The UW Global Business Case Competition (UW GBCC) is a prominent international case competition, bringing together undergraduate students from within the United States and around the globe to compete in fast-paced and innovative business case studies. Starting in 1999 as the Global Business Challenge, UW GBCC turns 24 this year– cheers to that– and is one of the oldest of its kind.
UW GBCC enables students to build meaningful, cross-cultural relationships, experience what the city of Seattle has to offer and most importantly, challenges them with the task of analyzing and developing a business recommendation for two real-world case studies. The competition concludes with each team presenting their case solutions to a panel of industry-leading judges, who are tasked with the difficult decision of selecting the UW GBCC champion
Connect
Be sure to connect with the UW Global Business Case Competition on Instagram.
Participating teams can find rules and detailed schedule information on the exclusive GBCC website – please email [email protected] for access.
GBCC Week Overview
| Date | Morning | Afternoon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, April 18 | Teams Arrive in Seattle | Welcome Dinner | |
| Wednesday, April 19 | Global Case Challenge (5-hour Case) | ||
| Thursday, April 20 | Case #2 Orientation + Social Activities | Seattle Exploration + GBCC Dinner | |
| Friday, April 21 | Case #2 Analysis Period | ||
| Saturday, April 22 | Preliminary Round Presentations | Final Round Presentations + Award Reception | |
| Sunday, April 23 | Participants Depart Seattle | ||
Participating Universities
UW GBCC 2023 Participating Universities:
- American University of Beirut (Lebanon)
- Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania)
- Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
- Erasmus University (Netherlands)
- Korea University (South Korea)
- The University of British Columbia (Canada)
- The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
- Universidad Panamericana (Mexico)
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador)
- University of Porto (Portugal)
- University of Southern California (United States)
- University of Washington (United States)
An interest form will open in July 2023 for universities who are interested in participating in GBCC 2024.
Archives
2021: Tesla’s Global Expansion Strategy
By Suresh Kotha and Dr. Debra Glassman, University of Washington Foster School of Business, April 2021
Tesla is a revolutionary car company with a revolutionary leader, Elon Musk. It has upended conventional wisdom by successfully producing a line-up of battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) with its own designs and many of its own components. Despite production challenges, Tesla is undertaking rapid global expansion, with a “Gigafactory” in Shanghai and another about to come online in Germany. The global EV market is growing rapidly, and Tesla is considering other locations for Gigafactories, including India. Is this a good idea? Is Tesla spreading itself too thin? With global competitors ramping up, can Tesla be profitable in the global markets that it is considering?
This case asks the student teams to identify and evaluate Tesla’s global expansion strategy and to present an implementation plan and forecast for the strategy that they recommend.
The champions are compiled below.
| Champions: University of Porto, Portugal |
| Finalists: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand |
| Erasmus University, Netherlands |
Final Round Presentation Recording
Champions Announcement Recording
2019: Amazon Go Stores: New Directions in Grocery Retailing
By Dr. Debra Glassman, University of Washington Foster School of Business, April 2019
In January, 2018, the first Amazon Go store was opened to the public in Seattle. It featured a checkout-free experience. Upon entering, the customer scans a QR code on the Amazon Go phone app. As the customer shops, cameras track his or her movements. The shelves have weight sensors that detect when a product is removed from a shelf (or returned to it). The app keeps track of purchases and charges a credit card when the customer leaves. Amazon calls this Just Walk Out technology.
Amazon has plans for as many as 3,000 Amazon Go stores in the US by 2021. It has identified a site in London for the first overseas Amazon Go store. It is logical to think that Amazon will consider further overseas expansion, but it is not clear what form that should take. Cross-border expansion in the grocery sector is notoriously difficult, and other retailers are already launching cashierless grocery stores around the world, from the UK to China.
This case asks the student teams to identify and evaluate three global expansion strategies and to present an implementation plan for the strategy that they recommend.
The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: Copenhagen Business School, Denmark | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Chulalongkorn University, Thailand | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Maastricht University, Netherlands | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Melbourne, Australia | Final Round Presentation |
2018: Amazon Web Services: Searching for Global Growth
By Suresh Kotha and Debra Glassman, University of Washington Foster School of Business, April 2018
The case focuses on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world leader in provision of cloud computing services, from data storage to computing and applications. Moving to “the cloud” means that customers rent data center services from third-party providers via the internet rather than maintain their own data centers. The major cloud providers, such as AWS, Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud Platform, are rapidly building networks of very large (“hyperscale”) data centers, grouped in geographic Regions around the world.
This case asks the student teams to play the role of AWS managers who will recommend locations for new data center Regions to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and other top managers. The presentations must identify the top three criteria for location selection and recommend three new Region locations.
Read the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below. Please email the case author to request additional case information.
| Champions: Thammasat University, Thailand | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Texas at Austin, USA | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Maastricht University, Netherlands | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Sydney, Australia | Final Round Presentation |
2017: Fitbit: The Business About Wrist
The case focuses on Fitbit, a company with a big share of the wrist-worn wearables market. The market has become increasingly competitive and is characterized by a convergence between the functions offered by fitness trackers (such as Fitbit) and smartwatches (such as Apple Watch). Due to this connectivity, there is a growing recognition of the privacy and security risks associated with the data generated by wearables. The teams in this competition were asked to play the role of Fitbit managers asked to recommend how to protect data from Fitbit devices. They were also asked to develop a plan for marketing Fitbit’s new data protection efforts.
