At the University of Delaware, 2021 is starting with a unique opportunity for current students at any level to try their hand at the practical application of their business analytics skills. This year, UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics is hosting the inaugural Lerner Business Analytics Case Competition (LBACC), sponsored by EY.
EY has provided a case for the competition and students participating will have the opportunity to address a challenge that EY is currently facing. Teams will be tasked to provide recommendations and actionable items that EY can practically implement within the next six months to one year.
Registration is open to both undergraduate and graduate students from any UD college until Monday, January 11 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Each team must have at least one student from the Lerner College. Interested students who miss the kick-off event or would like more information should contact Andrea Everard at aeverard@udel.edu or Kathryn Berkow at ksberkow@udel.edu.
All events will be hosted on Zoom. The schedule for the competition is as follows:
Friday, January 8 at 5 p.m. EST: At this kick-off event, LBACC organizers will introduce the case, go over the rules and assist students with team formation.
Friday, January 15: During this event students will be able to ask any questions about the case or competition and LBACC organizers will provide presentation tips for the video submission portion of the competition.
Friday, January 22: Student teams will submit their video presentations to be judged by faculty of the Lerner College.
Friday, January 29: The top three teams will be announced.
Tuesday, February 2: The top three teams will submit their final video presentations after taking the opportunity to revise their presentations to include the feedback provided by the faculty judges. These final videos will be judged by EY personnel.
Friday, February 5th: The winners of the competition will be announced by EY.
The first, second and third place winning teams of the LBACC will be recognized by EY with plaques, as well as prizes, including Apple watches for the first-place team. The organizers of the competition noted that there are many benefits to participants beyond the physical rewards.
“Case competitions are a great investment of a student’s time and energy…the opportunity to use what they have learned in the classroom is second to none,” said Professor of MIS Andrea Everard, who is one of the UD organizers of the competition. “The experience also provides more context for their future classes. Case competitions are also a great way to practice presentation skills. The more presentations you do, the better you become at them!
“It’s also an opportunity to expand their network: peers, faculty and EY employees,” Everard continued. “One thing that is a little bit different than other Lerner case competitions is that the LBACC is open to undergraduate as well as graduate students. We’ve also had some interest from students outside of Lerner who are interested in business analytics. This is exciting as it shows the reach and the importance of analytics regardless of one’s major.”