the magazine of aarhus case competition 2014

the magazine of AARHUS CASE COMPETITION

2014

2 the magazine of AARHUS CASE COMPETITION 2014

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the magazine of AARHUS CASE COMPETITION 2014 3

In week 15, we continue the tradition of Aarhus Case Competition by hosting the third annual case competi-tion at Aarhus University. Our aim is to reduce the gap between the two worlds of academia and business by composing a week where every participating student can improve their skills of solving real, complex business cases.

In order to maximize the benefits of participating, we have planned a week with a strong presence of excit-ing and challenging elements with regard to structuring, solving, and presenting a problem. Participating in Aar-hus Case Competition will challenge you to utilize your creativity and academic skills to solve specific business cases. This gives you valuable experience with how to apply your theoretical knowledge in practice and training in how to ace a case-based job interview.

This year, Danske Commodities will provide the right setting for the ACC Week. The week includes the op-portunity to solve 3 different management consulting cases including the extensive main case. Together with our Premium Partners Quartz+Co and Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, Danske Commodities will present the cases and help you establish a foundation of knowledge about how to develop extraordinary solutions. Further-more, Dansk Supermarked’s Business Development Consultancies will host an instructive workshop that will introduce you to Denmark’s largest current business transformation.

Aarhus Case Competition 2014 is organized by 22 ded-icated students who have devoted one year’s work to design an inspiring week of case solving. It is the tre-mendous work done by the people of the organizing committee that has provided this unique opportunity for

all students at AU to experience the con-cept of case competitions firsthand.

Let us remind you that Aarhus Case Com-petition 2014 will take place at Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, at Campus Fuglesangs Allé where the 9 qual-ified teams will compete to become Nor-dic champions in case solving. The ACC Week also includes the concurrent event of Aspire Case Camp; the case competition where all AU students are invited to sign up and have a try at solving the exact same cases as the 9 Nordic teams of the main competition.

All in all, we can ensure you that we have planned an exhilarating and exceptional week. We look forward to seeing you at Aarhus Case Competition 2014 in week 15.

On behalf of the organizing committee,

Mikkel Pedersen & Rune Møldrup PoulsenHead Coordinators

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chiefAnne Timmermann

Graphics and layoutNanna Inie

WritersDaniel Lebiedowski Jesper Kirkegaard HjorthMikkel PedersenRune M. PoulsenSara Andersen

Other ContributorsDanske CommoditiesQuartz+CoDeloitteDansk SupermarkedStudenterlauget

The organizing committee of Aarhus Case Competition 2014

is proud to welcome you to this year’s case competition

ACC FINALS: ACC PROVIDES DINNER

AND BEVERAGES FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO AT-

TENDED. AFTERPARTY IN KLUBBEN IN ORDER

TO PROPERLY BRING THE ACC WEEK

TO AN END 14

CASE COMPANY OF 2014: DANSKE COMMODITIES

- PASSION FOR ENERGY

18-19

THE ACC EXPERIENCE

- A WINNING STORY 20-21


TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Vision Materialised THE MAKING OFAARHUS CASE COMPETITION 6AARHUS CASE COMPETITION VS. ASPIRE CASE CAMP What’s the Difference? 8CASE COMPETITIONS - WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? 10Week 15 Programme MONDAY & TUESDAY 12Week 15 Programme WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY 13Week 15 Programme FRIDAY: ACC FINALS 14A VISION BY STUDENTERLAUGET 15DANSK SUPERMARKED Take part in tranformingDenmark’s largest Retail Company 16

CASE COMPANY OF 2014: DANSKE COMMODITIES 18THE ACC EXPERIENCE A WINNING STORY 20QUARTZ+CO: CASE COMPETITIONS – gain a head start in future recruitment processes 22PRESENTING: THE JURY 24DELOITTE: IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE 28Look back:AARHUS CASE COMPETITION 2013 30OUR PARTNERS 32PRESENTING: THE ADVISORY BOARD 33THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 34


We have talked to the former and current head coordinators about the evolvement of Aarhus Case Competition over the past three years.

In 2012, the first edition of Aarhus Case Competition was quite an event. The founders, Jesper Agerholm and Anders Thomsen, lived by the mantra ”hit the ground running” as they knew what CBS Case Competition, the world’s leading undergraduate case competition, was capable of deliver-ing; they needed to catch up on 10 years of experience in only 10 months. If they only succeeded in establishing a mediocre case competition, they figured it would be difficult to attract corporate sponsors and bring the top students of the Nordic Universities to Aarhus.

The Beginning of it AllThe main reason for establishing ACC was, and still is, to show students at Aarhus University the magnificence of case competitions. Case compe-titions tend to be for a small group of students, but Jesper and Anders believed that by bringing real-life cases and companies to the stu-

THE MAKING OFAARHUS CASE COMPETITION

A Vision Material ised

dents, they could show that all stu-dents can benefit from it. As they say: “Our background for doing this was that we really liked participating in such competitions ourselves and wanted all students at BSS to get the chance to do the same. Furthermore, we believe that the many tools and skills needed to master the case competition for-mat are valuable to all students, inde-pendently of their future career path.”

Then, the question was how they could transform their idea into reality. Regarding the process of arranging the first ACC ever, Jesper says: “First of all, we got a lot of support! We start-ed by gathering some of the most ex-perienced case solvers in Aarhus and with their help we built the framework for ACC. Further, during the intensive 10 month we had a team that worked extremely hard and we had partners internally at the school who all worked hard to make it a success. Finally, all of our external partners made an effort to



A Vision Material ised

make the first ACC a success.“

The Purpose of Aarhus Case CompetitionJesper and Anders’ motivation for bringing the concept of competitive case solving to Aarhus was to give the participants a chance to utilize their academic skills in practical settings. Since all cases are written in close collaboration with the case company and the knowledge partner, the partic-ipants have to solve real-life business cases based on the specific challeng-es encountered by the case compa-ny. The concept of creating a week with real-life cases based on a spe-cific company gives the participants a chance to obtain some valuable expe-rience with how to apply their theoreti-cal knowledge in practice.

