MugMaster Marauders: DeGroote captures first place at International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition

Lasting a grueling 12 weeks, the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (ICBSC) began remotely in January with the finale occurring from April 25-27 in Anaheim, California. DeGroote students outperformed rival schools by operating a mock company called MugMaster, a line of coffee mugs.

The DeGroote School of Business achieved a top overall finish at one of the world’s most prestigious business case competitions.

DeGroote BCom students finished first in both the Best Performance and Annual Report categories at the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (ICBSC), which led to their impressive overall victory.

ICBSC is a business simulation competition in which teams create a fictional business and are tasked with making weekly (or in the simulation, quarterly) strategic decisions about various business aspects, such as marketing, finance, and operations.

Participants also create business plans and annual reports, and present to a board of directors. This year, the competition attracted undergraduate and MBA students from the United States, Canada, and several other countries around the world.

DeGroote students outperformed rival schools by operating a mock company called MugMaster, a line of coffee mugs. All schools made up their own product worth about $10.

The team included Fred Woodley, Owen Angus-Yamada, Daniel Fellows, Avery Lewis, and Dina Sabeh, as well as an academic advisor, Assistant Professor Linda Stockton. The team was able to capture judges’ attention due to hard work and dedication.

“We won the competition by making the best decisions about production, HR, marketing, finance, IS, international business, and strategy on a weekly basis,” says Stockton. “We also had the best presentation and the best documents. There was a lot that set DeGroote apart from other teams.”

“We would meet or have a call at least once a week, if not more, sharing insights on the latest results and bouncing ideas off one another for the next set of decisions,” offers Angus-Yamada. Each of the five individuals on the team were assigned a specific role in the company.

Lasting a grueling 12 weeks, the competition began remotely in January with the finale occurring from April 25-27 in Anaheim, California.

“This is not a typical case competition where the students get three hours to read and prepare a case for presentation to a panel of judges, but both types are very enriching to the student education and experience at DeGroote,” Stockton continues.

“The teams grow in their decision-making skills, team membership, personal development and time management,” she adds.

“This is a very complex competition … the team worked countless hours each week competing with other schools in a business simulation,” says Jennifer McCleary, Director, Student Experience.

Participation in the competition was financially supported by the DeGroote Experience Fund (DEF). The DEF provides support to DeGroote students participating in national and international competitions, conferences, and workshops. It enables students to learn through experience and enrich their education.

Want to learn more about the DEF? Click here.