Collaboration Over Competition: Arizona Students Tackle Real-World Challenges at 2026 ASBCC
On March 19 and 20, business students from across Arizona came together for the Arizona Statewide Business School Case Competition (ASBCC), hosted this year by Northern Arizona University. What began in fall 2022 as a shared vision among the deans of Arizona’s three public business schools has quickly grown into a defining experience—one that emphasizes collaboration over competition.
The ASBCC was created to unite students from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University, challenging them to work across institutional lines to solve complex, real-world business problems. The competition brings together both undergraduate and graduate students, asking them to apply not only their academic knowledge, but also essential soft skills like communication, leadership, adaptability, networking and teamwork.
This year’s case posed a deceptively complex question: how do you build a viable supply chain for Navajo-Churro wool that creates reliable income for Diné producers while honoring a 400-year-old cultural and pastoral tradition? Today, producers receive just $0.85 per pound for wool that ultimately re-enters the market as premium fiber worth $28 per pound. The gap, as students quickly discovered, is not a quality issue—it’s a structural one requiring thoughtful, systemic solutions.
Working in mixed-university teams, participants embraced the competition’s unique “co-opetition” format, which blends collaboration and competition. Students were challenged to quickly align with peers from different institutions, perspectives and skill sets to develop actionable solutions under tight time constraints.
“What made this competition especially unique was its ‘co-opetition’ format—working alongside students from W. P. Carey School of Business – Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University-The W. A. Franke College of Business, and University of Arizona, Eller College of Management on the same team,” said Rene Banos Gonzalez ’28 BSBA (Accounting and MIS). “It pushed us to quickly align, think critically, and execute under pressure.”
The impact of this approach was evident in the results. Eller students were represented on both winning teams, highlighting their ability to lead and collaborate in high-stakes environments. The winning undergraduate team included Rene Banos Gonzalez ’28 and Rishi Nahar ’27 BSBA (Accounting, Business Analytics and MIS), while Kaushlendra Kumar Verma ’26 MSBA, was part of the winning graduate team.
More than a competition, the ASBCC continues to serve as a platform for experiential learning—where students move beyond the classroom to test ideas, navigate ambiguity and collaborate across boundaries. By focusing on real-world challenges and shared problem-solving, the event reflects a broader shift in business education: one that prepares students not just to compete, but to work together to create meaningful impact.