Additionally, Dennis Geertsen, one of the head coordinators of last year’s ACC, emphasizes the networking opportunities of participating in case

competitions like ACC. The way ACC includes its corporate partners during the ACC Week gives the participants a unique opportunity to meet inspiring people from the corporate world and learn about their companies and the way they do business.

In essence, the purpose of ACC is to help business students prepare for their future business career as com-panies request employees who have more to offer than just high grades. Participating in a case competition, or maybe even winning one, is a way of showing your future employer that you are capable of structuring, solving, and presenting solutions to complex business challenges under the pres-sure of a ticking clock and can give you valuable training in how to ace a case-based job interview.

Refining the ConceptThis year, the third edition of ACC is still everything it was intended to be,

but the event has also changed in some ways. Rune Poulsen, one of this year’s head coordinators, points out that the first ACC in 2012 was a four-day event with the finals held Thursday in the Aula. Last year, an extra day was added to program to make it a five-day event, and the finals were moved to the new, impressive S-building, where more than 500 company representa-tives and students attended the show.

Not only does ACC change, the gen-eral case competition environment changes as well. As more and more companies now make their own case competitions, Rune emphasises that a major challenge for ACC is to stay on top of the game and continuously strive towards being the biggest and most prestigious case competition exclusively for Nordic business stu-dents to ensure that the best Nordic students will continue to participate in ACC.

Anders Thomsen and Jesper Agerholm during Aarhus Case Competion 2012


Aarhus Case Competitionvs.

Aspire Case Camp

What is the difference?


What is Aarhus Case Competition? Aarhus Case Competition is a large-scale case com-petition where top business students from the Nordic countries compete in providing the best solution to a real life business case. The winning team will receive some considerable prizes in addition to the title of Nordic Case Solving Champions.

Who should apply for Aarhus Case Competition?Aarhus Case Competition is directed towards top business students and experienced case competitors. Furthermore, Aarhus Case Competition is primarily for students who are either Master students or on the last part of their Bachelor program.

Why should you apply for Aarhus Case Competition?As a participant, you will obtain some valuable experi-ence with how to apply your theoretical knowledge in practice and training in how to ace a case-based job interview. By competing with top students from all of the Nordic you will be challenged to excel in pursuit of the best solution.

How are the teams chosen?Applying for ACC requires a group of no more or less than 3 students. All students must be enrolled in a Nordic university.

Based on the teams’ motivational letters, grade tran-scripts and individual CVs, 9 teams will be selected to participate in the case competition in week 15 in Aarhus, Denmark.

Participating in Aarhus Case Competition is free and all travelling and food expenses will be covered by ACC.

What is Aspire Case Camp? Aspire Case Camp is a workshop based case compe-tition for all students at AUBSS. The purpose of Aspire Case Camp is to develop the case-solving mentality at AUBSS by offering an easily accessible way to get started with case competitions. In other words, Aspire Case Camp can serve as an educational experience for you if you want to learn more about competitive case solving as a concept and improve your actual case solving skills.

Who should apply for Aspire Case Camp?All students at AUBSS can join Aspire Case Camp and there is no requirement of prior case competition ex-perience. Compared to the main competition of ACC, Aspire Case Camp is more flexible and allows the stu-dents to experience one day, two days or the whole week.

Why should you apply for Aspire Case Camp?If you want to experience the combination of social and academic aspects that Aarhus Case Competition offers, but do not feel you have the necessary experi-ence, then Aspire Case Camp is for you. Aspire Case Camp is also for those with case solving experience who want to sharpen their skills or do not have the time to participate in Aarhus Case Competition.

When is the deadline for applying for Aspire Case Camp?The sign-up for participation in Aspire Case Camp 2014 opens on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 12:15 and ends when all seats are taken. Participation will be al-located on a first come, first served basis.

How to apply for Aspire Case Camp?Participants apply as a group consisting of 2-4 stu-dents per team and all team members must be en-rolled at Aarhus University. To apply for Aspire Case Camp, go to http://aarhuscasecompetition.com/as-pire-case-camp/applying/ and fill out the form.

When participating in Aspire Case Camp, the organiz-ing committee provides lunch as well as snacks during the day.

AARHUS CASECOMPETITION



WHAT’S IN ITFOR ME?

Case Competit ions:

The mission of ACC is to prepare business students for a busi-ness career. But what exactly are the benefits of participating in case competitions like ACC?

BRIDGING ACADEMIA AND BUSINESS Christian Hein, consultant at Quartz+-Co, says that “Case competitions are by Quartz+Co considered the perfect bridge between academia and the challenges of real life business con-sulting“ since the case competition format challenges the students to test their skills and apply their theoret-ical knowledge in practice. ACC is a unique opportunity for the participants to utilize the theoretical knowledge obtained through their education to create a solution to some of the actual business challenges facing a specific company.

NETWORKING AND SOCIALIZINGCorporate partners are typically fea-tured in case competitions as the case competition format enables compa-nies to connect with students in an engaging way. In addition to the many hours of intensive case solving, ACC also offers various social events where the participants get the opportunity to mingle with the other teams and influential company representatives in more informal surroundings. This is a chance to get more knowledge about the work as a consultant, build rela-tionships with potential future employ-ers, and potentially open up for job opportunities. Michael Ejby, Vice Pres-ident at Dansk Supermarked confirms that the company is indeed on the lookout for talented prospects during the course of the ACC Week:

“Aarhus Case Competition provides us as a company with a great oppor-tunity to spot top students who have a talent for problem solving”, he says.

