The Northeastern University College of Business Internal Business Case Competition (IBCC) provides students the opportunity to hone their analytical, critical thinking and presentation skills by taking their course work from the classroom to a competitive arena.
Northeastern University Associate Professor of International Business and Strategy, Ray Kinnunen, has designed and developed the IBCC, modeled after the Business School Beanpot Case Competition held in Boston from 1997-2009 where Professor Kinnunen led Northeastern teams to victory 11 of the 13 years. Alumni say participating in this event has been life changing and inspired success in their future careers.
The IBCC expands the case competition to numerous students in the Northeastern Community the opportunity to compete. Many competitors, though not all, enroll in Kinnuen’s Internal Case Competition Challenge course. The course is designed to take the student’s case-analysis skills, analytical skills, and knowledge of business to the next level and to provide an excellent bridge to the real world. The course comprises an internal College of Business Administration version of the annual Beanpot Business School Case Analysis Competition that utilizes the “Beanpot Way” of analyzing cases, preparing presentations, and working in teams. Students are placed on teams to prepare and analyze business cases based on real challenges facing existing companies. Students are offered an opportunity to develop superior analytical, critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills to prepare them for real-world challenges.
The goal of the course and the IBCC competition is to develop the skills that will benefit Northeastern University College of Business students throughout their academic and professional careers. The IBCC initiative also provides the opportunity for alumni to reconnect with the college and students while acting as judges for the competition.