GENERAL
The Japan Inter MBA Case Competition (the “competition”) is a business case competition held in Tokyo Japan. The competition is organized by a team of MBA students from McGill, Hitotsubashi ICS, Globis , and Waseda Business School (the “organizers”), with the support of student volunteers. Competing teams will be asked to evaluate and develop a recommendation for a business case (the “Case”)
1. Teams
Each team must comprise of FOUR members. All team members must come from the same University, though they may come from different MBA programs within the university. Finally, if multiple teams do apply to the JMBACC from one university, the members of each team must be unique.
2. Eligibility
An individual is eligible as a participant in a team if they meet one of the following requirements:
- they are a current student of an MBA program
- they have graduated from an MBA program in the same calendar year as the competition.
3. Language
Teams may use sources in any language to prepare for the competition but all presentation materials and oration must be in English.
4. Attire
Participants are to present themselves in formal business attire. Audience members may dress as they like.
COMPETITION OVERVIEW
1. Competition Fee
Participation in the competition is free of charge.
2. Important Dates and Times
| Date | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| March 4th | 00:00 | Registration Period Opens |
| March 17th | 23:59 | Registration Period Ends |
| March 22nd | 00:15 | Case release via email |
| March 30th | 11:00 | Teams submit the executive summary of their presentation |
| 23:59 | Teams submit their presentations | |
| March 31st | 10:30 | Doors open for team check-in |
| 11:00 | Orientation Begins | |
| 12:00-14:30 | Semi-final presentations | |
| 14:30 | Break 1 – Judge Deliberation | |
| 15:00-15:30 | Team feedback from Judges | |
| 15:30 | Finalists Announced | |
| 16:00-18:15 | Final presentations | |
| 19:00 | Reception Event Begins |
3. Registration
To register, teams must select an individual to serve as the primary point of contact for the duration of the competition. That individual must email the team’s university university name, the team members’ names, and the team members’ email addresses to interjmba.casecompetition@gmail.com
4. Preparation
Participants are free to use dictionaries, textbooks and the Internet to collect information in order to prepare their recommendation. Participants may not seek any outside help (in person, by phone, email, etc.) from anyone outside of the 4 member team.
a. Presentation Format
Teams must use Microsoft Office or Apple equivalents such as Keynote to prepare their presentations.
There are no limits to the number of slides used in the presentation. Aside from the primary content teams intend to present, additional exhibits may be prepared and included in the same file at the team’s discretion in anticipation of questions from the judges’ panel.
b. Presentation Submission
Teams must submit their presentation by 23:59 on March 30th to interjmba.casecompetition@gmail.com, and bring 12 printed copies of their presentation on the day of the competition. the printed copies will be shared with the judges by the organizers.
COMPETITION DAY
1. IT Check & Orientation
All teams must report to the competition venue by 10:30 to check-in, submit their printed presentations, and attend orientation. Teams must also bring their own computer to the venue. Each team will be given 5 minutes during orientation to confirm how to connect their computer to the projection system, and confirm the formatting of their presentations is presenting correctly. Please note that to ensure no changes have been made to the presentation files after the submission deadline, the file will be loaded from a USB drive provided by the organizers rather than the team’s local hard drive.
2. Competition Format
The competition is run like a tournament, and consists of a semifinal round, and a final round. During the semifinal round, teams will be randomly divided into brackets of 3-4 teams who will compete with each other. The winning team in each bracket will proceed to the final round, which will be held on the same day as the semifinals.
3. Semifinals
In the semifinal round, teams will present their solution in English in front of a panel of judges. Each team will have 20 minutes to present. The 20 minute time will be strictly enforced, and time signals will be shown at the 10, 5, 2, and 1 minute marks. The presentation is followed by a 10 minute Q&A session from the judges. In the event that judges do not use the full 10 minute period to ask questions, questions from the audience will be accepted.
a. Team Member Participation
All members must participate in roughly equal parts during the main presentation. Cue cards and personal notes are allowed for use by the teams during their presentations. Q&A responses may be made by whichever member(s) the team deems most fit to respond.
b. Evaluation
Each presentation will be evaluated by the bracket’s judges using a standardized evaluation sheet. Presentations will be ranked in order of averaged score. The team within each bracket who received the highest combined score will move on as the finalist team from their bracket.
c. Feedback
Judges will meet with teams to give feedback on their presentations between 15:00-15:30.
d. Other
- Teams are not allowed to watch any of the other teams’ presentations during the semifinals.
- Teams are asked to report to their presentation room 10 minutes prior to their presentation time.
4. Finals
In the final round, finalists will present their solution in English in front of a panel of judges. Each team will have 20 minutes to present. The 20 minute time will be strictly enforced, and time signals will be shown at the 10, 5, 2, and 1 minute marks. The presentation is followed by a 10 minute Q&A session from the judges. In the event that judges do not use the full 10 minute period to ask questions, questions from the audience will be accepted.
a. Team Member Participation
All members must participate in roughly equal parts during the main presentation. Cue cards and personal notes are allowed for use by the teams during their presentations. Q&A responses may be made by whichever member(s) the team deems most fit to respond.
b. Evaluation
Each presentation will be evaluated by the bracket’s judges using a standardized evaluation sheet. Presentations will be ranked in order of averaged score. The team within each bracket who received the highest combined score will move on as the finalist team from their bracket.
c. Other
- Teams that did not move onto the final round may watch the finals with no restrictions. Please note that spectators will not be allowed to enter or exit the competition room while a presentation or Q&A session is in progress.
- Finalists are not allowed to watch any of the other Finalists’ presentations until they have presented.
- Teams are asked to report to their presentation room 10 minutes prior to their presentation time.
Other
1. Spectators
- Spectators may attend presentations in any division; however, spectators will not be allowed to exit/enter a room while a team is making a presentation.
- Faculty advisors are also allowed to attend presentations as they wish. However, in respecting the spirit of the competition, advisors are not allowed to provide feedback to the team(s) they are supervising based upon what they see/hear. As with general spectators, faculty advisors may not enter/exit a room while a team is making a presentation.
2. Sportsmanship and Dispute Resolution
The competition is intended to provide a learning experience for the students that will encourage healthy competition, professionalism and interaction by our future business leaders, both amongst themselves and with the larger business community. The Rules and Guidelines described above are not all encompassing and situations may arise that have not been covered. It is the expectation of the organizers that any issues or disputes will be resolved in the spirit of the competition.
Japan Inter-MBA Case Competition 