MONTREAL, January 9 2008 — It is with great excitement that the 27th edition of the John Molson MBA International Case Competition took off last Monday at the Montreal Hilton Bonaventure. The Opening Ceremony was led by Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business Dean Sanjay Sharma, and by the Chairman of the Competition’s Board of Directors, Mr. Hani Farag, VP Human Resources at Bombardier.

On Tuesday afternoon, the participants proposed their strategic recommendations to panels of judges standing as Nintendo's board of directors. The case had to do with a very current business issue, that of the marketing and distribution of the Nintendo Wii. Two other cases are studied today. Updated results on school rankings for each division can be found at www.mbacasecomp.com. After the first case, Université Laval, a consistently strong team in the past years of the Competition, is leading the pack, with University of Ottawa and Amiens Business School (France) close behind. Links to these interviews can also be found of the Competition website.

One of the highlights of the Competition, the “Live Case” will take place tomorrow, Thursday. A senior executive from a well-known company—the name of which is kept silent until the very last moment in order to preserve the integrity of the Competition—will present the situation his or her organization currently faces. Past companies studied by the participants have included Wal-Mart, Cirque du Soleil, British Airways, Alcan, Bombardier, and Research In Motion (makers of the Blackberry).

The Competition is judged by prominent members of the Montreal business community who take time off their busy schedules to scrutinize the strategic recommendations of the top MBAs from around the world. Such corporate executives include James Cherry, president of Aéroports de Montréal, and Hani Farag, VP-Human Resources at Bombardier Aeronautical.

The "live" presentation is happening tomorrow, Thursday Jan. 10th, at the Hilton Bonaventure, and should start at 10:45 AM. The question period following the presentation should end by 11:30 AM, after which the participants will deliberate and present their own solutions to the issues at hand. The representative from the company in question will be available for media interviews after 12 noon. Media interested in interviewing this executive are welcome to contact the Competition’s media team at the phone number provided below.

Press clippings of local and international coverage as well as daily updates on the team’s performance are available at the Media Desk, located in the basement level of the Montreal Hilton Bonaventure (900, de la Gauchetiere West – take the escalators located next to Room Le Portage). Media kits and additional materials are also available upon request. All media interested in photo opportunities, filming, or interviews with the participants, coaches, judges or organizers, may contact Caroline Lavergne or Archana Kilambi at the Media Desk, or at 514 826-9622.

For any additional information, please visit www.mbacasecomp.com

The John Molson MBA International Case Competition has come a long way since its beginnings in 1981: it is now widely recognized to be the largest and most prestigious in its category. Throughout this week, 36 teams of four contestants from nine different countries will be recommending the best possible solutions to real-world business problems, and will be judged by more than 200 prominent members of the Montreal business community. The Competition is organized by a team of four MBA students from the John Molson School of Business, and would not be possible without the help of almost 100 student volunteers.

-30-

Contact:
Caroline Lavergne
Spokesperson, 2008 John Molson MBA International Case Competition
514 826-9622
c_laver@jmsb.concordia.ca

 Français