HKBU means business
A team from Baptist University has won the 2010 HSBC/McKinsey Business Case Competition with their well-organised business strategy.
After four rounds of competition, the four students from the university's school of business beat 11 other local and foreign teams at the competition. The annual contest was held at the University of Hong Kong on June 2 and 3.
It was a challenge to students' analytical and problem-solving skills. Each team was given a business management case to analyse, involving innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability or cultural diversity.
Students had to come up with strategies to solve the case in 21/2 hours. Then they made a 20-minute presentation to a panel of judges.
The team from Baptist University consisted of four Year Three students majoring in different areas - Peng Can (finance), Wang Can (information systems management), Wen Keyin (human resources management) and Jasmine Yick Hoi-man (marketing).
In the final, their task was to suggest ways to promote awareness of corporate social responsibility at an international logistics company. The team's solution had short-term, mid-range and long-term elements.
'We thought it was more systematic and persuasive to include both short-term and long-term solutions,' Yick said. 'A company needs not only solutions for the near future, but also far-reaching ones.'
She said the biggest challenge was the time limit. 'The information we were given ... was overwhelming, and we needed to plough through it quickly.'
In addition to the city's eight universities, four overseas colleges took part for the first time this year: National University of Singapore, Korea University, Shri Ram College of Commerce at the University of Delhi in India, and Thammasat University of Thailand. Singapore was first runner-up.
The four winners received a cash prize of HK$20,000 and were offered summer internship jobs at HSBC or McKinsey & Company
