how to conduct a case study competition

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Six Strategies for Winning Case Competitions

• Strategy and Operations

by Lauren Meyer and Sarah Consagra, both MMM 2020 

This content was originally published in Poets&Quants .

To prepare for business school, students gear up for lecture room cold-calling, months of career recruiting, and enough networking to last a lifetime. What many MBA students don’t anticipate are case competitions.

An often-underrated way to derive value from your business school education, case competitions offer students the opportunity to consult for real clients, helping to solve pressing business problems. These competitions have become almost a rite of passage at graduate schools across the nation. Plus, they tend to pay generously – a perk always welcome on an MBA budget.

Over two weeks, our team designed a platform aimed at educating and empowering primary care physicians to directly treat patients with HCV, a task typically reserved for specialists. We were thrilled to win the competition, and even more excited to know that our ideas will further AbbVie’s mission to eradicate a stigmatized and often overlooked disease.

Among busy MBA schedules, making time for a case competition may be difficult. However, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of business school. After competing and succeeding in several during our first year at Kellogg, we’ve gleaned some helpful tips and tricks for designing a “winning” solution and getting the most out of the case competition experience.

1. Make it human-centered.

Get out there and talk to people! Secondary research is important. Where possible, your ideas should also be informed by robust primary research. Judges will be impressed when you are able to cite conversations with people who are “living the problem.” Through our conversations with doctors, nurses, and social workers, we unearthed unique pain points related to HCV treatment that we would have missed entirely by relying on the internet. One nurse reminded us that “doctors are people, too,” and that their own unconscious biases and busy schedules might prevent them from treating certain diseases with urgency.

2. Keep it laser-focused.

When solving an innovation challenge, there are typically a number of exciting possible solutions. We’ve found it is most effective to select the one solution you think is most compelling Then, tell the audience  why  you chose it, and build it out in detail. The audience will be much more impressed by a single, deep and well-studied solution than a set of broad and shallow ones. In our presentation, we recommended launching the education platform with primary care physicians covered by Medicare Advantage, a group we believed was uniquely poised to adopt the education platform. By honing in on one of many existing pain points, we were able to demonstrate that we had done the hard work of prioritizing the biggest win for our client.

3. Make it beautiful.

The value of an aesthetically compelling presentation cannot be overstated. This will keep your audience alert and engaged. Straightforward, crisp slides with simple design elements will go a long way. If you want to take it one step further, don’t be afraid to get creative by adding illustrations and vivid imagery. Our team used hand-drawn illustrations (just stick figures – nothing fancy) to bring a typical HCV patient’s journey to life for the judging panel.

4. Know your numbers.

When it comes to Q&A time, it’s always satisfying to respond to a judge’s doubting question with, “Yes, and we have data to support that.” If you’re going to whip out that reply, make sure you’ve done your homework. While only key numbers should be presented, an appendix is a helpful add-on for all the numerical content that you may want to pull out of your arsenal during follow-up questioning. Make sure you practice speaking confidently about how you arrived at those final numbers as well.

5. Make it actionable.

Ultimately, judges want solutions that feel tangible – ones they can execute readily, with existing budget, and feel excited to promote to internal stakeholders. Craft a clear outline for how you’ll launch your idea, what money you’ll leverage, and what existing resources you can draw on. If you want to add some glitz, you can always build out a roadmap for how your solution might evolve and grow as you scale (three, five, or ten years down the line). In our presentation, we focused on a “pilot program,” and then shared a window into what a “full-scale” version might look like. This helped the judges understand our solution’s potential for immediate effect, and how that might translate into something bigger and more impactful.

6. Tell a story.

Business jargon and charts might seem impressive, but if the judges aren’t hooked they may miss the genius of your solution. Storytelling can be a critical lever for standing out and connecting with your audience. Share emotional and powerful stories of personas or real people you spoke with to demonstrate how this solution will transform the lives of customers and stakeholders. Coming full circle to our first tip: speaking with people out in the world will enable you to deliver compelling human stories.

One bonus tip to remember : be sure to make it fun! That may sound cheesy, but it’s hard to envision and build out a business solution under time constraints if you’re not curious about the subject matter. Find teammates you enjoy spending time with, and let your enthusiasm shine when pitch day rolls around.

Case Study Competitions- Details, Winning Strategies, And More!

Table of content: 

The abc of case studies, types of case studies, illustrative case studies, exploratory case studies, collective/multiple-case studies, critical instance case studies, 5 tips to boost your chance of success in a case study competition, a diverse and well-balanced team, research is key, work on multiple ideas.

• Structure Of Competition Presentation Content Is Important

Be Prepared For Answering Questions

Case study competitions are the best exercise for your grey cells which makes use of all your mental faculties as well as your decision-making abilities. No wonder this 'show and tell' of corporate operations and market studies play a crucial role in competitions across universities and corporate organizations alike.

These case study competitions have changed the hiring landscape across all industries with many more joining the league. Organizations conduct business case competitions to reach out to top talent and assess their management and leadership skills. These businesses often offer enticing prizes like pre-placement interview opportunities as well as cash prizes to attract the target audience. There are multiple advantages to these challenges, and many organizations have started conducting corporate case study competitions and hackathons as annual events.

Naturally, students from all streams across the nation want to be a part of this trend. You too can be a part of and win these competitions with the right approach. This article lists all the details about case studies, ways to approach a case study competition, and tips to increase your chances of success in them. Have a look!

Have you ever wondered what a case study actually entails? Well, case studies are simply teaching tools that enhance and test the practical knowledge of students. A case study asks students to make a detailed analysis of a market situation, an organization, or a particular situation/ problem. The students are then required to use their problem-solving skills to rectify the complications or come up with innovative solutions to the problem statement at hand.

For example, a vast majority of learning in management courses occurs through case studies and they form an integral part of the business school experience. These case studies could be related to any functional area of an organization. Such as a marketing case study, or a case relating to the finance, operations, HR, or IT departments. They could also entail studying the overall workings of an organization and then ask students to come up with a business solution that is the best course of action for the respective organization.  Note that the proposed solutions must be clear, evidence-based recommendations, based on in-depth research of the organization and the market conditions. These recommendations are meant to provide the company with solutions to real issues.

Now that we know the basics, let’s look at the type of case studies and their classifications.

There is a wide range of case study types and methods of classifying them into categories. These types are then further divided into sub-divisions depending upon the subject, situation, goals/ objectives, etc. But there are four most widely accepted types, which are:

These are also referred to as descriptive case studies. As the name suggests these start with the description of a situation that needs to be analyzed. They generally describe one or two circumstances to familiarise the reader with the business problem/ situation that is the main subject of the study. 

The readers then make observations based on the description provided, compare them with relevant theories, and come up with actionable recommendations.

These case studies are condensed forms of research studies that usually act as a precursor to much bigger studies with a deeper level of research. The main function of such studies is to find the answer to some pre-decided basic questions, which either prove or refute the need for further research and study on that subject. If the case study shows that further, more detailed research on the matter will be fruitful, researchers dive deeper into the subject matter.  

As the title suggests, these studies make use of different (relevant) studies from all points of time which aggregate into the case for a new one. The collection of various studies leads to better generalization and addition of information without the extra expense of time and resources. 

As the name suggests, these studies focus on a single instance or phenomenon. They are somewhat similar to collective case studies in the way that these also entail collecting data from different sources. However, in contrast to cumulative studies, here the purpose is not to make generalizations, rather it's to focus on unique situations for study. Such case studies are useful for finding the relation between an event and its cause.

These are the most common case study types. Now, a case study competition will require a group to work as a team and present their analysis and consequent solutions in a compact and effective manner to the judges. It’s a straightforward process but requires great thought and preparation in advance if one wishes to win.

Listed below are 5 business case competition tips to help you prepare for and win case competitions/ challenges:

Building a well-rounded team is critical when participating in a competitive case study competition. Everyone knows that a team that consists of members with diverse strengths, skill sets, backgrounds, methodologies, and competencies is comparatively better at thinking out of the box and coming up with amazing solutions. An ideal team, size-wise, consists of 4-6 people unless specified otherwise by the competition sponsors/organizers. 

