UC Business School students are involved in a wide range of national and international business competitions.
These are designed to encourage problem-solving, analytical ability, innovation, leadership, teamwork and communication and are often a springboard to future career success for the participants.
Participation is a valued addition to your CV and shows you have the potential to make a significant impact on communities and organisations.
The SDS Business Case Competition is an annual international business case contest developed by the Student Development Society (SDS).
The event is a unique collaboration between Victoria, Auckland, AUT, Waikato, Canterbury and Otago universities. With financial and human resources from these universities, SDS provides invaluable opportunities for students.
The competition brings together teams of four students from the six universities. Over the course of three national competitions throughout the year, the teams compete against each other before being joined by an additional six teams from around the globe for a finals week in Queenstown.
At each of the three national competitions, teams have five hours to analyse a business case and prepare their solution for the panel of five judges. The judging panel, alongside an academic from the host university, includes four individuals from the local business community. The competition is designed to emulate a real world scenario in which a team of consultants prepare and present a solution to a board of directors.
Participating in the competition in itself is a highly rewarding experience. You will build your confidence, develop team and leadership skills, hone your analytical thinking and become a polished presenter. As well as the national competitions, the finals week in Queenstown is an opportunity for you to go up against teams from around the globe to further expand your networks on a global scale and benchmark against world-class standards.
The MYOB IT Challenge offers students a chance to win the Canterbury title and compete with students from across New Zealand in the National MYOB IT Challenge.
The challenge is a fusion of business and technical analysis – driving real solutions for business problems throughout New Zealand. Participants compete in groups of 2–4 and are given around 5 days to prepare a written proposal and basic prototype of their solution to the given problem. Selected teams will give a 10-minute pitch, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A, to a panel of judges. The winning UC team will compete at the national finals in Auckland.
In this challenge for Finance students, teams compete to present the best company analysis, research report, and presentation for an opportunity to vie for the regional and global titles. For business and finance students, it’s an extraordinary CV builder and a chance to interact with the industry’s top firms.
The UC team competes against six teams of undergraduate and postgraduate students from other New Zealand universities. Each team prepares a sell-side investment report and presents their work to the judges, who are CFA Charter holders and work for top fund managers in New Zealand.
UC student teams have consistently featured in the top three since the competition began in 2008.
The CPA is one of the world's largest Accounting bodies and runs events and business competitions that challenge undergraduates to get a head-start in their careers.
