Two teams of Durham College (DC) Supply Chain Management students went up against some of the country’s best business schools at a recent case competition, with one team placing second.
They competed against students from graduate and undergraduate programs at schools such as York University’s and the University of Toronto at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Toronto Chapter Student Case Competition.
The second-place winning team missed out on first place by just 0.2 points to the Schulich School of Business at York University. Team members included Md Tahmeed Ishmam Khan, Tahsin Saad, Mei Fang Chen and Sanjeath Murugavel.
“They thought of us as underdogs, especially when a college walks in against Schulich School of Business or Rotman School of Business,” he said.
The second team, Boddi Reddy, Esraa Khalil and Pavan Suryavansh, Mohammed Shuaib, didn’t place but said the event represented what they would see in the industry.
“What we learned at that moment was very important and something which was directly connected to real life,” Suryavansh said.
Pavan Suryavansh, Esraa Khalil, Mohammed Shuaib and Boddi Reddy, did not place but learned valuable hands-on skills. Photo credit: Courtesy of Boddi Reddy
This year’s case focused on improving a warehouse management system for a major pet distribution company. Students were tasked with identifying inefficiencies in storage, order accuracy, and tracking, then proposing practical solutions to streamline operations.
Teams received an outline of the case study five days before the competition, allowing them to review background materials and prepare. Once there, they had three hours to analyze the full case and build a professional presentation for a panel of judges.
Professor Jennifer Souch, program coordinator and faculty mentor for both teams, said events like this help Durham students stand out.
“We only had eight students out of hundreds who put themselves kind of forward and form a team to compete,” she said, “So, I think for those students it just really sets them apart for an employer.”
Time management was a challenge for Reddy and Khalil. Analyzing the case, making the presentation in only three hours, and then having only 10 minutes to present put a lot of pressure on them.
But they worked well as a team, with each having an assigned role going in to guarantee they got everything done.
“Having clear roles within the team, that definitely helped,” Reddy said.
The other team had a different approach. Instead of dividing tasks, they chose to collaborate on every part of the case.
“We all work together and we were continuously just talking about the problem,” Murugavel said.
Both teams said they were grateful to be part of the competition.
“It’s a great opportunity and we are thankful for getting this opportunity to participate in the case study competition,” Reddy said.
Murugavel added that students should take advantage of every opportunity they get.
“I would recommend them to put themselves out there,” he said. “Don’t just stop with your courses.”