From the outset, the competitions reflect the realities of work: managing tight deadlines and relationships as well as mastering skills and stretching limits. Faculty mentors mingle students from Abington and its European partner, Hof University of the Applied Sciences, to create teams.
“You’re with people from different backgrounds and cultures to collaborate and solve problems. It showed me exactly what I can expect once I move into the professional world." — Eric Mansky
They group travels with faculty mentors to a company's offices for the discovery phase. When international manufacturer Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) sponsored the competition, Abington alumnus and RBS President Joseph Zaleski led off with a discussion of the company’s business.
Then, accompanied by RBS managers, the teams explored the manufacturing, research and development facilities while quizzing everyone from executives to forklift drivers for relevant data.
“The experience was pivotal to my future in business.” — Abdullah Bas, business major
When the global technology firm QAD wanted honest feedback and fresh ideas to reshape its customer engagement model, it turned to the Abington case competition. Management, including several alumni, were fully invested in the process. They were readily accessible throughout the two-day process to answer questions from the teams just as they would for co-workers, consultants, or vendors.
Finally, the teams hunker down in company conference rooms and nearby hotels where they are staying to massage the data and their ideas into a cogent analysis to present to key employees.
The QAD students received unexpected additional feedback from members of the QAD leadership team visiting from offices in Germany, India, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
"You educated us, and the constructive criticism of our current model was great," one said.
"It was an unprecedented opportunity to apply our knowledge and our ability to discuss the reasoning behind our decisions." — Herman Chen, business major
