Ready, set, pitch: University of Niagara Falls Canada hosts inaugural Business Case Competition

High school students from across Niagara put best case forward to expert panel of judges

Budding business moguls from high schools across Niagara had the chance to practice their elevator pitches in the University of Niagara Falls Canada (UNF)’s inaugural Business Case Competition.

Held at UNF’s campus in downtown Niagara Falls, more than 40 students from six high schools across Niagara vied for the top prizes and bragging rights. In groups of four to five, the students worked to solve a digital takeover challenge.

The business case, created by faculty members in UNF’s Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (HBBA) program, tasked students to work as business transformation consultants and come up with a data-driven, innovative, and actionable plan to turn a struggling fictional restaurant into a digital success story.

“While this restaurant may have been fictional, the challenges it was facing are very real for many established businesses who are trying to adapt to a changing digital landscape,” said Kirti Khanzode, Associate Dean for the HBBA program and one of the competition judges. “The level of insight and professionalism these high school students brought to the competition was truly impressive. Their analysis was sharp, their presentations were polished, and their innovative thinking was beyond their years. It’s inspiring to see the next generation of business leaders showcase such talent and confidence." 

The teams had to develop a successful digital transformation strategy for the struggling restaurant, including a digital marketing strategy delivered as a five-minute live pitch presented to a panel of expert judges from the university.

“I just love the fact that they’re given a problem, they have to break it down and think of strategies and ways to come up with a solution. That critical thinking skill is great,” said Dawn Currie, senior business teacher at Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School in St. Catharines. She brought a team of four Grade 12 students to compete and said it’s been a great opportunity for them to be exposed to these type of case competitions. “They are loving it.”

Joining them in the competition were teams from A.N. Myer Secondary School, St. Catharines Collegiate, DSBN Academy, Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School, and Eden High School.

“We’ve been going into these schools to introduce UNF to them and talk about our undergraduate programs. It was great to be able to welcome them onto campus and have them see it for themselves and get to interact with our professors and some of our students,” said Rose Heron, Associate Director of Domestic Student Recruitment at the university.

Mark Walker, a business studies teacher at A.N. Myer said case competitions like this are always good exercises for his students to take part in, especially when it’s local and well organized like this event was.

“It’s good preparation for our students who are looking to go on to study business,” he said. Walker brought three teams, with 13 students participating. “(The students are) engaged, they’re actively participating in their learning.”

The event was also a learning opportunity for the HBBA student volunteers who worked alongside their professors to setup the competition and ensure everything ran smoothly on competition day.

The daylong event included lunch, swag for participants, and top prizes in three different categories. A team from A.N. Myer took home the award for Best Case Approach, while Eden had the Most Creative Approach, and Saint Francis had the Most Entertaining Presentation.  

Plans are already in the works for next year’s competition and interest has already started building among the high school students.

“Our team said next year, if it happens again, we should bring a few more teams,” said Currie.

The HBBA is a four-year honours degree that builds a strong business foundation for students, while providing them with the digital skills needed in today’s business landscape. Classes start in October and January, and prospective students can apply directly at unfc.ca.