Read the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: Universidad Panamericana Guadalaraja, Mexico | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Vermont, USA | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Auckland, New Zealand | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands | Final Round Presentation |
2016: Volkswagen Group: The Emissions Scandal and the Costs of Deception
In 2007, Martin Winterkorn, the new CEO of the Volkswagen Group, led the adoption of Strategy 2018, a bold plan for the company to become the world’s number-one-selling automaker. By early 2015, the Volkswagen Group had achieved that goal, in part by increasing US car sales through offering “clean diesel” vehicles. The clean diesel engines allowed VW, Audi and Porsche cars to meet the strict US emissions rules on nitrogen oxides. Then, in September 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced that VW diesels had cheated on the emissions tests with a “defeat device” – software that detected when a car’s emissions were being tested. The device reduced emissions during testing, but allowed emissions as much as 40 times higher during regular driving. Eventually it was revealed that the company had installed defeat devices in 11 million VWs, Audis and Porsches worldwide, including 600,000 in the US. Winterkorn was forced to resign and governments and customers around the world launched recalls and lawsuits. The VW Group is facing huge potential costs, as well as damage to its reputation. As new CEO Mathias Muller revises the Group’s strategy, he must address these questions: What will be the total costs of the cheating scandal, and how will they constrain the VW Group’s strategic options in the future?
Read the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: National University of Singapore, Singapore | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: McGill University, Canada | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Global Team: National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of California, Berkeley (USA), Universidade do Porto (Portugal), University of Washington (USA) | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Queensland University of Technology, Australia | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
2015: First Solar Inc. in 2013
Each of the GBCC teams spent 48 hours analyzing a business case on First Solar Inc. In 2010, First Solar was the global leader in production of solar panels. However, by 2013, Chinese producers dominated the world market, helped by generous government subsidies. First Solar was also challenged by falling prices for solar panels made with a competing technology. First Solar responded by vertically integrating into the solar systems business, making the company a “one-stop shop” for utility customers. First Solar’s sales have been concentrated in the US market, but they are exploring opportunities outside the US. The GBCC student teams were tasked with identifying the external forces affecting First Solar’s business over the next five years and then prioritizing the non-US target markets.
Read the case study on the Harvard Business School website. Find the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: Chinese University of Hong Kong, China | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Florida State University, USA | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Simon Fraser University, Canada | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Southern California, US | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
2014: Nike: Sustainability and Labor Practices 2008-2013
Acting as Nike mangers, students examine Nike’s sustainability and labor practices from 1998 to 2013 and provide recommendations on three case questions: 1) Where should Nike move its collegiate apparel production? 2) What is a feasible way for Nike’s supply chain to be more transparent? and 3) How can Nike build consumer awareness concerning its improved labor sustainability projects?
Read the case study on the Harvard Business School website. Find the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: Global Team: NHH (Norway), CUHK (China), FSU & UW (USA) | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Concordia University, Canada | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: Shantou University, China | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Melbourne, Australia | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
2013: Frog’s Leap Winery in 2011: The Sustainability Agenda Case
From 2000-2010, John Williams, co-founder of Frog’s Leap Winery in California, invested in dry farming, organic, and biodynamic agriculture; geothermal and solar power; year-round employment and benefits for immigrant workers; and the industry’s first LEED-certified tasting room. Despite static production, inventory and debt load grew. Students were tasked with finding solutions to help Frog Leap increase sales and become more sustainable while remaining a small winery.
Read the case study on the Harvard Business School website. Download the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: Concordia University, Canada | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: National University of Singapore, Singapore | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Arizona, USA | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
| Finalists: University of Hong Kong, China | Executive Summary | Final Round Presentation |
2012: Li & Fung 2012, Harvard Business School
Students act as the top executives at Li & Fung in the midst of preparing an important presentation to stock market investors and analysts. During the presentations, executives (students) will explain the strategies that will be implemented to achieve a goal of $1.5 B. core operating profit in 2013.
Read the case study on the Harvard Business School website. Find the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: University of Hong Kong, China | Video |
| Finalists: Simon Fraser University, Canada | Video |
| Finalists: Indiana University, USA | Video |
| Finalists: University of Porto, Portugal | Video |
2011: Urban Water Partners (A), Harvard Business School, October 2010
Students teams took on the role of the founders and executives at Urban Water Partners. Each team was asked to develop a business plan and subsequent presentation outlining possible business expansion and possible risks.
Read the case study on the Harvard Business School website. Find the student charge. The champion and finalists’ presentations are compiled below.
| Champions: University of Western Ontario, Canada |
| Finalists: Thammasat University, Thailand |
| Finalists: University of Auckland, New Zealand |
| Finalists: University of Washington, USA |