GETTING AHEAD IN THE LINE Experience from case competitions can be that extra element that gives an edge in the race for the best jobs at the most interesting companies. During the ACC Week, through the workshops with professional consul-tants from our corporate partners, participants are introduced to some practical tools and tips on how to cre-ate solutions to business challenges and present these findings convinc-ingly and in a professional way. Not only does this offer the participants a unique insight into the consulting in-dustry, is also gives them some valu-able training in how to perform at a case-based job interview.

According to AU Career, the career center for the students at AU, case solving is often included in the recruit-ment process of larger companies in particular, and the career center strongly encourages all students to participate in case competitions to prepare themselves for the job seeking process that awaits them.Didn’t apply for Aarhus Case Competition?

Sign up for Aspire Case Camp to get a taste of competitive case solving and improve your case solving skills!

For more information and signing up, please visit www.aarhuscasecompetition.com/aspire-case-camp/


www.jobbank.au.dk

www.career.au.dk

LIKE us on FacebookAU Career, Business and

Social Sciences

AU CAREERAU Career, Business and Social Sciences helps you get in close dialogue with business life by offering you a lot of different career services, career oriented events, individual career counselling, coaching and much more.

BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

AARHUS UNIVERSITET AU

AU Career locations:Fuglesangs Allé 4 - Main entrancePhone: 87166194Bartholins Allé 9, Bulding 1350, room 114Phone: 87166056Email: [email protected]

Case competitions!What it is?What’s in it for me?

Counselling on your CV, application,

salary, job interview etc.


09:00-11:30 Quartz+Co presentation in M3All AU students are welcome to attend the presentation, but please note that students participating in ACC and Aspire Case Camp have first claim.

11:30-12:00 Lunch provided by ACCLunch is served for all ACC and Aspire Case Camp participants.

12:00-12:15 Presentation of Case 1The first case of the week is briefly introduced and then handed out to the participants.

12:15-17:30 Case solving Case solving for the teams participating in Aspire Case Camp takes place in Aulaen, while the 9 teams partic-ipating in ACC are situated in individual group rooms in the S-building.

17:30-19:00 Final Presentation by Quartz+CoAfter the teams’ solutions to the case are handed in, the day is concluded by a presentation by the consul-tants from Quartz+Co.

19.00-22.00 Social Event for ACC (The 9 Teams)At the end of the day, a social event is arranged for the 9 teams participating in ACC.

09:00-11:30 Deloitte presentation in M3All AU students are welcome to attend the presentation, but please note that students participating in ACC and Aspire Case Camp have first claim.

11:30-12:00 Lunch provided by ACCLunch is served for all ACC and Aspire Case Camp participants.

12:00-12:15 Presentation of Case 2The second case of the week is briefly introduced and then handed out to the participants.

12:15-17:30 Case solving Case solving for the teams participating in Aspire Case Camp takes place in Aulaen, while the 9 teams partic-ipating in ACC are situated in individual group rooms in the S-building.

17:30-18:30 Final Presentation by DeloitteAfter the teams’ solutions to the case are handed in, the consultants from Deloitte wrap up the day with some final comments.

17:30-20:00 ACC PresentationsThe 9 teams participating in ACC will present their solutions to the consultants from Deloitte and receive some feedback on their solutions.

18:30-22:00 Deloitte Social Event To conclude the day, Deloitte is hosting a social event for the 9 teams participating in ACC and all Aspire Case Camp participants.

MONDAY by QUARTZ+CO

TUESDAY by Deloitte

The first day of ACC 2014 is hosted by the management consulting company Quartz+Co. The con-sultants from Quartz+Co will present the participants with some good advice on case solving and provide them with general tools about how to tackle, structure, and present solutions to business challenges in a professional manner. These tools will prove themselves useful during the week as the participants will have to solve three different cases.

The second day of ACC 2014 is hosted by the consulting company Deloitte. Specialists from Deloitte’s department of Financial Advisory Services will share their knowledge about financial consulting within the department’s three service areas: Corporate Finance, Transaction Services, and Financial Management Advisory. Furthermore, the consultants will introduce the participants to some specific tools and concepts that will be included in the case following the presentation.

Week 15 Programme


8:15 ASPIRE CASE CAMPCase Launch for Aspire Case Camp in AulaenThe participating teams will have 24 hours to solve the case and hand in their solutions. Aulaen will be open for the participants all night; however, it is not required that the participants stay in Aulaen while solving the case.

8.15 ACC (THE 9 TEAMS)Case Launch for ACC in the S-building. The 9 teams will have 30 hours to solve the case and hand in their solu-tion.

WEDNESDAY main case releaseOn the third day of the ACC Week, the main case is released. Here, the participants are to apply the tools and knowledge picked up during the two previous days of workshops and case solving in order to come up with the best possible solution. The participating teams will have until Thursday to complete and hand in their solutions.

8:15 Deadline for Aspire Case CampThe Aspire Case Camp participants must hand in their solutions to the main case no later than 08.15. The solution must be handed in in Aulaen and must be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation placed on a USB-stick.

14:15 Deadline for ACC (The 9 Teams)The 9 teams of ACC must hand in their solutions to the main case no later than 14.15. The participants can hand in their solution in either in the S-building or at their hotel, and the solution must be in the form of a Pow-erPoint presentation placed on a USB-stick.

16:00-19:00 “Business Transformation” by Dansk SupermarkedThe presentation by Dansk Supermarked takes place in Aulaen. All AU students are welcome to attend the pre-sentation, but please note that students participating in ACC and Aspire Case Camp have first claim.

CEO of Dansk Supermarked, Per Bank, and the company’s Head of Business Development, Michael Ejby will make a presentation about Dansk Supermarked and how the company is currently undergoing a major trans-formation process in order to ensure the further development of the organization. The presentation is a unique opportunity for the students to learn more about the strategy and vision of Denmark’s largest retail company and gain insight into how a large-scale transformation process can be conducted in practice.

