Case solving training equals level advancement
After we participated successfully as 1st year students in the finals of two business simulation competitions last year, we began this academic year with great hopes and even greater – perhaps too much – confidence. We started to look through the case competitions of this year in September, thinking about which ones we should go for.
The first event was the ESET competition organized by MSZK. This was particularly attractive as it was not only a competition but we could also apply for a preparation training. We did not hesitate much, complementing our last year’s team of three with another person who was perfect from all the aspects, we took on to the upcoming challenge.
Based on the mini cases and CVs which we submitted for the registration, we did not get in the competition, although we did get in for the training. First we were very disappointed but we needed to accept that for now we lack the knowledge and experience necessary to compete with the best case-solvers of the country. And how right we were was proven during the incredibly high-quality program.
As a preparation for the training, a 24-hour case study was given to be solved with the topic of hybrid commercial vehicles. Although it came as a surprise so we could not prepare with the entire team, in the end we felt we made the most out of our possibilities.
On Sunday morning, although we got to the venue with a small detour we still managed to arrive on time. Surprisingly there was a lower attendance than we had expected but that gave the opportunity for holding a much more personalized – and team customized – training. During the opening ceremony we had the chance to meet the trainers Zsolt Ábrahám and Levente Balogh, representing the HBCS. After that it was the teams’ turn to present the previously solved cases which was followed by short feedback.
Afterwards was the theoretical block when Zsolt showed us the basic steps of professional case solving. The audience was not only hanging on every word but was also taking notes. The block was very interactive, more like a conversation than a traditional lecture which provided the opportunity for the participants to apply what had been told almost immediately.
After finishing the ordered pizza and having some energy intake provided by the hostesses of Red Bull we had the chance to apply the new knowledge. During launch we gained a lot of useful information as Zsolt and Levente happily answered to all of our questions based on their previous experiences.
The program of the afternoon consisted of solving a case in four hours, during which we immediately applied what we had been taught in the morning. The case was dealing with the challenges arising while operating a fictional gym and to which we had to come up with solutions. Our team tried to live up to the challenge in which the previously learned basic structures helped a lot. During the solving period, they came in every hour to provide us with suggestions regarding the solution which proved to be very useful in keeping up the continuous advancement. What was left for the last couple of minutes was the sketching of the presentation on a chart board but all in all we felt that our work was essentially done.
We were the last ones to present out of the presenting teams. It was interesting to see that all the teams came up with different solutions. During are presentation we tried to use the little techniques that had been recommended by Zsolt and Levente to make our solution more interesting.
The last program of the day was the evaluation of the solutions. It was good to hear both the positive and negative feedbacks as this way we knew what aspects to consider the next time to do a more high quality work. All in all I think that thanks to the training we advanced to a whole new level in the field of case solving and maybe not so far from now we will have a realistic chance to participate in the most prestigious competitions.