Case Closed

Cornell University students placed first in the undergraduate division of the Purdue University Human Resource Case Competition on November 7th (here they are pictured left to right enjoying some time away from the competition with Purdue Pete in the middle): Cameron McDonough (ILR '27), Zaki Ahmad (ILR ’28) - who also received the best Q&A award -, Morielle Mamaril (ILR '27), and Ryan Ocsman (ILR ’28).

The annual event is an opportunity for students to compete while sharing creative solutions with business leaders from the companies that do HR best.

The undergraduate team's case was centered on dormakaba's efforts to address employee burnout and enhance work-life balance amid its global operations and an “always-on” culture. After analyzing the case and conducting extensive research on wellness and organizational practices, the team developed a range of recommendations tailored to support dormakaba's objectives that: (1) reallocates responsibilities by developing an HR role focused on consolidating wellbeing initiatives, (2) evaluates the effectiveness of manager training programs using the Kirkpatrick Model to enhance their impact on employees, and (3) establishes new polling methods and key performance indicators (KPIs) based on the Job Characteristics Model to track engagement and retention across the organization.

In looking back at the experience, Ryan says “as an ILR freshman, I had relatively little exposure to the world of consulting before competing at Purdue University earlier this school year. However, through collaboration with other students and guidance from various professors, our team was able to put together a strong presentation and ultimately win the competition for our undergraduate division.”

Cameron McDonough reflected on her positive experience as well, saying “from this case competition, our team learned that HR goes beyond balancing employer and employee interests; there is another layer of data analysis and general comparative analytics that go into making business decisions that generate increased profits and overall workplace satisfaction. “

The team would like to thank the sponsorship of CAHRS partner company Eaton, and the Undergraduate Human Capital Association at Cornell University for providing them with this incredible opportunity to both learn more about the world of consulting and to expand their professional networks.