Furthermore, the students get the chance to work with the subject firsthand as the presentation is followed by six different sessions where the students are invited to interact with some of Dansk Supermarked’s consultants and get a more in-depth understanding of the many projects involved in a transformation process of this extent.

19:00-19:45 Preparation for the Aspire Case Camp FinalsAfter Dansk Supermarkeds presentation and the following seminars, the finalists of Aspire Case Camp are announced. The teams in question are then given some time to prepare their presentations.

19:45-21:30 Aspire Case Camp FinalsDuring the finals, the 12 best teams present their solutions to business professionals from the corporate world. The presentations will take place in M1, M2 and M3. The winner of Aspire Case Camp will be announced Friday afternoon during the ACC Finals.

THURSDAY by Dansk SupermarkedThursday of the ACC Week is dedicated to Dansk Supermarked, the largest retail company in Den-mark. After the participating teams of ACC and Aspire Case Camp are done handing in their solu-tions, Dansk Supermarked will host an afternoon presentation on the subject of corporate transfor-mation processes.

Week 15 Programme


11.00-15.00 Your Future, Your CommitmentAt the event “Your Future, Your Commitment”, all AU students are invited to interact with the corporate part-ners of ACC 2014 in casual surroundings. Meet our partners for a chat about how case solving matters in the corporate world, or engage in some of their mini-cases to test your case solving skills; if you are lucky, you will receive a prize for your efforts.The event will take place in the S-building in the Upper Multi Room.

12.00-14.00 Preliminary RoundsIn the preliminary rounds, the best three solutions are to be found among the 9 participating teams before the finalists are to present their solutions in front of the judges and an audience of several hundred students.

16.00-19.00 The ACC FinalsAt the finals, the three best teams will present their solutions to a jury consisting of very competent and ac-knowledged CEO’s and top executives from significant Danish companies. After the judges have deliberated, the winning team will be announced and receive some considerable prizes in addition to the title of Nordic Case Solving Champions. The event, which also includes refreshments and spectacular entertainment, will take place in the S-building in the Lower Multi Room.

19.00-02.00 ACC Afterparty After the finals, ACC provides dinner and beverages for all students who attended the finals, and as the evening progresses, the festivities are moved to Klubben in order to properly bring the ACC Week to an end.

FRIDAY ACC finalsThe last day of ACC 2014 is the day of the finals. ACC invites all AU students to join us for this festive day where, in addition to experiencing top business students from the Nordic countries presenting their solutions, students will get the chance to mingle with each other and profiles from the corporate world.

“ACC provides dinner and beverages for all students who attended the fi-nals, and as the evening progresses, the festivities are moved to Klubben in order to properly bring the ACC Week to an end.”

Week 15 Programme


A VISION BYSTUDENTERLAUGETStudenterlauget is proud of Aarhus Case Competi-tion and how it contributes to a value-adding study environment at Aarhus University.

An event like Aarhus Case Competition is of major importance in a time where academic grades and university degrees are no longer a guarantee for a future career. Today’s corporate world demands more than plain academic experience from stu-dents. It demands personal qualifications, relevant work experience and a broad network.

It is proven that 7 out of 10 job seeking gradu-ate students are chosen for a job based on their personal qualifications. Companies today de-mand experience in terms of actual practice from outside the lec-ture halls that can help develop the students’ personal competencies and complement their theoretical knowledge. It is therefore in Studen-terlauget’s main interest to provide students with opportunities that can help strengthen their com-petencies and gain practical experience that can get them one step closer to their dream jobs either during or after their studies.

Studenterlauget is proud of Aarhus Case Competi-tion as the event provides the participating students with three main outcomes; 1) A chance to apply their theoretical knowledge obtained through their education to a real case from the corporate world, 2) a chance to gain practical knowledge that they would not attain otherwise solely through their stud-

Studenterlaugetfor students by students

ies, and finally 3) a broad cross-cultural network consisting off students from different countries as well as influential people from the corporate world.

This year will be the third time Aarhus Case Competition takes place. Due to hard work and dedication put into it, the or-ganising committee of 20 students will deliver yet another outstanding event that seeks to inspire and develop the par-ticipating students. At Studenterlauget, our goal is to contin-uously ensure that our members and the students at Aarhus

University are provided with a val-ue-adding environment consisting of both social as well as academic offers. Studenterlauget strives to constantly stay updated on what happens both inside and outside the walls of the university to make sure that our business units and the projects and their offerings, adapt to the fast changing needs of the surrounding business environment.

This way, Aarhus Case Competition is – and will continue to be – a challenging and rewarding case competition that makes sure the students from the Nordic business community are well equipped with competencies that can give them an edge when chasing after their dreams.

I am looking very much forward to Aarhus Case Competition 2014, and to seeing you all there!

Kind regards, Abier M. ChuhaiberManaging Director, Studenterlauget

It is proven that 7 out of 10 job seek-ing graduate students are chosen for a job based on their personal quali-fications. Companies today demand

experience in terms of actual practice from outside the lecture halls that can help develop the students’ personal competencies and complement their

theoretical knowledge.


- Take part in transforming Denmark’s largest retail company

A business transformation towards world class In 2012, Per Bank was brought on as the new CEO of Dansk Supermarked, following several top management positions at the international retailer Tesco. At Dansk Supermarked, Bank initiated a transformation process with the purpose of transforming the company from a traditional Danish retailer into a world class retailer. This transformation process was initiated as competition in the market was increasing and the financial per-formance was decreasing. Hence, a significant change was required. This process lead to transformation projects throughout the organisation, including large-scale projects within finance, logistics, concept re-inventions, international expansion, e-commerce, category management, just to name a few. An in-house consulting department In order to support the transformation journey, in early 2013 Dansk Supermarked decided to start up an internal business development function. The purpose was to get an in-house consulting department, which could lead the various transformation projects and assist on projects in the company’s business units. To run this new department, Michael Ejby, a former partner from Quartz+Co, was hired as Head of Group Business Development. During the spring of 2013, Ejby assembled a team of management consultants and project leaders consisting of both experienced and newly graduated team members. The team is allocated on strategic projects where they work with project manage-ment, strategic & data analysis and development & implementation of recommendations.

