Lazaridis School team places second at Human Resources Professionals Association’s Annual Student Case Competition

April 7, 2021

A team of fourth-year Wilfrid Laurier University business students studying in the Human Resource Management concentration placed second at the third Human Resources Professionals Association’s Annual Student Case Competition, held virtually on March 20, after finding an inventive solution to a business problem.

The team from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics – Kanika Dave, Maneesha Suresh, Ellen LaFroy, Cassidy Janet Porco and Sayivaruni Visagan – competed against more than 40 students representing eight universities and colleges across Ontario.

They were tasked with analyzing a human resources business case, developing a strategy in response and presenting their team’s recommendations. A panel of six senior human resource professionals reviewed and scored the presentations based on a points system.

“We received some positive feedback from the judging panel right after we had presented, so we had a feeling that we had done well,” says Kanika. “One of the judges had no questions as our solution was well-outlined. The judges commented that Laurier has always done a good job teaching their students how to do well at case competitions.”

Students were asked to find a solution for a company that was struggling to retain its employees before an upcoming product launch. Laurier’s team studied the factors that were contributing to the business’s attrition and created an action plan to present to the company’s board members. They proposed the company implement a new performance-evaluation system, since one of the reasons workers were leaving was because they felt their performance reviews were unfair and hire a People and Culture Coordinator to recruit and support employees.

Prior to the competition, the five Laurier students had never worked together as a team, but they were all classmates in a fourth-year Strategic Compensation in Canada class, taught by Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Assistant Professor Steve Risavy. It was through Risavy that they learned about the competition and he helped them prepare as well.

"I am so very proud of this team for their amazing accomplishment! During these challenging times, this group of students decided to take on this extra commitment," says Risavy. "I would have been proud of them regardless of where they finished, but placing in second in this competition is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to the exceptional students we have here at Laurier."

The team was also able to apply what they had learned about attrition and attracting talent from their fourth-year Strategic Human Resources Planning course, and they each had experience analyzing and presenting cases from their four years studying business.

Since they’re graduating soon, this case competition will be the last of their undergraduate degree.