Forget Donald Trump, bad hairdos and Manhattan boardrooms, a new kind of reality has hit Hong Kong. The 'Stella Artois presents The Apprentice' competition in Hong Kong set out to find those with the greatest business talent, and on Friday in Causeway Bay, Rosanna Wilcox and Sandrella Sarkis of the University of Hong Kong team were announced the winners.
Organised by Stella Artois and TVB Pearl, the competition saw four teams carry out three Apprentice-style business challenges over three weeks to win an internship with the Stella Artois local marketing team this summer, and a trip to Belgium to watch the Stella Artois World Draught Master Competition 2005.
The four teams were MBA students and graduates from HKU, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Richard Ivey School of Business, Hong Kong.
Having successfully navigated the application process which involved submitting a detailed business plan for holding a party at a restaurant or bar and increasing Stella Artois beer sales, the four teams made up of two contestants each embarked on a series of tasks.
The first task in the competition was held three weeks ago at Sha Tin New Town Plaza and involved setting up a stall and selling any kind of item to raise money for the Hong Chi Association, an organisation that provides services to the mentally handicapped.
TVB personalities Rabee'a Yeung, YoYo Chen, Sham Po-yee and Leanne Li Yanan were on hand to help boost sales.