School of MPO Students Compete at the University of Navarra International Case Competition (UNICC)

Published: 16 Apr, 2023

A team of students competed from the School of MPO recently competed at the University of Navarra International Undergraduate Case Competition - UNICC - https://www.unav.edu/web/unicc). This is an annual multi-round case competition comprising 16 business schools from around the world. Including in this year’s edition, the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley, the University of Alberta Canada, Maastricht University Netherlands and the American University of Beirut. As in those other such competitions in which School of MPO students compete, the teams apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the classroom to design and present strategic solutions to a range of companies over a week of intense competition.

The TU Dublin Faculty of Business team comprised Katie Trew (BSc Business and Management), Kate Flanagan, Kelsey Boggins and Naoise Finnie (BSc Business and Law).

The Team was drawn in a Division with Wilfrid Laurier University Canada, the hosts the University of Navarra and the University of South Carolina. The teams acted in a consultancy capacity to three companies during the week - Wilfrid Laurier University won the division and with the same solution and presentation that defeated TU Dublin won the Grand Final where they competed against the other three divisional winners.

Katie, Kate, Kelsey and Naoise competed with great distinction and were fabulous ambassadors for the School, Faculty and wider University. They will play a key role in the selection and preparation of next year’s team. That team will comprise Final Year students from programmes within the School.

Below is feedback recieved from one of the participating students: 

A few months ago I applied to represent TU Dublin in The University of Navarra International Case Competition (UNICC) ‘23, in Pamplona, Spain. Everyone involved in previous case competition that I talked to, whether that be past students, friends, and coaches, all said the same thing; that it was an amazing opportunity they would never forget. 

Having competed in UNICC a few weeks ago, I can 100% say that this is true. I will never forget the pride I felt representing TU Dublin (and being the only Irish team to compete), the bonds created with people I met from all over the world, the fun cultural activities in Spain, and the skills and confidence I’ve gained through this challenging competition and preparation process. 

If you would have told me back in September of 2022 that I would have competed against top universities from all corners of the world, and conquered my fear of presenting, I would have laughed. Now, GSM is a breeze for me and I no longer dread presenting. Also, recommendations for GSM are much easier thanks to the practices before the competition. 

I felt my time in college was really cut short by covid-19 and I did not want to let any opportunities pass me by that could help me learn and grow, while networking for the future. Stepping out of my comfort zone and doing this was the most beneficial thing I have done career wise. 

The crucial business-world skills that I have learned over the last few months will stick with me for life and aid me in my career for the future. Not to mention that this looks amazing on your CV for future employment opportunities and may well give you that advantage over another candidate for an employment opportunity!