It is important that participants possess great research skills if they want to emerge as competition winners. This is because they will need to conduct thorough research on the topic/ situation/ problem at hand to come up with winning solutions. What one lacks in knowledge can be made up for only through proper research. The key takeaway here is- to hone your research skills before taking part in the competition, both through study and practice. You should know how to conduct comprehensive research using all offline as well as online resources available for the subject of your case study.

You could make use of websites like Unstop to take part in online competitions and business simulation games in order to get a fair experience of the workings of such a competition.  

Putting all your eggs in one basket isn't the ideal approach when it comes to such competitions. It is best to work on a couple of ideas at the same time and then select the most brilliant idea of the lot and make it your primary solution. Other business ideas can be used as backup options if something goes wrong with the initial plan of action.

Note that while you need to come up with data-driven solutions, don't forget to employ logic and reason in your solution.

Structure Of Competition Presentation Content Is Important 

Presenting and positioning your business solutions is just as critical as coming up with actionable recommendations for the problem at hand. Because if you don't present the information in a structured form, you won't be able to convey your idea to the judges. Your presentation should be professional, crisp, and effective all the same time. 

Another important aspect of making a successful presentation is the person making the presentation. This person should have excellent communication skills and must be confident and approachable. It is not important for all team members to present and speak individually. There might be members who aren't comfortable making conversations with people or speaking in front of large crowds. Everyone has their own set of skills and it is best to play them to their strengths.

So, structure your presentation right, and choose the best speakers to go forward (if all the team members could partake in it, all the better). Also, it is better if max 2 members handle the computer slides at a time- clutter doesn’t look good.

The next stage of these competitions is the QnA round. Here the panel will ask questions regarding your presentation and recommendations for the problem statement. It is best to come prepared for this round, rather than being caught unaware.

So contemplate what kind of questions could be asked depending on your research, strategy, sources, presentation, and the final solution. Prepare well-researched answers for these beforehand as this will give you an edge over your competitors. Keep handy extra information like topic-specific graphs, charts, and previous studies which you can pull up in the time of need. Being prepared for answers helps you finish on a high note. Case study competitions require good team effort on top of individual dedication. If you wish to win, use all the help you can get. Unstop is a website that is dedicated to helping students in their academic endeavors and is one stop shop from where you can gather necessary ideas and experience.

Case study competitions are enjoyable and informative, they invoke team spirit and let the participant experience what actually happens inside a corporation. Look at it as a fun, active way to learn more, and be prepared for anything. Remember to stay organized, logical, and confident about your presentation, and the rest will fall into place. #BeUnstoppable

You might also be interested in reading the following:

• Meet J&J Imagivators: The Mavericks Share Their Strategy, Experiences, And More!
• Meet Team Secure- From Thinking of Dropping Out To Winning The 1st Runner-up Title Of Tally Codebrewers 2022
• Books For MBA Students In Every Specialization That Should Not Be Missed
• How To Win Business Case Competitions: The Secret Revealed

I am an economics graduate using my qualifications and life skills to observe & absorb what life has to offer. A strong believer in 'Don't die before you are dead' philosophy, at Unstop I am producing content that resonates and enables you to be #Unstoppable. When I don't have to be presentable for the job, I'd be elbow deep in paint/ pencil residue, immersed in a good read or socializing in the flesh.

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Case Competition: The Ultimate Guide on How to Excel

• Last Updated December, 2023

A case competition provides an exciting way for aspiring consultants to hone their problem-solving and presentation skills. If you’re drawn to the consulting world, you likely have a competitive spirit that thrives on challenges.

You’ll get the opportunity to tackle real business problems and present your solutions before judges, who are usually seasoned consultants.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• What is a case competition (with examples of what you’ll do)
• How competing in consulting case competitions helps your resume and recruiting
• 5 tips on acing the business case competition and maximizing the opportunity
• A list of top case competitions to keep on your radar

Let’s get started!

What Is a Case Competition?

A case competition is an immersive learning experience that challenges students to solve complex business problems within a simulated consulting environment. 

In these competitions, participants work in teams to solve a hypothetical client problem and recommend a solution to a panel of judges.

A case competition tests your analytical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills.

Examples of Cases and Topics

Case competitions can cover various business functions, such as marketing, strategy, operations, or a combination. You also won’t know what industry the case involves until the competition starts. It’s very similar to what you might experience in a consulting interview!

Case competition examples:

• BankCo aims to boost its market share among customers under 25. What recommendations would you propose to achieve this goal?
• TechCo is venturing into a new geographic market and seeks guidance on an effective market entry strategy to ensure a successful expansion. What approach would you recommend?
• EngineCo, an automobile manufacturer, is grappling with inefficient production processes. How would you optimize operations and foster innovation within the company?

If the case questions seem daunting, fear not! You’ll be provided with lots of data, including historical information, cost details, and other relevant considerations.

However, only some of the data provided will be useful or relevant to your recommendation. As a consultant, part of your skillset involves discerning which information is crucial to your analysis.

These cases simulate real-life consulting projects, so it’s a great chance to apply your skills and see if you like consulting!

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

Typical Format of a Case Competition

In a case competition, participants are either assigned or choose to be part of a team of 4 to 6 students, mirroring a real consulting team. 

Each team is provided with identical information and allotted the same timeframe to analyze the data, develop recommendations, and present them to a panel of judges. A case competition usually takes place over a few days to allow for analysis and presentation preparation time.  

Let’s take a look at the typical schedule:

• Read Case Information : Teams receive a comprehensive case brief that presents the problem, client information, and pertinent data or information.
• Analyze Data and Options : Teams dive into the case, meticulously analyzing the provided data, extracting insights, and carefully evaluating different options for their recommendation. In most competitions, you can use publicly available information for research.
• Prepare Recommendation and Presentation : Teams consolidate their analysis and make an informed decision on the recommendation. They craft a compelling presentation, typically in slide format, showcasing the results of their analysis and their final recommendation.
• Present to Judges and Answer Q&A : Teams present their solutions to a panel of judges comprising industry professionals and experienced consultants. During the presentation, teams articulate their analysis, demonstrate their problem-solving approach, and emphasize the potential impact of their recommendations. Following the presentation, judges engage in a Q&A session, probing deeper into the team’s analysis and challenging their recommendation.
• Get Feedback and Results : Judges assess each team based on criteria such as the clarity of their problem-solving approach, the feasibility of their recommendations, and the effectiveness of their presentation.

Benefits of Participating in a Consulting Case Competition

Participating in a consulting case competition offers numerous advantages:

• Skill Development : From analyzing real client situations under time pressure to developing innovative solutions, you gain hands-on experience that sharpens your problem-solving abilities, data analysis skills, strategic thinking, teamwork, and communication. It’s a realistic glimpse of what a “day in the life” as a consultant is like.
• Valuable Feedback and Insights : While winning is rewarding, the feedback received provides invaluable insights and suggestions for improvement, enabling you to improve your skills and knowledge. 
• Prizes and Recognition : Many case competitions offer attractive prizes and recognition for outstanding performance. This can include monetary rewards or prize packages.
• Networking Opportunities : You have the chance to network with judges who are current consultants. They often are the ones involved in recruiting and interviews. Even if you don’t win the competition, you have a chance to impress judges, and it could lead to mentorship opportunities or potential internship opportunities.
• Resume Enhancement : Include any awards from case competitions on your resume. It is concrete evidence of your skills and can help your resume stand out.

5 Tips on Acing a Case Competition and Maximizing the Opportunity

1. review key consulting frameworks and concepts.

Take the time to review and understand essential consulting frameworks and structures, such as MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) and the Hypothesis-Driven Approach .

This will give you a strong foundation for analyzing case problems and developing practical solutions. Utilize resources like our Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep .

2. Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities with Your Team

You are under a time crunch in a case competition, so aligning with your team on individual roles and responsibilities before you start the analysis will help you work efficiently.

Consider each team member’s strengths or developmental interests, and delegate tasks accordingly. For example, if you want to improve your proficiency in Excel, communicate your interest in doing analytical aspects. You can create a more efficient and cohesive team by working together and leveraging each other’s talents.

3. Avoid Memorizing Your Presentation

Memorizing your presentation word-for-word or reading the slides will make your presentation come off as less natural. You’ll appear less confident in what you are recommending.

