Toy retailer upgrade plan scores win for local team
HKU team takes top prize in finals of HSBC case study competition with analysis of Toys 'R' Us
The home team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) won the top prize in yesterday's university challenge that was part Dragon's Den, part job interview as participants tried to convince senior business executives why their companies needed to change.
"Their energy, passion and content kept the presentation at a high-octane pitch all the way through," said panel judge Gordon French when describing the winning team.
In the final round of the annual HSBC Asia-Pacific Business Case Competition, the University of Hong Kong faced off against teams from the National University of Singapore and the University of Auckland.
Their energy, passion and content kept [it] at a high-octane pitch all the way
Given a two-and-a-half-hour group huddle over coffee and sandwiches to prepare a presentation using only old-school transparent projector film, teams had to pitch French and senior toy industry executives on why Toys 'R' Us Asia needed to upgrade its Asian e-commerce platforms.
Toys 'R' Us had a "confused proposition" and lacked a clear Asian strategy, said HKU team leader Ho Tsun-shing. The website was "not fun enough" and so missed an opportunity to get children excited before they went to the store, said Ho's team mate, Chan Wing-yan.
Despite being warned by one panel judge against crossing the line into lecturing, the team was a clear favourite with the judges and was half-jokingly offered jobs by Fung Retailing executive director Pieter Schats.
Fung Retailing manages the Asia operations of Toys 'R' Us.