Become a part of the team Business Development is always looking for talented and newly graduated business students to join the team, and the department is running an internship programme twice a year. The next application deadline for the internship programme will be a few weeks after ACC on Friday, April 25, 2014. Besides the job opportunities in Business Development, Dansk Supermarked is always looking for top-performing students for a wide range of other attractive positions throughout the organisation. We have a newly started finance graduate program, and we also offer a wide range of opportunities with our formats - føtex, Bilka and Netto, as well as with our other functions - Commercial, Logistics and HR. Dansk Supermarked as premium partner with ACC’14 Dansk Supermarked is premium partner with Aarhus Case Competition 2014 and will be arranging an event on Thursday, April 11, on the topic of “Business Transformation” We are looking forward to seeing you during ACC’14, where we will share our insights and tools from our process of transforming one of Denmark’s largest companies – Dansk Supermarked. If you would like to know more about Dansk Supermarked and our job opportunities, please visit our website: dansksupermarked.dk

… operates the formats føtex, Bilka, Netto, and Salling

… has a yearly turnover of 56 billion DKK


The transformation seen from top management “Dansk Supermarked is one of Denmark’s largest companies with a great potential both nationally as well as internationally. We are aiming for further growth and expansion in the coming years, and the process towards achieving this will require that we as a company will excel as being a retailer” Per Bank CEO Dansk Supermarked

“Our transformation journey is very comprehensive, and it places a great demand for project management and data-driven problem solving. To be a part of the process is a unique opportunity for newly graduated students, and we can ensure that the learning curve is very steep” Michael Ejby Senior Vice President, Business Development Dansk Supermarked

“As internal consultant we play an important role in driving a successful change in a large organisation. Not only do we support problem solving and develop-ment, but we also take part in the change manage-ment activities that support the project implementation as this is key for us – our customers are our colleagues” Michael Tilsted (Cand.merc.) Management Consultant, Business Development Dansk Supermarked

“Working as a management consultant gives great insight into many different business areas and a unique opportunity to learn and use many different tools to succeed with varying projects. As a consultant in Dansk Supermarked you are constantly faced with new tasks and challenges, but this allows for continuous learning and development” Jo Ottow Svendsen (Cand.oecon.) Management Consultant, Business Development Dansk Supermarked

Working as newly graduated in Business Development

…supplies nearly 2 million customers everyday

… is now owned by the Salling foundations, who bought the majority shareholding from Maersk in 2014

… employs 32,000 people in Denmark and 9,000 in Sweden, Germany and Poland,


Danske Commodities was established in 2004 by Henrik Lind who today acts as Chairman of the Board. Since its establishment the company has expe-rienced remarkable growth and today employs 425 highly focused profes-sionals who work with passion to cre-ate value for our customers every day.

Danske Commodities is an international energy trading and service provider op-erating in over 33 European countries. We are ’merchants’ by definition as we buy a product - the right to carry power - at the lowest possible price and sell it back at the best possible price. The company’s four business areas - pow-

Passion for Energy

Case Company of 2014: Danske Commodities

Danske Commodities is the case compa-ny for ACC 2014. The participants of this year’s competition will be challenged with three cases focusing on our growth and our business.

er, gas, certificates and services – cov-er electricity, gas and climate certificate trading. In addition, the company offers a growing range of customer-related services such as asset management, production balance management and consumption balance management. Our broad market access and our large client portfolio together with a 24/7 trading setup make it possible for us to continuously meet customer needs and to deliver competitive prices in all markets and on all products.

The key market driver is the increase of renewables in the power genera-tion mix in Europe. Due to the weath-

er-driven nature of renewable energy, its growth has led to a significant rise in price volatility. As a result, it has be-come increasingly difficult for power producers – traditional and renewable – to schedule and optimize their pro-duction, since they must constantly ad-just to price fluctuations in the market. This is a key entry point for Danske Commodities to provide knowledge and flexibility to the market by leverag-ing our expertise in short-term trading, portfolio management, and generation optimization.

Danske Commodities operates in a dynamic industry, and our goal is to always to be flexible and ready for change. The company’s vision is to be the most flexible and innova¬tive en-ergy and service provider, and the flat organisation and innovative corporate culture support this objective.Our ten corporate values define us as a business – and as individuals. Our val-ues define the framework for how we run our business. They are our guide-


lines in everything we do; from strategic business decisions to day-to-day oper-ations. By living our values, we create a unique, diversified and dynamic culture.

Danske Commodities is a company built on values. The ten core-values provide a powerful, positive force to guide each action and behaviour.

Being headquartered in Aarhus, Dan-ske Commodities has easy access to AU’s important pool of talent from which the company has hand-picked a great number of talented people.

Innovation is an important part of Dan-ske Commodities’ success to date. This was recently recognised at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards where Danske Commodities won the innova-tion category.

“Danske Commodities was established to succeed in Europe’s liberalised ener-gy markets and innovation has always been one of our core values. As we

have grown from four to 400, the entre-preneurial spirit and innovation capabil-ity of our people has created tremen-dous value for our customers and the markets we operate in,”Henrik Lind

People are our greatest assetOur company values are essential to our further growth and development. One of our fundamental values is Peo-ple, our greatest asset is our people. We make an effort ensuring that all new people get off to a good start – and that they get to know our company values. Our values are the guideline for every-one at dc ensuring we have a clear definition of how we do things – and are also a definition of how people at dc perceive themselves. Innovation, Com-munication and Flexibility are among the values which have an effect not only internally but also on the way we do business with our customers.

