Three groups of students from the Master of Science in Business Administration participated in the competition. The winning team walked away with a total of 40.000 NOK.
– It has been very fun. Busy, but incredibly educational. If anyone wants to take this course next year, I would really recommend it, Susanne Sigstad Sirnes says.
The annual UiS Rogaland Sparebank Case Competition took place on November 12th as part of the Economics of Motivation course.
Three groups had the chance to compete for the grand prize of 40.000 NOK from Rogaland Sparebank. In the end, it was the students Oda Sundseth, Maren Refsland and Susanne Sigstad Sirnes who walked away with the big cheque.
– We were very happy when we were announced as winners. This was great, the students says.
Workplace motivation was the theme of the competition. Over the past few months, the students taking the course have worked close with a company they chose, interviewed managers and studied how they keep their employees motivated. Each group has come up with ideas and recommendations based on academic literature, offering practical insights that can make a meaningful impact in the workplace.
The students are in the final year of the Master of Science in Business Administration at University of Stavanger.
Wanted to look at motivation in a company that stood out
The winning team investigated the mechanisms that affect motivation among the employees at Møller Bil.
– It was a bit random that we chose Møller Bil, but we heard that they were currently working on motivation, and that they were interested in learning more about it, Maren says.
The students wanted to learn about a company that is different from what they want to work with later:
– Everyone who visits UiS School of Business and Law, are large accounting firms and office companies. It was interesting to look at how motiviation is for those who actually work with their hands and use their bodies. Those who don't sit in an office. Something completely different from what we know, Maren says.
The three girls all agree that it's nice to work on a real case – where they can see the theory in practice, and that it's very realistic in relation to working life.
Rogaland Sparebank: – A great way to bring academia in to the business world
Finance director Tomas Nordbø at Rogaland Sparebank was in the jury together with Professor Emeritus Aslaug Mikkelsen from UiS School of Business and Law. He explains what made the group stand out in the competition:
– They were the best at understanding the business they had chosen. They understood the problem very well, and managed to incorporate the academic literature into their project. They had some great suggestions that can be easily implemented.
He also praises the collaboration with UiS School of Business and Law at University of Stavanger.
– We have been doing this for several years now. We, at the bank, think it's a great way to bring academia into the business world. I think it's mutually beneficial for both the companies and the students.
Nordbø believes this is a very useful experience for students entering the workforce:
– First, they must understand the practical issues of the companies, and then they must also write it down and present it. Having presentation skills and key points to sell, is important when entering the business world.
– A good exercise before the master's thesis next semester
Sadaf Basharat is a PhD candidate at UiS School of Business and Law, and together with Professor Mari Rege, she has been responsible for the course.
– Since the course is about motivation, we were interested to see if the prize of 40.000 NOK acts as a source of extrinsic motivation for students to do well on their case reports.
She explains a bit about the process:
– The groups have conducted two interviews with an informant in the company at two different stages of the project. Based on these interviews, they determine the level of motivation among the employees. Using the academic literature from the lectures with Mari Rege, they try to identify some key mechanisms that affect motivation.
Basharat says that she really enjoyed guiding the students through the process.
– For me, it was also important to emphasize academic writing. The students will write their master's thesis next semester, so this is a good exercise to prepare for that, she concludes.