Instead, focus on understanding the key points, logical flow, and supporting evidence. This approach allows flexibility, adaptability, and a more natural delivery during the presentation.

4. Prepare for Potential Questions

Allocate time to anticipate questions that judges may ask during the Q&A session. Consider different angles, alternative perspectives, and potential challenges to your recommendations. Being well-prepared for possible questions demonstrates your critical thinking skills, enhances confidence, and helps you respond effectively.

5. Leave a Lasting Impression on Judges

Make a positive impression on the judges and attendees of the consulting case competition. You never know who you might encounter again in your consulting journey. 

Consider sending a thoughtful thank-you note to the judges after the competition to express your gratitude for their feedback.

List of Case Competitions

Below, we have compiled a list of case competitions to keep on your radar and consider competing in. It’s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list, and competitions may vary yearly, so we recommend checking their official websites.

If you are in school, your consulting clubs will often host case competitions internally. Sometimes, firms also sponsor and run case competitions for specific communities.

Case Competitions in the USA

• ASCM Case Competition
• Collegiate Ethics Case Competition
• Danaher Case Competition
• David Eccles School of Business Case Competition
• Deloitte Consulting National Undergraduate Case Competition
• E-PARCC Teaching Case and Simulation Competition
• Global Case Competition at Harvard
• Heavener International Case Competition
• IACBE Case Competition
• KeyBank Case Competition
• Marshall International Case Competition
• Net Impact Case Competition
• NU-CUIBE International Business Case Competition
• Page Student Case Study Competition
• Penn Healthcare Case Competition
• Penn, Yale, Princeton, Columbia Case Competition
• Prism Consulting Group Case Competitions
• PRMIA Risk Management Challenge
• San Diego State University
• Student Big Data Case Competition
• The Katz Invitational
• The NASBITE International Student Case Competition
• The Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition
• The University of California Press’ Case Studies in the Environment Prize Competition
• UConn International Business Case Challenge
• Yale Healthcare Case Competition
• Yale Graduate Consulting Club Case Competition

Case Competitions in Canada

• CFI FinMo Case Competition
• ICRA International Case Competition
• John Molson MBA International Case Competition
• McGill Management International Case Competition
• Schulich International Case Competition
• Scotiabank International Case Competition
• UCCA Case Competition

Case Competitions in Europe

• Aarhus Case Competition
• AAU Case Competition
• Amsterdam Case Competition
• Belgrade Business International Case Competition
• CBS Case Competition
• Central European Case Competition
• Creative Shock
• ILA International Case Competition
• International Case Competition @Maastricht
• Morpheus Cup
• NIBS Worldwide Case Competition
• Russian National Case League Changellenge
• SDA Bocconi Case Competition
• The Geneva Challenge

Case Competitions in International Locations

• CEIBS Global Case Competition
• EY CAFTA Case Championship
• HKUST International Case Competition
• HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition
• IFAMA Student Case Competition
• IMA Middle East and India Student Case Competition
• KPMG International Case Competition
• Melbourne Business School Case Competition

– – – – – – –

In this article, we’ve covered:

• Insight into the nature of case competitions, including examples of the tasks and challenges
• How participating in a consulting case competition can benefit your resume and increase your chances of success in recruiting
• Tips on how to excel in a business case competition and make the most of your experience
• A starter list of case competitions you can explore

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about case competitions, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them.

Other people prepping for a case competition found the following pages helpful:

• Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep
• How to Approach a Case Study
• Case Interview Examples
• MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)
• The Hypothesis-Driven Approach

Help with Your Consulting Application

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on excelling at case competitions. My Consulting Offer has helped 89.6% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Parth was able to get his offer from BCG.

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Business Case Competitions: Purpose, Types and Rules

A Guide to Case Studies and Case Study Analysis

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Business Cases in Business School Curriculum

Business cases are frequently used as teaching tools in business school classes, particularly in MBA or other graduate business programs. Not every business school uses the case method as a teaching approach, but many of them do. Nearly 20 of the 25 top business schools ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek  utilize cases as a primary method of teaching, spending as much as 75 to 80 percent of class time on them. 

Business cases are detailed accounts of companies, industries, people and projects. The content within a case study may include information about company objectives, strategies, challenges, results, recommendations, and more. Business case studies can be brief or extensive and may range from two pages to 30 pages or more. To learn more about case study format, check out a few  free case study samples .

While you are in business school, you will probably be asked to analyze multiple case studies. Case study analysis is meant to give you the opportunity to analyze the steps other business professionals have taken to address specific markets, problems and challenges. Some schools also offer on-site and off-site case competitions so that business students can show off what they have learned.

What Is a Business Case Competition?

A business case competition is a type of academic contest for business school students. These competitions originated in the United States, but are now held all over the world. To compete, students typically break into teams of two or more people.

The teams then read a business case and provide a solution for the problem or situation presented in the case. This solution is typically presented to judges in the form of a verbal or written analysis. In some cases, the solution may needed to be defended. The team with the best solution wins the competition.

Purpose of a Case Competition

As with the case method , case competitions are often sold as a learning tool. When you participate in a case competition, you get the opportunity to learn in a high pressure situation involving a real-world scenario. You can learn from students on your team and students on other teams. Some case competitions also provide verbal or written evaluations of your analysis and solution from the competition judges so that you have feedback on your performance and decision-making skills. 

Business case competitions also provide other perks, like the opportunity to network with executives and other people in your field as well as the chance to earn bragging rights and prize winnings, which are typically in the form of money. Some prizes are worth thousands of dollars. 

Types of Business Case Competitions

There are two basic types of business case competitions: invitation-only competitions and competitions that are by application. You must be invited to an invitation-only business case competition. The application-based competition allows students to apply to be a participant. Application doesn't necessarily guarantee you a spot in the competition.

Many business case competitions also have a theme. For example, the competition may focus on a case related to supply chains or global business. There might also be a focus on a particular topic in a particular industry, such as corporate social responsibility in the energy industry.

Rules for Business Case Competitions

Although competition rules can vary, most business case competitions have time limits and other parameters. For example, the competition may be split into rounds. The competition could be limited to two teams or multiple teams. Students might compete with other students at their school or with students from another school.

Students may be required to have a minimum GPA to participate. Most business case competitions also have rules governing access to assistance. For example, students may be allowed to get help when it comes to finding research materials, but help from outside sources, like professors or students who are not participating in the competition might be strictly forbidden. 

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Case Competitions

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Case Analysis

• Data Visualizations & Presentations
• Frequently Asked Questions

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Introduction to Case Analysis & Critical Thinking

Whether you are competing in a case competition or participating in case studies in your courses, you might be wondering how to approach this process. This video by Professor Zoe Mayhook provides an introduction to the case analysis and critical thinking, and includes the following concepts: 

• Short history of the case method (0:19)
• Business case types (1:05)
• Business case characteristics (1:45)
• SWOT Analysis (4:41)
• Porter's Five Forces (6:36)
• Timeline Analysis (10:12)
• Financial Analysis (10:42)
• Case & Effect Analysis (14:36)
• Concluding thoughts (16:44)
• SWOT Analysis
• Industry Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Other Analysis Tools

The SWOT Analysis is the process of identifying internal and external factors that affect the competitive positioning of a company. The SWOT mnemonic stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which helps individuals identify and succinctly organize information so that their decisions and recommendations leverage a company’s strengths and opportunities, while also overcoming their weaknesses and possible threats. Sample SWOT Analyses can be found through the following resources.

NOTE: Copy and pasting a published SWOT analysis is plagiarism. They offer a good starting point, but conducting a SWOT analysis for your assignments, case studies, and case competitions should be your own work. 

Learn more about SWOT Analysis

• An Essential Guide to SWOT Analysis
• SWOT Analysis Template

When conducting an industry analysis, it may be useful to consider Porter's Five Forces model . This model helps individuals look at competitive forces within an industry, which can help inform a company’s business strategy. Porter's five forces includes: 

• Competitive Rivalry 
• Threat of New Entry
• Threat of Substitutes 
• Supplier Power
• Buyer Power

Many business databases a Purdue carry industry reports that can help is your analysis. IBISWorld Industry reports is a useful first step, and provides information that utilizes the Porter's Five Forces Model. To learn how to use IBISWorld for Porter's Five Forces research, check out the following article: Using Porter's Fives Forces to Develop Business Strategies (2020).  IBISWorld . 

