Business Analytics Case Competition

The Department of Business Analytics and Information Systems at Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business hosts the annual University wide Business Analytics Case Competition since 2022. This case competition provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase and sharpen their analytical skills and solve a real-world business problem.

Registration for 2026 BACC through 9/22

The Task

Teams are formed with 2 to 4 undergraduate students from any major across the campus.

In the first round, teams are asked to analyze the client’s business problem, identify insights and formulate their results and recommendations. Teams submit a short executive summary report explaining their approach, analysis and insights.

Six teams will be selected by faculty judges to enter the second round, in which teams polish their submissions to the first round and present their work to compete for the final prizes. A panel of corporate judges evaluate team submissions and presentations on their quality of solution, methodology/modeling and quality of presentation delivery.

[Sample Case Questions]

To assist our leadership team in determining areas of opportunity and where to focus, your objective is to analyze the provided customer service & sales datasets to glean a set of insights and recommendations that can be passed along for consideration. As your teams begin to analyze this data, keep in mind the following questions:

What relationship do the various customer service metrics have on the overall sales
volume? Based on your statistical results, what recommendations could you provide to enhance the customer service experience?

Team Prizes

1st Place: $3,500
2nd Place: $2,500
3rd Place: $1,500
Honorable Mentions: 3 Teams will be awarded $633 each.
Outstanding Submissions: 2 Teams will be awarded $300 each.
All teams who submitted to the first round will receive a gift.

Judging Policy

The judging process for the competition is designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and a thorough evaluation of all submissions. The competition will be conducted in two rounds, with distinct evaluation procedures for each.

The Teams

The competition is limited to undergraduate students from Auburn University. Teams should be comprised of two to four students currently enrolled in undergraduate level programs from any discipline.

When registering your team, each team member needs to fill out the registration form separately. There will be a place for you to type in your team name in the individual registration form. Register by clicking here.

Skill Requirements

Problem Solving
Data Understanding
Data Modeling

Round 1: Faculty Review

Judges: Three faculty members from Auburn University with extensive experience in analytics.
Procedure:
- De-Identification: All submissions will be deidentified to ensure impartiality. No personal or identifying information of the participants will be available to the faculty judges during the evaluation process.
- Independent Evaluation: Each faculty member will independently evaluate the submissions.

Round 2: Corporate Judge Review

Judges: A panel of corporate judges with expertise in related areas
Procedure: Judges will evaluate teams' presentations and reports, and independently rank teams' performance.

2026 Timeline
Date	Description
September 22, 2026 (Tuesday)	Registration Deadline
September 23, 2026 (Wednesday)	Contestants Receive Case Problem and Data
October 23, 2026 (Friday)	Case Analysis Initial Round Submission Deadline
October 30, 2026 (Friday)	Top Teams Notified and Advance to Final Round
November 12, 2026 (Thursday)	Final Round Presentation and Ceremony

Final Round Itinerary - November 12

**LOCATION:** HORTON HARDGRAVE HALL - 425 W MAGNOLIA AVENUE, AUBURN, AL
Time	Description
11:00 AM - 11: 45 AM	Lunch (Invitation Only)
11:45 AM - 2:45 PM	Team Presentations
2:55 PM - 3:25 PM	Awards Ceremony

Corporate Sponsor

Regions Financial Corporation has been supporting the Business Analytics program at Auburn University for many years. The company provides retail banking and commercial banking, trust, stockbrokerage, and mortgage services. It is headquartered in the Regions Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

More about Regions Bank

Case Sponsor

A special thanks to The Home Depot for providing the case materials. The Home Depot is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services. The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States.

More about The Home Depot