“Danske Commodities is a people-driv-en business, and more than anything else our good performance is due to the knowledge and innovation power that our highly competent and hard- working people possess. More than +500 million rows of data about Eu-rope’s energy markets enter our sys-tems every day. Our people turn those data into knowledge and business; they are the ones who apply our sharp-ly-defined values and who will be driv-ing the evolution of our company in the years ahead.”Torben Nordal Clausen, CEO

“The success of dc is built on our ability to transform great ideas into business cases and solutions that drive our business forward. We are dependent on talented people interacting and sharing knowledge across the organisation. I see the value of this every day. In this sense, ACC is the perfect example of how providing a forum for students and businesses to interact can result in innovation.Dion Sørensen CPO



A WINNINGSTORY

the ACC Experience

Last year, Trygve Fjelleng par-ticipated in ACC 2013 and won with his team, Fat Cat Consul-tants. This is his take on the ACC experience.

Trygve and his teammates, Max and Mathias, had a great deal of experience with case com-petitions before entering ACC. More than 10 presentations in front of judges, a place in the finals at Beat the Elite, and a second place in the Swedish

final of KPMG case competition had given them loads of experience with participating in case competitions. This was apparent when preparing for the competition: “With as much expe-rience with case competitions as we had, we already sort of knew what to expect of the competition. So in terms of preparation we built up a schedule, discussed how we could present cer-tain ideas in the best way, and really tried to figure out what would put us over the top compared to the other teams. When you get to the finals of

a competition such as ACC, all teams will have great solutions, which it will be hard to find any flaws with. At that point it is the team that is best at selling their solution to the judges that wins.”

When solving the final case of ACC 2013, based on their previous experi-ence with other case competitions, the team quickly focused on one solution and divided the tasks between them to be as efficient as possible within the 30 hours available to them.


“The moment our names were called out as the winners of ACC 2013 was definitely

one of the highlights - if not the highlight - of my time as a student”

Trygve Fjelleng, part of the winning team of ACC 2013

In addition to their combined experi-ence with competitive case solving, Trygve also emphasizes the composi-tion of the team as an important factor for success: “Having a good group dynamic is crucial when participating in case competitions. It might be even more important in a competition such as ACC where you end up spending 30 hours trying to do your best in a very stressful environment. The key in-gredients for us to succeed were a mix of jokes, seriousness, and a strive for perfection”.

When thinking back on ACC 2013, one moment naturally stands out for Trygve: “It is hard to ignore the mo-ment our names were called out as the

winners of ACC 2013. That was defi-nitely one of the highlights - if not the highlight - of my time as a student”, Trygve says.

Today, Trygve has graduated and works for Klarna, an e-commerce pay-ment solution company, and he finds his case competition experience use-ful when he has to convince co-work-ers and clients to invest in his solutions and projects: “Universities generally teach students very well how to solve problems. What they mostly do not teach is how to convince other people to implement these solutions. This is something I deal with on a daily basis in my current job, and I think that my

experience from ACC and other case competitions has allowed me to be ready for these kinds of discussions from day one”.

With regard to ACC 2014, Trygve has one piece of advice for the par-ticipants: “I hope you all take the time to enjoy the events, talk with other people, and have fun, because that is what really matters in the end”.


CASE COMPETITIONS Gain a head start in future recruitment processes

The increasing popularity of case competitions is not hard to understand as these in-tense experiences provide students with relevant insights into complex problem solving – insights that may be hard to come by elsewhere. Many employers make use of case interviews as an effective assessment in their recruitment process, and participating in case competitions is an excellent way to refine your case-solving practice. In fact, you might find that what you have learnt is directly applicable in a recruitment situation.

Aarhus Case Competition was not a one-time thingFor the third consecutive year, Quartz+Co partners with Aarhus Case Competition to bridge the gap between academia and practice and create a learning experience for all parties involved. The goal of this year’s case competition is to create and execute an even more relevant and inspiring case competition than those of previous years.

”On the basis of last year, my expectations for the case presentations and solutions are very high. I must admit that I was quite amazed with what the teams came up with, their professionalism and business acumen”, says Jesper Adeltoft, Partner in Quartz+Co and part of the ACC judging panel in 2013.

Case Challenge 2013, Managing Partner, Hans Henrik Beck


Through the partnership with Aarhus Case Competition, Quartz+Co is exposed to talented students not only from Aarhus, but from all of Scandinavia. Throughout our case competition engagements, Quartz+Co seeks to build rela-tions and tell students the story of our company and at the same time provide them with a tool box for solving cases which can prove to be useful in the future.

Mutual benefits“After having participated in ACC 2013, I applied for a posi-tion as a junior consultant at Quartz+Co. I found the expe-riences and tools I had gained from ACC very useful in the problem-solving situations during the recruitment process. As an example, structured problem solving helped me tackle concrete problems faster in the recruitment situation. In my case, ACC was extremely relevant as it provided me with valuable insight into the working methods being used by manage-ment consultants”, says Ischa Van Der Kooij, who participated in ACC 2013. Today, he is working as a ju-nior consultant at Quartz+Co.

The students are not the only ones who benefit from participating in the case competition. Companies prof-it from the co-operation and the students’ improved prob-lem-solving skills as well. “We are looking forward to this year’s case competition week as it is a unique opportunity to engage with the students and create relations. Furthermore, to us, ACC is a great opportunity to create an inspiring case competition that helps students develop as skilled problem solvers. ACC and other professional case competitions pro-vide the students with valuable insight in what it is like to work as a management consultant, and can help guide your future career choices “, explains Rasmus Brix, Senior Consultant and responsible for Quartz+Co’s employer branding activities in Denmark.

