Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to page-level navigation Go to the Disability Resource Centre Website Go to the DRC Booking Accommodation Portal Go to the Inclusive Technology Lab Website
The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Research
  • People
    • Student Profile
    • Faculty Profile
    • Alumni Spotlight
  • Campus Life
    • Campus News
    • Student Life
    • Teaching & Learning
  • Community Engagement
  • About the Collection
    • Stories for Media
  • UBCO Events
  • Search All Stories
Home / 2018 / February / 24 / Facing the Challenge
Community | Campus Life, Community Engagement, Partnerships & Impact, Teaching & Learning

Facing the Challenge

February 24, 2018

The annual Live Case Challenge inspires Management students to innovate and think on their feet to solve complex problems. In 2017, a winning combo of students recommended modern packaging to crack open a new market.
Looking towards a classroom behind a microphone

 

 

BIG IDEA, SLIM PACKAGING. Health-conscious beverages you can drink on the go was the winning idea for the 2017 Live Case Challenge, a pitch for packaging green juice in a slim aluminum can to entice younger consumers.

Describing the day of fast-paced presentations and scrutiny by the judges as “gruelling,” third-year students Alan Blackwell, Jonathan Donahoe, Kirsten Haayer and Olivia Johnson took a big breather after completing the final round, waiting to hear the judges’ decisions at the awards ceremony.

“Live Case tests how you are under pressure,” said Johnson.

“We had six weeks to work on this,” added Haayer, “and we had to maintain that steam throughout that time, hammering down implementation and keeping that effort up right to the final seconds, so that you’re giving it everything you’ve got.”

Third-year Bachelor of Management students at UBC’s Okanagan campus must tackle a complex opportunity from one local organization. In the annual Live Case Challenge, only one group comes out on top, receiving the Argus Cup and a $5,000 prize.

LEARN MORE ABOUT

Bachelor of Management (BMgt)

Master of Management (MM)

Working on a Live Case

Live Case Challenge is so much more than a competition—it is an educational rite of passage for Management students.

The contest assigns students a real or “live” challenge that an organization is grappling with at that time.

Applying their classroom learning, students spend six weeks breaking down the case, researching the industry, developing options and outlining creative and sustainable solutions.

Then the deadline arrives. In tournament-style rounds, groups of students present their recommendations in front of a panel of judges, including professors, alumni and representatives from the case organization. They are scored according to the innovation of their idea, quality of analysis and overall performance.

Teams have only moments between rounds to refine their presentation during competition day, if they get the chance to move forward at all. During the final round, only three teams present in front of a packed theatre of peers and professionals – but all students emerge with the experience of working on a live scenario.

 

 

Recent Cases

2018, Pro Builders Supply Ltd.

Logo of Home Hardware Building CentrePro Builders Supply-Home Hardware Building Centre asked students to consider a range of growth opportunities that would build on their present business model and strategy.

  • Pro Builders Supply-Home Hardware Building Centre

 

 

2017, SunRype

Logo of SunRype

Western Canada’s leading producer of apple juice turned to Management students for bold ideas that could help their company grow and meet the needs of health-conscious consumers.

  • SunRype

 

2016, City of Kelowna

Logo of City of KelownaThe municipality’s climate action plan anticipates vehicle kilometres reducing by 20 per cent. The case asked students: How do we reduce vehicle trips within Kelowna?

  • City of Kelowna

 

 

 

2015, Totalamber

Logo of Totalamber

This global software firm asked students to investigate options that would focus on sales to other businesses and organizations.

 

 

 

2014, Okanagan Similkameen Healthy Living Coalition

OSHLC: Logo of Okanagan Similkameen Health Living Coalition

This community-based non-profit asked students to investigate viable solutions to five assisted-living challenges around the theme of healthy living and chronic disease prevention.

  • OSHLC

 

 

 

2013, HuStream

Logo of HuStream

A Kelowna-based video-production agency needed a business strategy to launch a new online product—specifically seeking the students’ fresh perspective to propel their tech startup to the next level.

2011, Disney Club Penguin

Logo of Club Penguin

Growth requires people. Disney Club Penguin asked students for strategies about how to recruit and retain talented employees.

  • Disney Club Penguin

 

 

 

Winning the Argus Cup

The stakes are high for Live Case Challenge. Teams are graded on the first round of presentations, and make up a portion of their grade in a core Management class.

The top-three teams win tuition-credit prizes, and the winning team earns $5,000 and the coveted Argus Cup. Names of students who won over the six years of the competition are engraved into the cup, named after title sponsor Argus Properties Ltd., a full-service real estate investment and development company based in the Okanagan.

Participating organizations gain innovative solutions they can put into practice. For many students, the biggest reward of Live Case Challenge is the change in their perspective.

“It’s a two-part situation: you are going for grades, but you also want to provide the best option for the company you are working with,” said Blackwell.

“Balancing the two was a challenge, but very exciting.”

A handshake at the Argus Cup

Content type: Okanagan Story
More content from: Faculty of Management

Discover more about UBC Okanagan

Find a Program Admissions Book a Tour UBCO Facts
UBC Okanagan Campus News, University Relations

Innovation Precinct Annexation 1 (IA1)
3505 Spectrum Court
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 2Z1

We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

Search all stories

Subscribe to receive news by email

Visit UBC's Vancouver news room

Global and Admin Messages

News

Okanagan Campus

TikTok icon Linkedin icon

UBC Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility