The goals of the course are to apply theories and concepts of business strategy to specific American and Canadian company cases and to develop analytical and communication skills through competitive team case presentations carried out with international colleagues from the partner institution.   The members of each team work with each other by e-mail, telephone, fax, the web, online databases, and even by personal visits in order to conduct research and prepare for the presentations.
International Case Analysis is centered on three "Super Weekends" during which teams formally present their analyses of cases.  The oral case presentations use the parameters of the International Case Competition held each January by Concordia University in Montreal.  The students are assigned to teams which analyze and present selected cases from the text and handout material of the course, illustrating different problems of business strategy.  The team members play the role of affiliates of a consulting group which is under contract by the firm featured in each case, and their job is to examine the firm's actions in a specific situation and make recommendations about that company's strategy.

The first super weekend occurred Friday, September 12th through Sunday, September14th at the UVM campus.  After a general meeting, introduction to the course, and formation of teams, the students gathered for an impromptu barbecue at the home of one of the participants.  There they were able to socialize and get to know one another.  All of Saturday was spent preparing for and presenting their cases, which examined some major strategic questions faced by a small biotechnology company in the Central Vermont region. The weekend concluded with some classroom sessions as well as a picnic and presentation of awards to the case analysis winners.  The winner was Team #2, composed of Spela Valencak of UVM, and Kyle Deguire, Anna Gunaratnam, Oliver Camet. The overall reaction to the first super weekend has been extremely positive, and participants are excited to see the semester unfold.  If you would like to see pictures of this weekend in a Power Point presentation, go to http://stampy.uvm.edu/ica/superweekend1.ppt or to http://stampy.uvm.edu/ica/index.htm.