“Taking IDM 4050 changed the course of my academic journey entirely. Joining the course with little to no experience in competitions, I did not know what to expect and now, I can easily say that it was the most impactful course that I have taken in my degree so far. The professors that teach the course truly care about you and the content they are teaching you; it directly relates to real world scenarios in ways that will not only help you in the rest of your degree, but the rest of your life. Learning what I did in the case course was one of the main reasons I placed first in JDC West case competition and why I have been able to perform so well in all my experiences since. This course is the best decision I have made in my degree.”
Experiential courses
Asper offers in-class experiential courses such as Applied Small Business Consulting and Business Case Analysis and Competitions, where students can apply their business education to real-world problems. Both courses can be found at UM Academic Calendar under IDM4050.
Applied Small Business Consulting
This course provides undergraduate students hands-on consulting experience and an opportunity to give back to the community. Students actively work with small businesses in Manitoba to help find solutions to their current challenges. Projects are conducted individually or in small groups.
Applied Small Business Consulting is an experiential learning and project-based course. Students are matched with small businesses and not-for-profits, meeting regularly to discuss current challenges and potential solutions. Students work primarily with their group, their assigned business and their instructors as coaches. The whole class meets at few times altogether. By the end of the term, students produce a consulting report documenting their work with the client.
The course provides students with hands-on experience in consulting with a special focus on small business. It also gives small businesses access to pro bono business consulting by senior business students, guided by business professors. Finally, it contributes to growing local businesses and not-for-profits by supporting them through dynamic changes in business.
The Applied Small Business Consulting course provides students with a first-hand insight into the idiosyncrasies of a small business or not-for profit and its unique constraints and challenges, giving students the opportunity to come up with innovative and affordable solutions to the problems that they face. At the end of the course, students will have provided each client with practical recommendations.
In Applied Small Business Consulting, students learn how to listen, ask insightful questions and respectfully engage with leaders, developing their communication skills and building a productive professional relationship.
Having the support and insights from an advanced student enrolled in the Asper Applied Small Business course means that we will have the deliberate and concerted focus to audit our processes, our production model, and uncover efficiency gains at a time when we couldn’t need it more.
Kendra Magnus-Johnston
Co-owner of Fools & Horses
Business Case Analysis and Competitions
This experiential course prepares undergraduate students for case competitions such as JDC West, ICBC, Ted Rogers, and select international case competitions. Undergraduate students participating in JDC West are encouraged to take this course.
Students taking the Business Case and Analysis Competition can expect a semester of experiential learning at its finest. Case competitions are distinguished opportunities that allow students to solve business problems using creative, analytical and critical thinking skills. Students who take IDM4050 can expect:
- Instruction about what to look for when reading a case
- Interactive lessons about structuring a consulting presentation
- Opportunities for implementation and integration of their class learnings in their own case analysis
- Tailored feedback from industry coaches
- Growth in their professional, academic and personal lives
