Putting classroom knowledge into practice to solve a real company’s challenges was the main goal of the Second Business Administration Case Study Competition, organized by the Business Administration program of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at ESPOL.
In this edition, nine groups, with four students each, took on a challenge from ÑAM, an Ecuadorian company that produces plantain snacks and has successfully developed international markets. However, the company faces the challenge of strengthening its presence and position in Ecuador.
The challenge asked students to act as a consulting team and answer one main question: What strategy should ÑAM implement to significantly increase its sales and position in the Ecuadorian market during the next three years?
Using the case, participants analyzed a real business situation. Although ÑAM has been successful in international markets, its presence in Ecuador is still limited. The company wants to increase brand awareness, enter new distribution channels, and encourage more Ecuadorian consumers to include its products in their regular buying and consumption habits.
This challenge allowed students to go beyond the theory of business administration. They developed proposals for a problem that required critical analysis, creativity, innovation, feasibility, and communication skills. These skills were also part of the criteria used to evaluate the competition proposals.
The competition included a first stage with a written proposal and a final stage with an oral presentation before a specialized jury. The challenge, organized by Professor María Cecilia Moreno, had a jury made up of Business Administration professors and representatives from ÑAM.
After the evaluation process, the winning team was the group formed by Ricardo Arias, Melany Hernández, Amelia Balladares, and Daniela Crespo.
As recognition for their performance, the winning team received a 100% discount on a course or module of an open diploma program at the Continuing Education Center.
For Daniela Crespo, participating in the challenge was a meaningful and challenging experience that allowed her to apply the knowledge she gained during her degree. Working with limited information required the team to research, analyze different options, and make decisions together. This put their creativity, analysis, communication, and problem-solving skills to the test. “It is an experience that I will remember for many years, not only because we achieved a good result, but also because of everything we learned during the process,” said the student. She also highlighted that the challenge gave her more confidence to face future professional challenges.
Through initiatives like this, the Business Administration program continues to create learning experiences that go beyond the classroom and bring students closer to the challenges they will face in the business world.