• Current Industrial Reports (Census) The CIR program provides statistics primarily for production and shipments, but data on inventories, orders, and consumption are collected in a number of surveys. These surveys also measure manufacturing activity in important commodity areas such as textile and apparel, chemicals, primary metals, computer and electronic components, industrial equipment, and consumer goods.

Financial ratios allow provide useful insights, and can be divided into five different classes.

• Profitability Ratios
• Liquidity Ratios
• Activity Ratios
• Leverage Ratios
• Market Value Ratios

Check out the following resources to learn more about financial ratios:

• Key Business Ratios (D&B) Examine industry benchmarks compiled from D&B's database of public and private companies, featuring 14 key business ratios. Choose a one-year or three-year set of ratios for public and private companies in 800 lines of business.
• Corporate Finance Institute | Financial Ratios
• Investopedia | Financial Ratios
• Cascade | Conducting A Strategic Analysis + 8 of the Best Tools to Use Provides background on the strategic management cycle and describe different strategic analysis tools that can be employed.
• ASQ | The 7 Basic Quality Tools for Process Improvement List of analysis tools including check sheets, control charts, histograms, pareto chart, scatter diagrams, and stratification.
• ASQ | Fishbone Diagram This cause analysis tool is considered one of the seven basic quality tools. The fishbone diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem. It can be used to structure a brainstorming session. It immediately sorts ideas into useful categories.
• CFI | PESTEL Analysis PESTEL Analysis is a strategic framework used to evaluate the external environment of a business by breaking down the opportunities and risks into Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors.
• HBS | What is Value Chain Analysis? Value chain analysis is a means of evaluating each of the activities in a company’s value chain to understand where opportunities for improvement lie. Conducting a value chain analysis prompts you to consider how each step adds or subtracts value from your final product or service. This, in turn, can help you realize some form of competitive advantage.
• Microsoft Office | Timeline Templates Conduct a timeline analysis with these free templates provided by Microsoft Office.
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• Last Edited: Apr 12, 2024 11:47 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/casecompetitions

Business Case Studies

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• Preparing for Case Competitions
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• Copyright Help

Preparing for Case Competitions - Online Resources

The following are some online resources on how to approach the case study competition.

How to Analyse a Case: A Student Guide This has information about different types of cases and hints on how to analyze a case.

Preparing an Effective Case Analysis South-Western College Publishing

Case Study 101: Preparing for Case Study Competition A Linkedin blog on prepping for competitions

How to Win a Case Competition A blog from the Saïd Business School

Analyzing a Case Study Cengage Learning

This is How I Prepare the Teams Insights from a Case Study Competion Coach

• << Previous: Case Competitions
• Next: Case Analyses Guides >>
• Last Updated: Sep 28, 2022 10:09 AM
• URL: https://researchguides.smu.edu.sg/c.php?g=925731

5 top tips for Case Competition success

One of the common questions posed to Matt and myself about the case studies we have written is: “Did the case work out as you were expecting?” Our usual answer is: “We didn’t know what to expect.” Although each case scenario has solutions that are more desirable, feasible and viable than others, the beauty of a live market case study is that there is no single right answer. We do not write a case with a given solution in mind, and as in real world consulting, a number of different avenues will be available, each with its own merits and risks. We ourselves learn in watching the development of solutions and I especially love it when participants uncover a gem of information or a potential solution that even we had not anticipated.

That said, there are a number of competences that underpin success in both case-based assessments and real world consulting engagements. With the 2014 WBS International Healthcare Case Competition  now only days away and the first part of the case having been sent out to participants, here are our top tips.

1. Impress with your research

Proud winners of the WBS Case Competition 2013 , the Lancaster MBA team were nonetheless the first to admit that none of them had a background in healthcare or related industries: to others who had seen them in action, this came as a surprise. One of the standout features of Lancaster’s presentation was the level of preparation the team had undertaken. Not only had they followed the trail laid down by the case study but they had actively sought out expertise and insight by meeting with Lancaster academics from other, relevant disciplines.

In a consulting engagement, such research demonstrates knowledge and expertise. It also shows that you are actively interested in the client. Typically, a client employs a consultant to gain access to insight beyond that of their own: showing a client that you can truly offer this service is important.

The same is true of case-based assessments and competitions. Those who stand out are the teams and individuals who have gone the extra mile: those who know that little bit more; who understand and correctly use relevant terminology; and who share up-to-the-minute knowledge that others might have missed.

2. Show your working

“Show your working!”  The mantra of every maths teacher up and down the country at GCSE, A-level and beyond.  Who’d have thought it was also relevant to case competitions and consulting?

Through a number of case-based events, Matt and I have been privileged to observe firsthand the creative process as teams develop their solutions. Some teams are fiery, others are thoughtful, but whatever the team’s style, one can almost guarantee intelligent, insightful conversations and some truly brilliant ideas.

When the time arrives to present or to share recommendations with the client however, we are often surprised by how many of these ideas have been lost. Had we not been witness to conversations earlier in the day, we would never have known the ideas existed.

“Show your working,” is the mantra of many teachers because it ensures that even if a student’s final answer is wrong, the pupil will nonetheless be given credit for their working. A similar principle exists in case-based assessments and consulting. A client, assessor or judge may not agree with your final recommendation but if they can see the path you have taken to arrive at your conclusion, this provides a firm basis for further discussion.

Similarly, it is often as helpful to share the solutions you have discounted as the ones you have chosen. Understanding that, “Solutions A, B and C are not viable because… Therefore we recommend Solutions X, Y and Z,” enables a client or judge to grasp the full picture. It also shows that you have done your job comprehensively and any client should feel that they are in a safe pair of hands.

3. Always ensure you meet the brief

In a consulting engagement, failing to meet your brief will likely guarantee that you end up with an unhappy client. Clients request those things that are important to them. If they make a request, it matters.

The same is true of case-based assessments. If something is asked for in the brief, it is there for a reason and you will be assessed on it. We were surprised during the WBS Case Competition 2013 that many teams did not directly address the issue raised by the last minute newscast. In a real world engagement, to ignore breaking news that has direct relevance to the client’s situation and your recommendations may just prove disastrous.

4. Get to the heart of the issue

On the flip side of meeting the brief, it is also vital that you are able to take a step back from the client’s perspective and to become objective. Both clients and cases present information from a particular viewpoint and often with a particular agenda. Sometimes that perspective is accurate. Other times information is missing or erroneous judgements may have been made. Occasionally, information or the viewpoint held by a client might just be wrong.

Case-based assessments require that you are able to synthesis knowledge in a complex environment and that you can analyse this knowledge from multiple perspectives. Benchmarked against the competition, is the company performing as well as the client thinks it is? How desirable is the product or service to potential customers? Looking at the market as a whole, are there future shifts that could prove game changing? How does the situation appear when viewed from multiple stakeholder perspectives?

Be prepared to challenge the assumptions that have been made to date. Ultimately, clients, assessors and judges are looking for solutions and recommendations that work, that deliver real return on investment, and that have value. Rarely is someone looking for a yes man. Finding the heart of the issue—whatever that may be and regardless of whether it is an easy pill to swallow—is key.

5. Have the courage of your convictions

Once you are sure that you have arrived at a solution of merit, that you can back up your recommendations with accurate data, and you are confident that your ideas will deliver, hold fast to your convictions. Similarly, as you are developing your recommendations, dare to trust your instincts.

In last year’s Case Competition, although Xceletra—the pharmaceutical company around which the case was based—had already undertaken its own research into a particular avenue, the brief itself was open. Those teams that stood out, including Lancaster, were the ones who dared to step outside the box. Teams who, despite a weighty suggestion to focus on a given area, had the courage to assess the bigger picture and presented solutions that were bang on the money but broader than the client may have been expecting.

