By Kara Sherrer
Hosted at Vanderbilt Business for more than a decade, the National MBA Human Capital Case Competition (HCCC) challenges participants to come up with solutions to complex hiring, staffing, and performance issues. The competition gives MBA candidates from around the country a chance to think critically about human resource issues and network extensively with corporate sponsors Deloitte Consulting and HP Inc.
Earlier in the fall, twelve teams participated in the 12th annual competition from October 25-27. Below, Brenna Hoffman (MBA’20), a member of this year’s planning team and director of next year’s competition, explains more about this year’s case and then reveals the winners. Then Mallory Hall (MBA’20) describes what it was like to participate in the competition and how the experience helped her land a summer internship in Deloitte’s Human Capital practice.
Brenna Hoffman (MBA’20)
The winning team, University of Southern California, presents during the final round of HCCC
Twelve teams from across the country were given the opportunity to present their case to judges and practitioners from the competition’s sponsors, Deloitte Consulting and HP Inc. This year’s case focused on developing recommendations for the Nature Sweet Tomato Company, and each team approached the challenges laid out in the case in a unique way. For the third year in a row, the team representing the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business won the first place prize of $10,000. University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business placed second, and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business placed third.
Of course, we couldn’t let these teams visit Music City without some celebrations outside of Averbuch. After the teams arrived on Thursday, the sponsors and host committee threw a reception at the Aertson Hotel across the street; the fun continued the following evening with a western-themed reception at Nashville Underground.
In a bit of a twist compared to last year, the 2018 competition director, Andrew Mitchell (MBA’19), announced the top three teams — who were moving on to compete in the final round — on Friday evening rather than on Saturday morning as had been done in years past. While the finalists prepared to present their final recommendations on the case on Saturday morning, the remaining competitors had in-depth discussions with Deloitte and HP practitioners about a career in human capital.
The competition’s winner was announced at a closing lunch reception that same day where Dean Eric Johnson spoke to the participants and highlighted Owen’s emphasis on human capital and organizational performance. This year’s competition was a success and we are looking forward to hosting another great group of competitors next fall! —Brenna Hoffman
Mallory Hall (MBA’20)
The Owen HCCC 2018 team, from left to right: Tommy Bonner, Zeke Fine, Emily Keenan, Joe Ferrara, Mallory Hall
Representing Owen in the National Human Capital Case Competition was equal parts stressful, time-intensive, and intellectually challenging — but 100% valuable. My teammates and I spent long hours at Owen studying our case, preparing our recommendations, poking holes in those recommendations, and revising them over and over. We perfected our ideas by challenging one another to think about the real-life implications of our suggestions and to understand the intricate relationship between HR practices and the business’s goals.
In just one week of working with my teammates, I learned more than ever before about approaching human capital challenges due to the firsthand nature of the experience. While competing, I further honed my ability to think on my feet and adapt quickly by responding to thoughtful questions from the judges. Through networking with HP and Deloitte practitioners, I learned about each company’s culture and dynamics. I also discovered more about the tomato industry than I ever cared to know (I think my teammates would agree when I say I didn’t even want to look at a tomato for at least a week afterwards).
I am so thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this competition, and it’s one of the most valuable things I’ve done so far during my time at Owen. In addition to the real-world learning experience, participating in the competition was also invaluable to my recruiting process. I received interview invitations as a result of connections I made at HCCC, and I recently accepted a summer internship with Deloitte’s Human Capital practice! I know my experience from the competition will translate well into my summer position, and I am confident that the opportunity to network so closely with Deloitte practitioners was instrumental in my receiving an offer. The time and energy I put into the competition with my teammates was well worth it. —Mallory Hall
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