

Over the course of six days, the participants in the Case Competition tried to solve problems as professional consultants for business Bodegas Ochoa from Navarra and the multinationals Orbed Private Label and EY in front of 37 professionals who acted as judges, from entities such as Gamesa, Volkswagen Navarra, Deloitte and Bankinter.

Students from the 16 groups participated in the final 24-hour round of the competition, which took place at the Hotel Tres Reyes and at School of Economics on the EY audit firm. The University of South Carolina team won the first place in the Competition in this case, exhibited in front of entrepreneurs such as the Senior Brand, Marketing and Communication Associate; the Senior Advisor of EY Madrid, or the General Manager of advisory service Fiscal de Negocios of EY Pamplona. As award, in addition to the degree scroll of this international tournament, the winners are eligible to participate in the Young Talent Path of the IESE Business School, a programme prior to the MBA of this business school .

In addition to competing as professional consultants, the teams from the United States, Canada, Norway, Singapore, Ireland, Germany, China, Thailand and Spain were able to learn about Navarrese gastronomy and culture from their ambassadors on guided tours of the old quarter of Pamplona and the Ochoa Winery in Olite, among others.

partnership instead of competition

As a novelty, the students of Economics of the Leadership and Governance Programme of the School of Economics carried out the first Collaboration Case of the University of Navarra. This model competition consisted of a group analysis of the final UNICC case on the audit firm EY.

Students from all courses of the Programme analysed the strategy of the 24-hour case teams, trying to solve the same case through a solution agreed by all, in a work of partnership of consultants, instead of competition between different teams.

The diagnosis phase, proposal of the action plan and presentation was carried out by all students developing a final proposal which was presented to the EY judges and employers.