Unsurprisingly, this tip does not however come without a caveat. To stick to your guns, you must be confident that you are right. If you’re presented with information that suggests otherwise, you also need to have the courage to hold up your hands, back down and rethink. Continuing to hold fast to a misguided belief or conviction will spell trouble for both you and the client.

Ultimately, great consultants are able to combine their insights with a deep understanding of their client. The same is true of competition winners: teams and individuals who combine creativity and insight with a deep understanding of the case. These individuals are able to empathise and understand but they also have the ability to lead judges and clients on a journey: “We understand that ‘A’ was your favoured option but have you considered ‘K’?”  This is not said at anyone’s expense nor in ignorance of valid concerns, but rather, with conviction that the answer has the best interests of all stakeholders in mind.

Debbie Stocker

Debbie is director of Stocker Partnership, a strategy and innovation consultancy. She's a great facilitator, researcher and strategist. With an approach that is both creative and methodical, Debbie combines her expertise in psychology with a strong commercial focus. Her signature strengths include kindness and a love of learning. She also line manages the office dog. More about us

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Student case competitions

Case competitions can play a role in highlighting the many skills involved in case writing, teaching and learning. They can benefit faculty, researchers and students and offer the opportunity to showcase expertise at business schools and universities.

This page provides details of current student case competitions. We're always interested to hear about new case competitions, so if yours isn't listed please get in touch.

We also have a page that lists information about case writing competitions .

Promote your competition

If you would like your student case competition promoted on this page please contact Paddy.

Entries closed for 2024

Aarhus Case Competition is an annual case competition founded in 2011. It is the largest case competition in the Nordics with over 650 participants, divided into two case tracks, Advanced and Aspire. The first track is Advanced, which consists of 27 top students divided into nine teams. They are recruited from all around the world to compete in creating the best case solutions. The other track is Aspire Case Camp, open for all students at Aarhus University, both experienced case solvers and people who are new to case solving. Throughout the week, Aspire and Advanced will solve the same three cases presented to them by the case company as if they were real-life consultants.

At Aarhus Case Competition, our mission is to prepare business students for a business career, which we believe is best accomplished through hands-on experience and collaboration with our partners.

Further information

Visit the competition website

List of winners

Amsterdam Case Competition is a new competition organised by the University of Amsterdam and student organisation SEFA. We organise a week-long competition for top universities around the world! Our competition includes an eight-hour case, a 24-hour case, as well as several two-hour cases and countless social and networking opportunities.

Students can expect top companies from the Netherlands and the world to be involved, thus providing them with experience of real life problems of top businesses, as well as opportunities to network and meet the business leaders of today.

At Amsterdam Case Competition, our goal is to gather bright minds from all over the world to compete on competitive cases. By doing so we strive to create value, but also link aspiring consultants together from all over the world.

Entries closed for 2024 

CaseIT is the world's premier international undergraduate Management Information System (MIS) case competition, hosted annually in collaboration with the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University (SFU). The brightest business students from across the globe converge to Vancouver, B.C. to put their case analysis skills to the test in this week-long event. With opportunities to network, explore, and learn, the CaseIT experience is one that you will never forget.

Visit competition website

List of winners 

 Entries closed for 2024

We connect students and companies in solving real-life challenges. By organising two of the world's most prominent case competitions, we have built a platform for students across the globe to exercise their current skillsets while simultaneously gaining new inspiration and expanding their toolboxes. In everything that we do, we aim to provide life-time experiences.

  Entries not yet open for 2024

The impact of globalisation on business, both locally and globally, is immense and ignoring it would be a catastrophic undertaking. The goal of the case competition is to identify and answer questions that real businesses and managers are posing today in relation to Emerging Markets. The growing role of Emerging Market Multinationals in the business world continues to evolve and this case competition seeks to challenge us to come up with win-win solutions for expanding stakeholders.

Entries not yet open for 2024

The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) at the Syracuse University Maxwell School is sponsoring its 16 th annual E-PARCC competition to further stimulate the creation of effective and innovative teaching cases and simulations. 

The event brings together students and faculty from all of Hong Kong’s universities as well as top universities from the Asia-Pacific region. Teams of four undergraduates compete in business strategy-making and presentation, and are judged by senior international business executives. Students also have the opportunity to interact with some of Asia's brightest talents and experience Hong Kong's unique international culture.

Entries open for 2024

Are you ready for the challenge? This globally popular Institute of Management Accountants Middle East and India Student Case Competition invites university students to think strategically and stretch their analytical skills to solve a finance business case on “Determening How to Classify Stock Investments: The Case of Unbekannt, Inc.”

Put your business acumen to the test and present your team’s analysis in front of leading business heads. This year’s case gives you and your team the chance to get selected for the Grand Finals, where you will compete with peers from around the world.

Please note that this competition is only open to students across the Middle East, Africa and India.

Entries not yet open for 2025

The John Molson MBA International Case Competition is the largest, oldest and most prestigious MBA case competition in the world.

This is your chance to showcase your school’s talent, gain top-level exposure and network with fellow MBA students from around the globe. First place winners walk away with the highly coveted Concordia Cup as well as prize money of $10,000 CAD.

KeyBank and Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University host an annual Minority MBA Student Case Competition. The  KeyBank  Foundation supervises the selection of a contemporary and never-before-used case topic that addresses business issues with varied implications at either a national or international level. Teams of three presenters are invited from universities and colleges across the country to compete. Each team benefits from the opportunity to develop important professional skills such as analyzing and responding quickly to often-complex business issues. Also, teams have a chance to hone their communication and team-building talents while learning from the expertise of business executive judges and moderators.

Be part of an award-winning international student competition.

The Risk Management Challenge, a case competition of the  PRMIA Institute , empowers undergraduate and graduate students by taking them beyond the classroom and giving them exposure to real-world business situations.

The Challenge offers students the opportunity to apply the concepts they have learned and showcase their knowledge, critical thinking skills, leadership, and presentation abilities.

The NASBITE International Student Case Competition is an exciting learning and networking opportunity for undergraduate students attending two-year and four-year colleges and universities that offer an academic business programme. 

In 2024, the Competition will provide an opportunity for both undergraduate international business students as well as graduate business students to solve a real-world challenge posed by a US-based exporter. 

The annual Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition (SG-FECC) prepares participants to understand the critical issues that are unique to family enterprise by applying the knowledge and expertise they have developed in the classroom towards solving complex family business cases.

During four tough rounds of competition, teams present their case to a distinguished panel of judges who will determine which group best understood, analysed and presented the case.

Learning with cases can be a challenging experience.

Our interactive study guide will take you through the process, providing practical tips, tricks and tools.

Discover more

How Can You Win B-School Case Competitions? - Tips By A Serial Case Competition Winner: Aayushi Jaiswal

By sugandha bhatia.

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Q2 ) While reading the case study, do you have a straight jacket rule to decode the case? What’s your approach?

I’ll list down three things that have worked well for me so far. They are:

Start your research early. Each day counts. Read your case study several times and refer to it again and again while you progress. Once you have formulated a fundamental strategy or approach, connect with your faculty or seniors. Gather multiple POVs and then rethink your approach.

Q3 ) Based on your experience winning so many competitions, can you bifurcate the type of case studies into some major buckets?

Sure. Let me list the types of case competitions I participated in.

They would be in the domain of Marketing & Strategy, Corporate Communication, Branding, Ideation/entrepreneurship, and Simulation-based competitions.

Q4 ) Which subjects at MICA have been helpful while solving case study competitions?

Cultural Context of Communication, Research Methodology, Finance and Accounting, Strategic Communications, Supply Chain Management, and Operations Management.

Q5 ) What are a few things that you have learned from your mistakes?

Firstly, make sure you have strong research to back your solutions. Assumptions don't work, but insights do. Make sure your insights are powerful and know your sources.

Secondly, know your numbers well. I can't stress this enough! Finance plays a deciding role in your finale. Always try to cross-question your proposition as to why it would work and why it wasn't tried yet if the case be. At the same time, the time is limited try to present it in the form of storytelling and add an element of uniqueness. Lastly, try to run your final deck through your seniors or known industry experts.

Q6 ) Any additional tips for our readers?

