BC Brings Back Gold and Silver from HRC West Case Competition
In its third-year, the HRC West Case Competition once more pitted 10 HR business teams from BC, Alberta and Manitoba academic institutions against each other—and a real life HR scenario. Held in Edmonton on March 4 and 5, 2016, the two-day event came to a close with two BC teams, Camosun College and Okanagan College, respectively taking home the coveted gold and silver finishes.
The HRC West is the first business case competition in western Canada dedicated entirely to human resources. It was launched in response to a gap in practical learning opportunities for post-secondary students specializing in HR.
Additional teams participating in this year’s competition included University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge, Mount Royal University, Thompson Rivers University, NAIT (2 teams), University of Manitoba and MacEwan University—whose “HR-Gonauts” team captured third place this year.
The winning Camosun College team: Rebecca Verwolf, Aidan Love, Marcelle Santana Lima and Hannah Dougherty.
For the faculty coach of the four Camosun College students, dubbed “4-Js Consulting” who claimed first prize at the prestigious case competition, it was a shining moment. “They were truly amazing. It makes me so proud to see them convey their learning of HR principles, practices, and analysis to define scope for real life purposes,” said Robin McQueen, faculty coach.
Camosun’s team was comprised of business students Aidan Love, Hannah Dougherty, Rebecca Verwolf and Marcelle Santana Lima, who took a complex business case and applied practical HR principles as they defeated nine other teams from western Canada.
In the words of the Alberta finalist judge, CEO HRIA Chris McNelly, “The 4-Js Consulting did a great job keeping the presentation simple, clear and focused on the issue and also balanced amongst the presenters. The presentation was easy to follow and practical to implement. We were looking for a balance of academic knowledge and practical application.”
The Okanagan College team: Sarah Kelman, Miranda Birkbeck and Faye Hughes.
The Okanagan College “Elevated Organizational Solutions” team of Miranda Birkbeck, Faye Hughes and Sarah Kelman made the trip to Alberta with their faculty advisors Laura Thurnheer and Roger Wheeler, and are similarly thrilled with their silver finish.
For Birkbeck, the competition was a chance to improve upon last year’s third-place finish. The fourth-year bachelor of business administration student took part in the 2015 HRC West Case Competition and says the experience proved to be valuable the second time around.
“I was more confident this year and that’s one of the really great aspects of participating in case competitions like HRC West,” Birbeck said. “You have to think on your feet and work under stress with different personalities. Those are great skills to develop and are critical to success in the workplace.”
A Study in Real Life HR
The teams were given three hours to analyze a business case and develop a 20-minute presentation, which was immediately delivered to a panel of judges. The top three teams from the preliminary round moved to the finals, where they presented to new judges.
This year’s case challenged the students to put themselves in the shoes of the 2009 Domino’s Pizza corporate management team, which faced a brand-damaging episode after employees filmed a prank in the kitchen of a Domino’s franchise that violated health codes and corporate policy.
“It was a really interesting case,” said Birkbeck. “We felt like we produced a solid plan and the judges seemed to agree. We will be getting a full report on our performance, but for now, we’re really happy with how we did.”
“This was the second year we have sent a team to compete in HRCWest and we have continued to get stronger in a very competitive field,” said Thurnheer. “Our team was very pleased with their first round delivery and making the finals was a highlight, both Roger and I are very proud of the team’s performance and results.”
Ever Moving HR Forward
Human Resources Management Association (HRMA) of BC partnered with the HRIA (Alberta) to organize the 2016 HRC West Case Competition which is designed to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas between industry experts and HR students across Western Canada. The competition gives students an opportunity to put their classroom knowledge to the test by solving a case that is based on a real HR situation.