New recruitment process calls forskilled problem solvers In the beginning of 2013, Quartz+Co introduced a new re-cruitment process. The three-step interview model previously used has been replaced by an intensive two-day recruitment camp – two days of introduction to Quartz+Co, case inter-views, personal development opportunities and group exer-cises based on real business dilemmas. Experiences from case competitions are highly relevant and candidates will be tested on both individual level and as part of a team, i.e. they will be tested in an individual case interview, and moreover asked to solve a case together with the other candidates.

Establishing relationships is also greatly valued by the stu-dents. “ACC 2013 gave me the opportunity to talk to em-

ployees from different companies in an informal way. In fact, I made re-lationships with people with whom I still have contact”, Ischa Van Der Kooij adds. His best advice for stu-dents who are interested in man-agement consulting is to participate in case competitions as “our job is very similar to what you do during e.g. ACC, and participating in case

competitions really shows you what management consulting is all about”.

Taking part in a case competition is not a golden ticket to your dream job, but it can undoubtedly help you unfold the discipline of case interviews and prepare you for what might happen in a recruitment process.

Read more about Quartz+Co’s recruitment process at http://www.quartzco.com/career/how-to-apply.

”On the basis of last year, my ex-pectations for the case presenta-tions and solutions are very high. I

must admit that I was quite amazed with what the teams came up with, their professionalism and business

acumen”

Quartz+Co consultants giving monday presentations during ACC and Aspire Case Camp 2013


Presenting:

The Jury


Hans Henrik BeckManaging Partner at Quartz+Co Hans Henrik laid the foundation for Quartz Strategy Con-sultants – now Quartz+Co – in the beginning of 1999, look-ing to create a Nordic alternative to the American manage-ment consulting firms. Hans Henrik has wide experience within strategy development and implementation across a number of industries. He has worked with management consulting since 1992.

Between 1992 and 1999, Hans Henrik worked as a strat-egy consultant at McKinsey & Co. and Aarsø Nielsen & Partners (now A.T. Kearney). Before entering the consulting business, Hans Henrik worked for A.P. Moller – Maersk for three years. He has an MBA from London Business School and a BSc Hons from Saint Mary’s College of California as well as a BSc from Copenhagen Business School.

“The skill level of the students we come in contact with has increased significantly throughout the last couple of years. I therefore look forward to being in-spired, impressed, surprised and enlightened during this year’s case competition.”Hans Henrik Beck

Torben Nordal Clausen CEO at Danske Commodities A/STorben Nordal Clausen was appointed CEO at Danske Commodities in March 2011 after having joined the com-pany as Director in May 2010. He joined Danske Commod-ities after 14 years at Bunker Holding Group, one of the shipping world’s largest fuel supply and risk management service providers with an annual turnover of EUR 7 billion.

Torben holds a Henley Executive MBA from the UK and has worked in Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Malaysia and Australia. Born in Denmark in 1969, he is married to Helle and has two children, Christian and Alexander.

“The success of Danske Commodities is built on our ability to transform great ideas into business cases and solutions that drive our business forward – in other words, we are dependent on our people’s abili-ty to turn data into knowledge and business”Torben Nordal Clausen

Presenting: The Jury


Flemming LindeløvProfessional board member of sev-eral company boards and former CEO of Carlsberg BreweriesOver a period of 25 years, Flemming Lindeløv has been CEO of a number of companies including TULIP, Carlsberg, and Royal Scandinavia. Furthermore, Flemming Lindeløv has been a member of several boards throughout his ca-reer and among his current positions are: Chairman of the Board of Illums Bolighus A/S, deputy chairman of the Board of Fund Index 2005 Copenhagen, member of boards such as Fitness.dk A/S, Integral A/S, Creative Nations A/S, and chairman of the board of the pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A/S. This is Flemming Lindeløv’s third time as a judge at the ACC Finals.

“As a previous judge of the ACC Finals, I look forward to this year’s competition with great anticipation and excitement. I am happy to be a part of the panel again this year, and I look forward to seeing the final results of the students’ hard work.”Flemming Lindeløv

Per Baltzer OvergaardVice-Dean for Research and Talent Development at School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus Univer-sityProfessor Per Baltzer Overgaard is the Vice-Dean for Re-search and Talent Development at Aarhus University, Busi-ness and Social Sciences. During his Master’s degree, he studied abroad at several different universities and finished his Ph.D. at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Bel-gium. His primary research and teaching interests lie with-in Economics of Information, Contract Theory, Auction Theory, Game Theory, Industrial Organisation, Business Strategy, Antitrust and Business Regulation. Recent work includes analyses of pre-auction offers and buy-out offers in auctions, equilibria in multi-sender signalling games and the role of market transparency in repeated oligopoly. He has been a member of the Danish Social Science Research Council (2006-2010) and is presently an Academic Partner in Copenhagen Economics (since 2001).

This is Per Baltzer Overgaard’s third time judging the ACC Finals.

“Aarhus Case Competition is a great opportunity for students to work with specific challenges in circum-stances similar to those they will meet when they are done with their studies.“Per Baltzer Overgaard



Troels LorentzenDirector at Deloitte Financial Advisory ServicesTroels holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration and Fi-nance from Aarhus School of Business from 2006. He be-gan his working career at Deloitte in 2006 in the Capital Markets Services department in Copenhagen. Here he predominantly focused on asset and liability management, capital raising and risk management before he was trans-ferred to newly founded Valuation and Risk Management group as team leader in Aarhus in 2008. He joined and worked at Vestas Wind Systems in 2010 in Group Treasury with transactional banking and cash management.

Troels currently heads the Financial Management Advisory team in Aarhus, where they provide advisory services with-in the areas of corporate valuation, financial modeling, debt advisory, PPP, asset management and financial risk man-agement. The team undertakes small and large assign-ments for both corporate clients and the public sector. Tro-els and his team are dedicated to the energy sector where the majority of their financial advisory work is undertaken.