Finding the right team dynamics is the most crucial aspect of cracking a case. Work with multiple people and try to identify people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and mindsets. Stay focused, and there is no shortcut to research. Never go with the first couple of ideas that strike you with minimal research. Make your presentation visually appealing but don’t focus too much on it because, in the end, the idea and reasoning win the trophy!

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Team InsideIIM is excited to host The Aditya Birla Group Hotlist 2021, The JSW Challenge 2021 and Reckitt Career Compass on the Kampus App. Read the details below and participate in the same!

The ABG Hotlist 2021: You have the chance of getting into the hotlist of one of the most desirable companies. An opportunity to know more about the work culture, profiles, and growth you can experience and a chance to clear your doubts from the recruiters. InsideIIM is back with Konversations Cafe Online 2021. And the first company that we have for you is Aditya Birla Group! Take part in the ABG Hotlist 2021 and in case you're shortlisted, you stand a chance to be on the hotlist of the Aditya Birla Group, attend exclusive sessions with the ABG Team and get the opportunity to have One on one interaction opportunity with campus recruiters of ABG. 

If you're using a web browser (Mozilla or Google Chrome), then you can take part through  this link . Otherwise, please download the Kampus App ( Android  |  iOS ), and head over to Competitions.

The JSW Challenge 2021:  The JSW Challenge 2021 is a unique case study competition for future leaders. Get a chance to work on a real-life business case and get mentorship from JSW leaders and interact one-on-one with them. This competition will help you land a PPO at JSW and win a cash prize worth Rs. 2 lakh. You need to make a team of 3 with peers from your B-school. There will be three rounds to the competition. For more details, please click  here .

If you're using a web browser (Mozilla or Google Chrome), then you can take part in the JSW Challenge 2021 through  this link . Otherwise, please download the Kampus App ( Android  |  iOS ), and head over to Competitions.

Reckitt Career Compass:  Planning your career compass has never been more rewarding! InsideIIM, in association with Reckitt, presents Reckitt Career Compass, the perfect opportunity for newly-inducted B-school students to identify the right launchpad for their career. Test your understanding of FMCG fundamentals with Reckitt, get all your questions answered by industry leaders and here’s the best part…stand a chance to win a fast-track ticket to a Sales & Marketing internship with Reckitt! You need to make a team of 3 with peers from your B-school. There will be three rounds to the competition.  For more details, please click  here .

If you're using a web browser (Mozilla or Google Chrome), then you can take part in the Reckitt Career Compass through  this link . Otherwise, please download the Kampus App ( Android  |  iOS ), and head over to Competitions.

Looking forward to your participation!

Recommended Reads For You:

• Mantra To Crack MBA Case Competitions | Must-Have B-School Skill
• How To Crack Case Study Competitions | Guidelines By Finalists And Winners

You May Be Interested In Watching The Recorded Webinar On How To Win Case Competitions At B-School

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What is a Competitive Analysis — and How Do You Conduct One?

Published: November 10, 2022

When was the last time you ran a competitive analysis for your brand? And most importantly, do you know how to do one efficiently?

If you‘re unsure or if the last "analysis" you ran was a quick perusal of a competitor’s website, you're likely missing out on important intelligence that could help your brand grow.

In this detailed guide, you'll learn how to conduct a competitive analysis to give your business an advantage.

Table of Contents

What is a competitive analysis?

• Understanding Competitive Market Research

Competitive Analysis in Marketing

How to do a competitive analysis, competitive product analysis, competitive analysis example, competitive analysis templates, competitive analysis: faqs, what is a competitive market analysis.

A competitive analysis is a strategy that involves researching major competitors to gain insight into their products, sales, and marketing tactics. Implementing stronger business strategies, warding off competitors, and capturing market share are just a few benefits of conducting a competitive market analysis.

A competitive analysis can help you learn the ins and outs of how your competition works and identify potential opportunities where you can outperform them. It also enables you to stay atop of industry trends and ensure your product is consistently meeting — and exceeding — industry standards.

Let's dive into a few more benefits of conducting competitive analyses:

• Helps you identify your product's unique value proposition and what makes your product different from your competitors, which can inform future marketing efforts.
• Enables you to identify what your competitor is doing right. This information is critical for staying relevant and ensuring your product and marketing campaigns outperform industry standards.
• Tells you where your competitors are falling short — which helps you identify areas of opportunities in the marketplace and test out new, unique marketing strategies they haven't taken advantage of.
• Learn through customer reviews what‘s missing in a competitor’s product, and consider how you might add features to your own product to meet those needs.
• Provides you with a benchmark against which you can measure your growth.

Competitive analysis is a meticulous strategy that dives deep into the operations of your prime competitors.

It's not just about knowing what they offer. You need to understand their sales strategies, marketing tactics, and the ethos driving their brand.

10 Free Competitive Analysis Templates

Track and analyze your competitors with these ten free planning templates.

• SWOT Analysis
• Battle Cards
• Feature Comparison
• Strategic Overview

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

10 Competitive Analysis Templates

Fill out the form to access the templates., why is a competitive analysis important.

The ripple effects of a well-executed competitive analysis are manifold:

• Strategic business decisions. Anchoring your business strategies on solid, data-driven insights ensures you stay ahead in the game.
• Fortifying defenses. By knowing what your competitors are up to, you can better defend your market share and even capture new territories.
• Unearth golden opportunities. Delving into the intricacies of your competition’s operations can spotlight areas where you can shine brighter.

Beyond Just the Basics

While it's essential to understand how your competition operates, the real magic happens when you can:

• Spot your unique value. What sets you apart? How can you amplify that difference in your marketing efforts?
• Learn from their triumphs. Your competitors might just be doing something genius. Identifying their strengths ensures you're always at par, if not ahead.
• Discover their shortcomings. Every brand has its Achilles' heel. Find it. This knowledge can carve out opportunities and new strategies for your business.
• Tap into customer sentiments. Dive into customer reviews. What’s lacking in their product? Can you incorporate those missing features into your offerings?
• Benchmark your progress. Your journey is unique. However, setting a benchmark based on your competitors can offer valuable growth metrics.

What is competitive market research?

Competitive market research is a vital exercise that goes beyond merely comparing products or services.

It involves an in-depth analysis of the market metrics that distinguish your offerings from those of your competitors.

A thorough market research doesn't just highlight these differences but leverages them, laying a solid foundation for a sales and marketing strategy that truly differentiates your business in a bustling market.

In the next section, we’ll explore the nuts and bolts of conducting a detailed competitive analysis tailored to your brand.

Every brand can benefit from regular competitor analysis. By performing a competitor analysis, you'll be able to:

• Identify gaps in the market.
• Develop new products and services.
• Uncover market trends.
• Market and sell more effectively.

As you can see, learning any of these four components will lead your brand down the path of achievement.

Next, let's dive into some steps you can take to conduct a comprehensive competitive analysis.

• Determine who your competitors are.
• Determine what products your competitors offer.
• Research your competitors' sales tactics and results.
• Take a look at your competitors' pricing, as well as any perks they offer.
• Ensure you're meeting competitive shipping costs.
• Analyze how your competitors market their products.
• Take note of your competition's content strategy.
• Learn what technology stack your competitors use.
• Analyze the level of engagement on your competitors' content.
• Observe how they promote marketing content.
• Look at their social media presence, strategies, and go-to platforms.
• Perform a SWOT Analysis to learn their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

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How to Do a Competitive Analysis | Case Study Included

In order to be a leader in your industry, you need to know how to perform a competitive analysis.  A competitor analysis is more than a simple SWOT analysis where you find the strength and weaknesses of your market segment. Evaluating your competitors is highly important and must be done through complete market research using an analysis template like the one that we're going to present in this article.

Finding out where your competition excels doesn't have to be a burden if you have the right strategy and necessary tools.

What Is a Competitor Analysis?

Why perform a competitor analysis, how to conduct your competitive analysis, step 1. find your top competitors, step 2. analyze your competitors popularity, step 3. identify the public perception of competitors, step 4. analyze your competitors' social media strategy, step 5. perform an seo competitor analysis.

Competitor analysis in digital marketing is the process of finding strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, relative to those of your own product or service.

