Nithun Manoharan

"Case competitions are great for not only self-improvement, but also to meet some of your fellow students at BI."

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
I did my case activities in the final year of my bachelor’s degree (2019/2020) at Campus Trondheim. 

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
The main reason I chose to do case activities was to improve on my more practical abilities. Specifically, that would be presentation skills and using what we learn in our courses to solve real-world problems. 

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
My team is INCK Consulting, of which my part is the N in INCK. Our team was a combination of those who sought out case competitions (like me) and those who were hand-picked for the team. I consider myself lucky to have been in a group of people who were willing to spend the time and effort to work and improve together despite a very hectic schedule. So special shoutouts go to my teammates Irene, Camilla and Kristian! 

Did you have a specific role on your team?
Because we were three business administration students and one marketing student, we had a fair amount of flexibility between us. The more we practiced together, I became familiar with doing research, risk management, and helping out wherever needed. 

Which case competitions did you take part in?
INCK Consulting’s case journey started with BINCC 2019 in Campus Trondheim. Because we finished in second place there, we qualified to participate in the IE BBA Business Challenge 2020 in Spain. Prior to the competition in Spain, we competed in the finals of BIICC Open 2020 in Oslo and were one of the top 3 teams there. The international case competition happened in IE Campuses in both Madrid and Segovia. In the warm-up 4-hour case competition we were able to make it to a top 3 finish, but we improved on that for the final 24-hour case competition, in which we were runners-up. 

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
The best memory was no doubt when we travelled to Spain and met the teams from different business schools all over the world. The memories from Madrid and Segovia are unforgettable and being able to represent both Campus Trondheim and BI internationally is a special occasion. 

What are your top three takeaways from case training and competitions?

1. I ended up using case training to prove and test myself in a safe environment. This helped me find out what I was good at and what I could  improve on until next time. 
2. I found myself working on a wide variety of tasks, which made me better at skills I had not used much before working on cases. 
3. Getting to meet so many talented and hardworking case participants inspired me to work harder and learn from them. 

What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?
Working on cases made me appreciate how important it is to work in teams, and how seemingly impossible tasks can be solved by working together. Furthermore, confidence plays a large part in how well your work turns out.

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
No matter your field of study, you will be able to contribute on cases, as well as learn about other fields. Case competitions are great for not only self-improvement, but also to meet some of your fellow students at BI. I would advise case work to even those who are unsure whether it is something for them because that is where I was when I started.