On January 4th, approximately 80 MBA students from across Canada arrived at Brampton City Hall’s West Tower. They were participating in a component of the 2016 MBA games, a prestigious national competition and the largest gathering of MBA students in Canada. More than 700 delegates from Canada’s top business schools converged on the GTA to compete in case competitions, sports tournaments, and spirit competitions as they vied to win the coveted Queens Cup.
The City of Brampton, through relationships established with York’s Schulich School of Business, hosted the Strategy Case Competition portion of the Games.
Fifteen MBA schools participated in the Strategy Case Competition. The teams were provided with the case topic, created by the event organizers and Brampton Economic Development staff. The topic was “Office Vacancies in the City of Brampton,” and student teams completed an analysis of Brampton’s office market, identifying opportunities, threats and solutions to improve the city’s office market. Their 20-page written reports were evaluated by nine judges, consisting of a mix of economic development staff and private sector business representatives. The research is being collated and evaluated to be used to enhance Brampton’s marketing program for the Brampton office market.
The DeGroote School of Business (McMaster University) came in first. Ted Rogers School of Management (Ryerson University) was second and the Schulich School of Business (York University) came third.
The presentations provided some out-of-the box ideas, with many focused on common themes around Health and Life Sciences. Students recognized how Brampton Civic Hospital, and the new ErinOakKids and Peel Integrated Centre for Health and Wellness facilities coming into operation soon, presented an opportunity for Brampton. Capitalizing on these facilities and attracting Health and Life Science companies to the city could increase office space in the city and help fill up current vacancies.
Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Business presented a unique idea that stood out from other submissions. They concluded that their final thesis topic will link opportunities in Brampton to the need for more MRI machines and cost-effective delivery of MRI services in Ontario.
This successful event helped MBA students across Canada apply their knowledge to a real situation, and the City gained a broader understanding of Brampton’s office market and opportunities.
For more information: www.mbagames.ca