There is no exact competitive analysis definition. Yet, you need to know that the strengths within a competitive analysis are the things that make you unique, your key selling point, the ideas around your whole business - which can be about the product or the team. On the opposite side, the weaknesses point out some deficiencies, and things you could improve, when it comes to your brand, or take advantage from, when it comes to the weaknesses of your competitors.

The competitive analysis has the role to make a valid and accurate market positioning and a report on what you are doing best, and where your competitors excel, and learn from that to win more potential customers. A competitive analysis also means picking the right competitors and looking at analytics that include business metrics, digital marketing analysis, social media metrics.

By doing an accurate competitor analysis you'll be able to receive a lot of data and insights for making better business decisions. Similar to an internal research, by evaluating quantitative and qualitative data, if you research your competitors, you will uncover effective strategies and new ideas for increasing your business' performance, be it on social media, on online, or in the physical store.

A well-performed competitor analysis will allow you to:

• Build your unique selling proposition (the statement that describes the benefit of your offer and how you solve your clients' needs).
• Bring business improvements regarding products and services, team management, customer care, delivery and many more.
• Discover new market segments.
• Prioritize goals and future development.
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For a better understanding of how your competitor analysis framework should look like, we've performed a competitive market research on the cosmetic niche. We've analyzed several metrics on this market segment to conduct a competitive analysis as in-depth as possible, with most of the data being pulled out from brand mention monitoring.

Brand monitoring, when done with the right tools, is more versatile than you'd think. Running an in-depth brand mentions competitive analysis could help you make sure that you are not overlooking any efficient strategies that might be working wonders for your competitors.

They are talking about your company

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Even though you might be aware of some of your market leaders, there might be a few you're missing.

For our case study example, we searched for top leading beauty brands. As social media is a highly important segment within this industry, one of the analyses we've performed was to find the top-performing brands on social media, by the number of followers.

You can also search on Google for the relevant keywords in your business and see the top brands that are ranking for those keywords. And use a spying tool to find out important analytics on every website you want, such as the Mozbar browser extension.

Also, check out Social Media to figure out the businesses that pop out in results in your market. The research we performed helped us understand the niche a little better. Therefore, based on this research performed, we've chosen to continue our competitive analysis on the following brands:

• MAC cosmetics
• Kylie cosmetics
• Anastasia Beverly Hills
• Urban Decay

It’s too complicated and actually impossible to manually track all your competitors’ records and activity, as much manual web scraping you'd be doing.

So, even if you know your competition , the question remains: how do you find who is the most popular brand in your niche?

Most popular = most mentioned

Tools like BrandMentions can make things easier.

Therefore, to answer to our main question, "how to perform a competitive analysis", you need to start performing an in-depth research of your competition. Brand Mentions allows you to track keywords, brands, product names or whatever you need.

Going back to the beauty niche we are analyzing, let's figure out the most popular brands here. We took BrandMentions for a spin, to find out the most popular beauty brand into a very competitive niche by analyzing and monitoring social media metrics. We analyzed the mentions for these beauty brands for a short period of time, October 14 - November 15 , Worldwide for all languages.

After analyzing the results, we saw that Sephora has some interesting discoveries. Compared to the rest of the beauty sites, Sephora has the highest number of mentions on web and social. In the printscreen below, we can see all mentions for each brand categorized by source (web and social).

By far, Sephora outranks the rest of beauty brands on the total amount of mentions on web and social.

The number of mentions could be explained by the fact that Sephora has more influencers that talk about it on Twitter. Results showed that the brand is mentioned by influencers with over 50k followers on Twitter compared to other beauty brands.

BrandMentions has a filter that allows you to filter mentions to see the Twitter posts from people that have a specific number of followers. The Twitter account for each brand was excluded.

Just by taking a look at your competitors and monitoring their brands, you can get a bunch of data:

• compare how often your competitors versus you post on social media
• what outlets mention them more than you
• how many mentions they have had in the last 24 hours
• how many shares their mentions have
• what languages are their mentions written in
• do they have mostly web or social mentions

And yes,  all mentions matter, but some matter more than others.

When looking into your competitor’s yard, look at their best practices and try to figure out what worked best for them.

You must have heard at least once people saying that all publicity is good publicity, as long as they spell your name right. Or that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. But is it really so? How much does the public perception influence a brand's popularity? Let's find out!

The  Sentiment Analysis feature  allowed us to have a better understanding on the public perception of the analyzed brands. If we first identified the competitors and looked for the most popular ones, now we can have a look at how they are perceived in the online world.

How did we do that exactly?

We monitored all brands with BrandMentions as we said before, and from all mentions we started to filter them out. Filters are a blessing in this situation, giving you full control over the segment of mentions that you want to analyze.

Trying to manually find all the negative brand mentions that interest you is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

After analyzing the sentiment analysis for each individual beauty brand ,we came to realize that most of them share a higher positive experience with the users.

By looking at the data, for all brands or just some of them, we can draw lots of conclusions. For instance, comparing to other brands, Benefit has the highest number of web and social mentions that have a positive sentiment analysis. If we look at the next graph, we can easily see that Benefits stands out:

Another thing we can observe is the fact that Benefit has the highest number of web mentions with a positive sentiment, as well. But the brand that is leading the positive social mentions is Sephora.

Even though Sephora has the highest number of positive social mentions, overall, compared to the rest of the beauty brands, it has the highest number of negative sentiment. Which might be a downsize for the brand.

Below you can see a comparison with the other cosmetics brand on positive and negative sentiment analysis.

We can see that most of the mentions are from social media and more specifically, from Twitter. The connection with the previous results might be stronger. Often time it has happened that people are more driven to write online about a negative experience, rather than a positive one.

We saw that the negative sentiment had the lowest value compared with the positive and neutral sentiment, with a single exception. Morphe had a higher neutral sentiment than the negative one. Check out the graphic below:

Urban Decay has the most naturally ordered distribution of the sentiment analysis for the mentions analyzed on web and social.

We are not saying that bad publicity couldn't be good publicity for some businesses or individuals. But for most businesses and niches, bad publicity and negative brand mentions are never a reason for joy but an occasion for a crisis communication meeting.

Another interesting thing to observe in the graph above is that Morphe has the highest negative sentiment analysis on social media.

People love it the most, but they also hate is the most, compared to the rest of the brands. If we look particularly at the brand to evaluate the total number of positive vs. negative sentiments, we can see that in the end, a positive experience overcomes the negative one, in terms of absolute numbers.

We've previously talked about Morphe saying that it has a higher number of neutral sentiments, the only brand with this particularity. We can understand that people have mixed feelings when it comes to this brand: You either love it or hate it.

Both positive and negative mentions have a big impact on the purchase decision of a client.

Although it might sound bad to   spy on your competition , this marketing technique is a fully transparent, popular, and white-hat one. How else would we all improve ourselves and our brands if we were to not compare our endeavors with the others? And this is where a brand monitoring tool comes to rescue us.

When doing competitor spying, we are actually building PR relationships.

Both directly and indirectly.

Directly by getting to know your common audience better (the one your competition shares with you) through your competitors’ eyes, win ties with important outlets in the industry, etc.

In addition, while keeping “your enemies” closer, you indirectly relate to and establish a relationship with them. By constantly trying to keep up the pace with or outrun the brightest ones in the niche, and struggling not to ever fall in the pitfalls of black-hat marketing techniques other companies deploy in their strategies, you simply get better and better. In other words, you widen your professional circle.

Competitor spying is the more polite version of eavesdropping. There's no harm in doing it as long as you're using the tools to improve yourself and not disrupt the other.

You can easily gain insights on your competitors' performance and   dig into their success strategies   and use the lessons to your own benefit.

Tracking mentions for your competitor can lead you into discovering social media campaigns, new content ideas, top-performing social channel alongside types of content shared on each platform, plus trending hashtags used and top influencers for each competitor.

For instance, in our case, in the beauty niche, the results might surprise you. If you thought Instagram would be the most used Social Media platform for beauty products, you might be wrong.

According to the analysis performed in BrandMentions, it turned out that Twitter has the highest number of mentions for every beauty brand compared to the other social media marketing platforms.

If you thought that Instagram was the king of the beauty industry, you are wrong.