Michael EjbySenior Vice President & Head of Group Business Development at Dansk SupermarkedMichael Ejby is Head of Group Business Development at Dansk Supermarked - the largest retail company in Den-mark. He is responsible for the overall strategic planning and execution process. This implies developing and driving strategic initiatives and projects to optimize and develop group business performance. Over the years, his primary focus has evolved around Strategy, Performance Manage-ment and Business Transformation.

Before joining Dansk Supermarked, Michael was Partner in Quartz+Co, where he worked with some of the largest companies in Denmark within the manufacturing industry, building materials, retail and finance. Besides this, Michael also has experience from other management consultancy firms and as both Director and Board member in the indus-try. Michael holds an MSc. in Strategic Management from Aarhus School of Business.

“Aarhus Case Competition is a great opportunity to engage ourselves in strengthening and challenging talented students’ knowledge and experience with business cases – for their benefit and for ours. And to some of these talents, this will hopefully be a first step in a longer journey with Deloitte,” Troels Lorentzen

“A case competition is a great way to challenge your-self as a student and to get first-hand experience with how you work as a Consultant / Business Devel-oper, solving critical business optimization projects.”Michael Ejby



For several years Deloitte has been nominated by Universum as the best place to launch your career within the industry and we continue to work on making Deloitte the students preferred company to work for. In Deloitte we don’t sell products. We sell knowledge. Auditing and consulting is not only about fixed numbers and lean processes. It’s about people – people at our clients and people in Deloitte. At Deloitte people continue to develop and grow through theoretical knowledge and working experience – all to deliver the high quality services that have made us number one in the market.

With more than 2,300 employees at 17 offices in Denmark and Greenland, Deloitte is the largest auditing and advisory company in Denmark. We offer integrated audit and advisory services to a large part of Danish industries and the public sector. We accommodate each of our client’s individual needs through a wide range of services and special competencies, linked together by our cross-disciplinary working abilities. Our competencies range within six business areas: Auditing, accounting and advisory, tax, enterprise risk services, business consulting, financial advisory services and business process solutions. We take an overall lead in the markets we operate in, and we aim to be number 1 or 2 in all our business areas. Our knowledge is our strength, and our success depends on our ability to attract, retain and develop the right employees and leaders of tomorrow.

Deloitte is proud to support a student initiative such as Aarhus Case Competition which attracts top students from around the Nordic countries and encourages students to develop their business skills. Further, participating in Aarhus Case Competition as a preferred partner is a great opportunity to bring together students and Deloitte professionals to enhance and strengthen the link between us.

“Aarhus Case Competition is a great opportunity to engage ourselves in strengthening and challenging talented student’s knowledge and experience with business cases – for their benefit and for ours. And to some of these talents, this will hopefully be a first step in a longer journey with Deloitte,” Troels Lorentzen, Director at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services.

Meet our people at Aarhus Case Competition and www.deloitte.dk

Medlem af Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

It’s about people – people at our clients and people in Deloitte.


AARHUS CASE COMPETITION 2013

Look back


collaborationDEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

AARHUS UNIVERSITY AU

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES


FACCAFINANCE AND CONSULTING CLUB AARHUS

in with

product

F U R

PANTONE 296

sponsors


casecompany

premium partners

partners Studenterlaugetfor students by students



ACC is privileged to have an advisory board consisting of former head coordinators of ACC. In addition to the four people in the advisory board, management consultants from Quartz+Co have provided the organizing committee with valuable knowledge, which we are grateful for.

Dennis is currently studying MSc Economics at Aarhus University and he has studied for a semester in Singapore where he also worked as an intern at ECCO.

Dennis has been a part of the organizing committee of ACC in 2012 and last year, where he was one of the head coordinators.

Morten holds an MSc de-gree in Finance and he has a lot of experience with case competitions obtained from participating in various case competitions and from being part of the organizing com-mittee of ACC in 2012 and 2013. Last year, he was one of the head coordinators of ACC. Today, he is a management consultant at Quartz+Co.

Anders holds an MSc degree in Finance from BSS and is one of the founders of Aar-hus Case Competition. In addition to his experience from co-leading ACC 2012, Anders has participated in several case competitions.

Today, he works as a man-agement consultant at McK-insey & Co.

Jesper holds an MSc degree in Finance from BSS and is one of the founders of Aar-hus Case Competition. In addition to his experience from co-leading ACC 2012, Jesper was also a board member of Studenterlauget during his studies.

Today, he works with Cor-porate Finance, M&A, at De-loitte.

presenting:

The Advisory Board

Dennis Geertsen Morten M. Andreassen

Jesper AgerholmAnders Thomsen


ORGANIZINGCOMMITTEE

Business Relations

PR &Marketing

EventCoordinators

Case Writers

HeadCoordinators

Christoffer S. BlochHead of GroupMSc. Commercial Law

Benjamin L. AndersenMSc. Finance

Christian E. AndersenMSc. IEC

Niklas HolzMSc. International Business

Jens Henrik L. JohansenMSc. Economics

Jeanette Svenningsen MSc. IEC

Anne Timmermann Head of groupMA Corporate Communication

Sara AndersenMA Corporate Communication

Stine Sofie BisgaardMSc. International Business

Jesper K. Hjorth MSc. Economics

Daniel Lebiedowski MSc. Finance

Martin T. PedersenHead of GroupBSc. Business Administration

Rasmus S. AndersenMSc. Economics

Sofie FalkBSc. Business Administration

Anne JuhlBSc. Business Administration

Rasmus Q. PedersenBSc. Business Administration

Mathies PedersenBSc. Economics

Mikkel PedersenMSc. Economics

Rune M. PoulsenMSc. Economics

Jonas F. JohansenMSc. Economics

Michael B. ThomsenMSc. FIB

The

the magazine of aarhus case competition 2014

Documents

case business transformation

inspiring week of case

case camp participants0804

extensive main case

teamsaspire case campmonday

teamsmain case releasecase

cept of case competitions

aarhus case competition