University of California, Berkeley from U.S. has emerged the winner of the Citi International Case Competition 2008, beating 17 other outstanding teams from leading business schools around the world. This year's competition focused on the role of creativity in competitive differentiation and industry leadership.
Held in Hong Kong from October 20 to 23, 2008, the sixth Citi International Case Competition attracted 18 teams from Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand and the USA.
The Citi International Case Competition is jointly organized by Citi and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's School of Business and Management (HKUST), and sponsored by the Citi Foundation. The competition challenges business school student teams to present ideas and solutions to manage the strategic issues and managerial dilemmas faced by global business leaders. It also provides a forum for the cross-cultural exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences.
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This year's business case came from Ocean Park Corporation (Ocean Park), Hong Kong's homegrown theme park. In addition to providing the background information and business development issues to be addressed, Ocean Park arranged a special company visit for the 18 teams. Each team was required to conduct an in-depth analysis of the available information and provide strategic recommendations to Ocean Park within 26 hours. A judging panel comprising 13 senior leaders from Citi, HKUST, Ocean Park, and other key businesses, evaluated the teams and selected the winner and runners-ups.
Shengman Zhang, Citi Country Officer for Hong Kong, said, "By organizing and sponsoring the Citi International Case Competition, we offer a golden opportunity for business undergraduates from around the world to tackle a real business challenge. Through this kind of community program, Citi is committed to playing an active role in nurturing future business leaders by developing their ability to work well in a highly-competitive environment, stimulating their creativity, and strengthening their determination to excel under pressure."
Professor Leonard K. Cheng, Acting Dean, HKUST Business School, said, "This is yet another great year for the event where the participants have clearly demonstrated an abundance of talents, enthusiasm, and hard work. I would like to congratulate all the teams on their fine achievements. We hope that they will benefit from what they have learned in this case competition and from the friendships that they have made."
The three runners-up are National University of Singapore, Simon Fraser University from Canada and Maastricht University from The Netherlands.
The Citi International Case Competition has brought outstanding students from leading business schools from around the world to Hong Kong since 2003, enabling valuable academic and cultural exchanges. This event also reinforces Hong Kong's position as an international center of finance and education.
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Participating Teams for 2008
Asia Pacific
1. Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
2. Fudan University, PRC
3. Korea University, Korea
4. National University of Singapore, Singapore
5. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan
6. Thammasat University, Thailand
7. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR
Canada
8. McGill University, Canada
9. Simon Fraser University, Canada
Europe
10. Helsinki School of Economics, Finland
11. Lund University, Sweden
12. Maastricht University, The Netherlands
United States
13. Georgetown University, USA
14. University of California, Berkeley, USA
15. University of Florida, USA
16. University of Southern California, USA
17. University of Virginia, USA
18. University of Washington, USA