Of course, Instagram is a powerful Social Media channel, but maybe there's more in that direction. There are some insights related to this social platform, nonetheless. We know that Facebook became stricter about sharing data with third parties, so we can't see private posts. Instagram has shifted the strategy in this direction as well. Instagram started to hide likes in select countries earlier this year, and it will soon do the same in the United States.

This method affects the way we see data, on top of the fact that there are lots of users with private user accounts where even if you have an account you can't see their posts, likes, and stories.

After analyzing all the social mentions for all the beauty brands on all social platforms, here's what we discovered:

• Twitter is the Social Media Platform with the highest number of mentions.
• Twitter is the Social Media Platform with the highest number of mentions with positive sentiment analysis.

It seems that Twitter is a great way to start an influencer marketing strategy; it is also the most popular social media site. Finding all the information will help all marketers, brand managers, and community managers to build the best social media strategies for beauty brands.

When we looked at the distribution of web and social mentions for the beauty brands, we discovered 2 categories:

• more web mentions: MAC and Benefit
• more social mentions: Kylie cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Sephora, NYX, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Morphe and Tarte.

It's obvious that social is the king here. We won't bother you with tons of charts and data on all the analysed brands, yet, you need to know that within Brand Mentions you can perform any type of analysis you want when it comes to social mention analysis.

If we analyze one of the competitors, Morphe, we can see that it is more popular on Instagram by the number of mentions. It is seconded by a small number by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Morphe has lots of mentions on Instagram, but it is on the 8th place when it comes to Instagram followers with 10.3m.

When it comes to answering the question on how to do a competitive analysis  we know that what matter most are the insights you get to find out. And here are some great insights we've extracted for the most popular social media beauty sites scrutinized within our competitive analysis:

1.  For the MAC Brand: 

• MAC has the highest number of influencers on Instagram.
• MAC doesn't have influencers of people with more than 50k followers that mention the brand on Twitter.
• MAC is the least popular on the web and social media judging by the number of mentions. 

2.   For the Sephora Brand: 

• Sephora is one of the most popular beauty brands on social media and the whole web compared to the rest of the brands by the number of mentions.
• Sephora is mentioned by influencers and people with more than 50k followers on Twitter.

3.  For the Morhphe Brand: 

• Morphe shares a positive experience on social media compared to the rest of the beauty brand. It has the highest number of social mentions with a positive sentiment.
• But it also shares the highest value of negative emotions on social.
• Morphe is the top beauty brand on Instagram by the number of mentions compared to the rest of the brands.

4.  For the Benefit Brand: 

• Benefit is on the 10th place by the number of followers on Instagram with 9.8m (see printscreen below), the last place compared to the rest of the brands.
• Benefit offers a higher positive experience by analyzing sentiment analysis for the whole web and social mentions.

After analyzing all the mentions for all the beauty brands, there are lots of insights to help you create social media marketing strategies and find out the top competitors in your niche.

Knowing how to analyze your SEO competition is an important step in determining your overall keyword and SEO strategy. There are many factors involved in the process, and without the correct framework, it can get complicated. Here you can find the steps for the SEO competitor analysis explained, as clear and simple as possible. Within the screenshot below you can see the main steps that you need to take to make sure you perform an SEO competitive analysis at the highest level.

What Tools We Used to Do The Competitive Analysis

We used BrandMentions to analyze the beauty content and all the mentions for each beauty brand : MAC cosmetics, Kylie cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Sephora, NYX, Too Faced, Urban Decay, Morphe, Tarte, Benefit.

Each created project had the name of the brand, and we added the keywords, domain URL, Facebook and Twitter account for higher accuracy in finding relevant mentions. We let the tool do its magic and analyze the beauty content on social media and the web.

For the metrics and discoveries made, we used filters and features available in BrandMentions, such as Sentiment Analysis analyzer, web and social sources, mentions from Twitter accounts with a specific number of followers and more. Check out the data for designing your winning social media strategy.

Also, the trigger was when we found a research on Statista with most followed cosmetics brands on Instagram; so we thought of performing a deeper analysis on the topic, and finding the most popular beauty site on Social Media, not only on Instagram. We wanted to see if there more we needed to know. And yes, there was so much more.

For an effective competitive research, there are multiple things that need to be taken into consideration, beside web and social listening. Things like  brand awareness , customer experience, target audience, the search engines you are interested in, target market,  the service or product features, the competitors sales, etc. This is not a  complete guide to obtain competitive advantages  that applies for all. But a competitor analysis template that helps you best identify your competitors and your main competitor strengths and weaknesses.

The best time to start finding out information about your competitors is now. So even if you are a content marketer, a small online store owner or a big ecommerce business , an online marketing specialist or you're in the sales teams, you need to start digging into competitive intelligence.

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Saturday, 20 April 2024

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Xlri wins 2023 emcs & tlc@mdi india compact case award.

XLRI, Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur won 1st place in the first edition of the EMCS & TLC@MDI India compact case competition 2023. A case study from XLRI Case Research and Simulation Development Center (XL-CRSDC) titled “Should Agastya Inventions Accept the Joint Venture Offer from SergeFerrari?” written by Prof. Trilochan Tripathy, Benudhar Sahu and Ms. Neeti Madhok, was selected by the judging panel with highest recognition. 

The compact case competition was conducted by the Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies (EMCS) in partnership with the Teaching and Learning Centre at Management Development Institute (TLC@MDI), Gurgaon, India. The case was selected for publication in the Scopus-indexed EMCS collection. 

Prof. Trilochan Tripathy, Associate Dean, XLRI-Case Research and Simulation Development Center (XL-CRSDC), said, “XLRI is proud of securing the 1st place in the first edition of EMCS & TLC@MDI India Compact Case Competition and getting an opportunity to publish in the Scopus-ranked EMCS collection.”

Benudhar Sahu, Manager, XL-CRSDC, and Neeti Madhok, Case Writer, XL-CRSDC, felt proud of this achievement for the Centre. They said, “The winning case will be a great motivation for the XLRI case community to contribute towards enriching the Centre’s case repository.”

The Case Research and Simulation Development Centre (XL-CRSDC) was established with the vision to make XLRI a major business case repository in India. Its mission is to facilitate excellence in business pedagogy and research through case studies. The Centre has forged strategic collaboration with several corporates and institutions to develop impactful field-based cases.

XLRI is one of the oldest and most prestigious B-schools in South Asia. The institute nurtures responsible global leaders for the greater common good and sustainable future. XLRI has earned two prestigious international accreditations – Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Association of MBAs (AMBA). The institute has also earned the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) accreditation.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the phase-two winners of the  Hydrogen Shot Incubator Prize , a multi-phase competition launched by the DOE  Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) to identify, develop, and test disruptive technologies that reduce the cost of producing clean hydrogen. This prize competition complements DOE's comprehensive portfolio of research, development, and demonstration efforts to achieve DOE's  Hydrogen Shot goal of reducing the cost of producing clean hydrogen to $1 per kg. 

The four winners announced for this phase (the Prove! phase) will each receive $300,000 in national laboratory vouchers and $100,000 in cash to support their demonstration efforts in preparation for the final stage in 2025—phase three ( Pitch Day! ), in which competing teams will present their innovations to potential investors and commercial partners.

The Prove!  phase winners announced today are shown below:

During the Prove! phase, teams developed their concepts and designs with the help of national laboratory experts. Submissions included a plan with preliminary designs for a laboratory-scale demonstration, along with techno-economic and emissions analyses to validate the proposed concepts. 

"These winning projects complement HFTO's broader hydrogen portfolio by supporting novel approaches and technologies for clean hydrogen production," said HFTO Director Dr. Sunita Satyapal. "We are all eager to see how they advance their ideas in the final stage!"

In phase one ( Propose! ), completed in October 2022,  nine winning teams each received $60,000 for their early-stage concepts for novel hydrogen production technologies. Phase-one prizes consisted of $10,000 in cash and $50,000 in vouchers for teams to spend at national laboratories to further develop their concepts.

The Hydrogen Shot Incubator Prize competition supports DOE's  Hydrogen Shot goal of reducing the cost of producing clean hydrogen to $1 per kilogram. Officially known as the American-Made H-Prize: Hydrogen Shot Incubator,  this prize is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is led by HFTO with support from the DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.