Case solving as a sport
Dead silence, the air froze on the stage. The audience is watching anxiously then the start pistol fires and the competition begins. The teams are working with full effort and dedication. They are getting closer to the finish, their time and energy are running out. They know that the last hour is the most important one. This is the point where they can slip by, where they can break away from the rest. From the looks and reactions it seems like the audience is with the team. Award ceremony, dead silence again. The judges are stalling on purpose to enhance the atmosphere. They have the names of the qualifiers. They have 10 minutes to recover before the start. It’s happening all over again. After a strong start the players keep tossing the ball among each other according to their roles. The game is over. The attention is close again. Who is going to be in the top 3, who is going to win the competition?
Case solving as a competitive sport?
Diverse teams, different roles, result-oriented nature and time pressure. The above described feeling can be familiar to those who have participated in more than three case competitions. No doubt, case solving can be taken as sort of a competitive sport. Talented young people, giving their best, competing in teams for victory.
By now, there is a quite significant case-solving community in Hungary with a lot of competitions available for them. The variety is great, from business simulations through functional competitions to strategic case study competitions.
HBCS Ranking
The aim of the HBCS Ranking which was established by the Hungarian Business Case Society in 2013 is to make the achievements of contenders at different competitions measurable and comparable. Among the competitions in the ranking we can find 1. university and student organization competitions, 2. events organized by consulting firms, 3. industry-specific competitions and, 4. business simulations. What all of these competitions share is that contenders need to solve an ill-structured problem and present their solution in a competition setting.
The HBCS Ranking measures the contenders’ performance over a year so it is recommended to register on the case-study.hu website. Every participant receives points based on their achievements at the competitions. The ranking is updated throughout the year so everyone can follow the development of the standings.
Case solver of the year
To finish the season we are preparing with a surprise event at which we will select the case solver of the year. The best contenders in the ranking will be invited to an exclusive competition where they can compete individually and in teams as well. The winner of the HBCS Invitational will receive the Case solver of the year title based on his or her performance during the season and in the final event.