A4S International Case Competition

The task outlined above breaks down into the following steps:

• Select one of the 127 of the world’s most influential companies from here.
• Identify how the current features of the business model may impact people’s human rights.
• Present the business case for change, setting out why action on human rights will also add value to the company.
• Provide commercially viable and scalable solution(s) for the company to adapt its business model and practices to address these potential impacts.
• Demonstrate how your solution(s) could be rolled out across the company’s operations and value chain, such as across business units, regions, and/or supply chains, for example.
• Outline a financial model, based on the company’s publicly available financial information, that demonstrates how the solutions would impact financial performance.
• Map how your proposed solution(s) impact both positively and negatively on specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets.
• Explain what success would look like both commercially and in terms of impact on human rights (eg benefits felt and an indication of the number of people who would benefit).

Download our competition entry guide for additional material and information here.

Businesses need people to function. People are employees, customers, suppliers, and providers of capital. They fulfil the many and varied roles in our social infrastructure on which businesses depend. This gives businesses a direct stake in the wellbeing and development of people – both within and beyond their own organizations.

Right now, though, we see significant and growing barriers to human wellbeing and development globally. People worldwide are facing a cost-of-living crisis, supply chain volatility, climate anxiety, and a widening skills gap. The latest Human Development Report from UNDP shows that the value of the global Human Development Index declined sharply in 2020 and 2021 for two years in a row, reversing the gains made in the previous five years.

In this challenging environment, businesses urgently need to find ways to support human wellbeing and development – and essential to this endeavour is respect for human rights. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out a list of core human rights. The UN has published further guidance on how this applies to business in its Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

As key actors in the global economy, businesses have an important part to play – not only by respecting human rights in their own operations but by upholding human rights throughout their value chain. In doing so, businesses are both investing in their own success and helping to build an economy in which people and businesses can thrive.

Download our competition entry guide for additional material and information here.

Beyond the cash prize, the A4SICC is a unique opportunity for students to:

• Connect with industry leaders and potential future employers.
• Connect with students across the world.
• Feel empowered and encouraged by developing viable solutions, with consultative support from A4SICC mentors.
• Develop much-needed, long-term solutions for a sustainable economy based on real-world data and insights.
• Learn practical applications of business solutions.
• Cultivate invaluable research, teamwork and presentation skills through professional and expert feedback and mentoring.
• Have your voice heard in critical discussions around sustainable business development.
• Inspire others and be inspired by a diverse range of perspectives, problems, and solutions.

Below you will see resources included in the two bulletins sent out to schools and students.

Shift: Leadership and Governance Indicators of a Rights-Respecting Culture

This resource considers corporate culture as a factor in ensuring human rights for all. It looks across authenticity, accountability, empathy and organizational learning as key features of a corporate culture that are central to respect for human rights. You might want to consider how your proposed solution may impact corporate culture and/or how corporate culture may impact the likely success of your solution.

Shift: Advancing the S in ESG: A primer for CFOs

This research draws on the experience of 50 CFOs in measuring their corporate social performance, serving as a link between a company’s impacts and its financial performance.You may find some useful insights in here that help you as you demonstrate what success looks like for your proposed solution, in terms of the impact on human rights and wider value creation.

Australian Government: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

Governments in many parts of the world are showing an increasing awareness of indigenous rights, but solutions addressing the related challenges aren’t always straightforward. If your entry considers Indigenous Peoples, exploring the current referendum in Australia about whether to change the Constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia, may provide you with useful insights into some of the differing perspectives.

TNFD: Guidance on engagement with Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and affected stakeholders

This guide, written to support corporate reporting, makes the link between a company’s impacts and dependencies on nature, and the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and affected stakeholders. When you are selecting and analysing the company you plan to base your entry on, you may wish to consider where and how these links may be relevant for your solution.

Tone and professionalism

Forbes: How To Make Your Pitch More Effective With Different Audiences And Mediums

A TED series:The Secret to Successfully Pitching an Idea

Business model 

Harvard Business Review: How to Design a Winning Business Model

Optima Training: Introduction to the Business Model Canvas

Business case  

Harvard Business School: How to do a cost-benefit analysis and why it’s important,

Triponel Consulting: The business case for respecting human rights

(This collection of studies invites you to think more broadly about different ways of presenting a business case, beyond one based on just traditional financial metrics.)

Can the A4SICC team vet our idea before we enter?

In the interest of fairness to all teams, the A4SICC team will not provide specific, individual recommendations on the quality of entries or ideas. However, we are happy to answer any practical questions you have about the competition. Please check the Competition Entry Guide FAQs first, and if your question is not answered, then you can ask us at a4sicc@a4s.org.

Do we have to be from a business school?

No, but the financial rigour of models presented will be carefully evaluated, so a healthy dose of business acumen is strongly recommended. You do have to be enrolled in a current Higher Education programme.

When can we submit our entry?

The competition entry window opens on 6th November 2023 and closes on 14th January 2024. Register your interest now to access additional learning resources and our information sessions, and receive A4SICC bulletins with tips and guidance on preparing your submission.

How will the winner and runner-up be selected?

The winner and runner-up will be selected through a three-stage process: technical assessment, semi-finals and final. During each round, entrants' cases will be reviewed by a selected panel of judges. The same criteria will be used for all rounds; however, the judging panels will be different. The winning and runner-up team will be announced during the in-person live final on Saturday 23rd March 2024 in Toronto.

Who are the judges?

Judges are drawn from a pool of A4S and A4SICC stakeholders. These include: A4SICC sponsors, partners and corporate supporters; A4S CFO Leadership Network members and representatives; A4S Expert Panel members; senior finance leaders from the A4S Academy; and other subject matter experts.

Will we get to watch other teams?

All semi-finalists’ videos will be published on the A4S YouTube channel and you can view them there. All semi-finalists will also be able to watch and vote on the live presentations of the other teams in their (virtual) semi-final. For the final, all finalists’ videos are entered into the People’s Choice Award and all are encouraged to promote and vote for their favourite. All finalists and semi-finalists are invited to the in-person final where they will experience all the finalists’ presentations live.

To what extent does the proposal need to be financially viable?

The proposal and associated solutions need to be commercially viable.

What is the baseline for the financial model? Does it need to be based on the existing one?

Your starting point will be the company’s publicly available financial information and existing financial model.

Is there a specific group we need to focus our model on, ie employees, supply chain?

No, focus on groups you think are relevant across the entire value chain.

Any examples of financial models? Will we get access to the company’s financial data?

To answer the latter question – you will only have access to publicly available information.

Can we use non-traditional ways to quantify the benefits of the proposal?

In the first instance make sure that you address all the steps within the task. If time and page length permits then you may include additional solutions, however make sure you refer to the judging criteria and that your proposal meets this.

More FAQs and responses are included in our Competition Entry Guide. Click here to download.