In 2024, the School of Business and Economics at Maastricht University (SBE) celebrates its 40th anniversary with the theme “Global Minds, Local Roots”. The yearly International Case Competition at SBE (ICC@M) reflects this theme and our school’s commitment towards responsible leadership and societal engagement.
During this event, case studies on global companies, including companies with roots firmly planted in local soil, are solved by teams of global minds consisting of four of the best undergraduate students from sixteen top internationally recognized and accredited business schools from all over the world. University teams compete against each other on three challenging business cases, two of which last 4 hours and the final case lasting 24 hours. All cases address entrepreneurship, digitalisation, responsible leadership and/or sustainability as the main issues of today and tomorrow. The teams are judged by a panel of academics and executives from the business world.
ICC@M is well aligned with the problem-based learning approach that is at the core of our educational philosophy and at the heart of Maastricht University. In problem-based learning, you work in a small-scale learning environment and tackle real-life challenges under the supervision of a tutor.
The positive impact of ICC@M extends far beyond the competition itself. Firstly, it provides a platform for students to showcase their problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, the solutions the teams present to the esteemed panels of academics and industry experts have the potential for global impact, as they might be adopted by the company they are working with. Secondly, the competition fosters a culture of responsible leadership among participants and prepares them for the challenges they will face in their future careers.