ESB students successful at the University of Mannheim’s Case Competition
A great success for Reutlingen University: at the University of Mannheim’s Case Competition, the team from the ESB Case Club – a student initiative at the ESB Business School – secured several top placings. In the competition, student teams tackle real-world business scenarios and develop solutions to specific economic challenges. The competition tasks covered the areas of sustainability, innovation and finance. The ESB team was particularly successful in the sustainability category, where it took first place. In the innovation category, it came second. The team also secured second place in the overall rankings.
The six-member team comprised Anne Bux, Darius Ringler, Joshua Kemmler, Noemi Schuster, Alessa Riedinger and Carolin Göppert. The students, who were enrolled on various degree programmes at the ESB Business School, represented Reutlingen University against a high-calibre field of national and international participants. The participating universities included, amongst others, the Technical University of Munich, RWTH Aachen University, the University of Mannheim, EBS University of Business and Law, the France-based ESSEC Business School, the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, the University of Münster and Corvinus University of Budapest.
In a case competition, companies set student teams specific real-world challenges. The teams analyse the initial situation, devise possible solutions within a set timeframe and use these to develop a convincing strategy. This requires, in particular, analytical thinking, strategic understanding, creativity and teamwork.
The case studies highlighted the diversity of such business challenges: in the RefinemySite case, the team was tasked with developing a growth strategy to attract new paying customers in the German-speaking construction industry within six months. This involved, amongst other things, utilising artificial intelligence in sales and developing an additional paid service. Another task was the case study on sustainability set by Deloitte. The aim here was to devise a strategy that combines sustainability with commercial success and strengthens a company’s long-term competitiveness.
The placings achieved demonstrate how successfully the students were able to apply their knowledge and skills in a competitive environment. At the same time, the competition highlights how important it is to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world business challenges and to work together to develop viable solutions.
This success highlights the commitment of the ESB Case Club, which offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a practical setting whilst still studying, to work together on complex issues and to measure themselves against other universities.
