CUHK Business School Students Seize Championship in Asian Business Case Competition 2023

The teams were tasked to devise strategies for propelling Dorsett Hospitality International towards a greener future. Within a challenging 24-hour timeframe, our talented team of students, including Toshi Watanabe (QFRM, Year 3), Jonathan Cheng (GLEF, Year 2), Matthew Lau (GBS, Year 2), and Bethany Lee (GBS, Year 2), crafted innovative solutions that ultimately secured them the first-place position in the competition.

Reflecting on the experience, the team cherished meeting with other high-calibre participants, fostering lifelong friendships along the way. Now, let’s hear from the winning team:

Toshi Watanabe (QFRM, Year 3):
Being our first international case competition, ABCC was an immense challenge due to the variation in both the case and competition structure. Despite the struggles we had to overcome in such a short time, I thoroughly enjoyed adapting to a new case-cracking environment with my teammates. During the finals, each team delivered a distinctive presentation, allowing us to identify our flaws and further enhance our presentation skills. The competition was fierce, and we are delighted to have emerged as the victors, gaining valuable insights and forging numerous friendships throughout this unforgettable journey.

Jonathan Cheng (GLEF, Year2):
The time-critical nature of a case competition makes prior preparation crucial in setting the team up for success. Looking back, I’m glad we conducted comprehensive research on the case company and the case competition, which enabled us to forecast the case with high accuracy and prepare materials accordingly. The simulations we performed with the CUHK Case Competition team also fostered chemistry and deepened the understanding among our teammates, which eventually translated into the proficiency we achieved.

Matthew Lau (GBS, Year 2):
ABCC has been an incredibly humbling experience where we had the opportunity to learn from the brightest minds from across Asia. We were truly inspired by the creative solutions presented by other teams. Moreover, we have gained a greater understanding of the hotel industry through the invaluable feedback provided by judges with professional experience. In addition to sharing their industry knowledge, the judges also reminded us of the importance of taking risks while being considerate in formulating business strategies. We are immensely honoured to have emerged victorious in ABCC 2023. It has been an eye-opening journey that our team will forever treasure.

Bethany Lee (GBS, Year 2):
During our time in ABCC, in addition to the main competition, the various events planned for us provided a wonderful opportunity to engage with teams from different universities and countries. These events allowed us to get acquainted and have a great time with each other within a matter of hours. In an environment that encouraged everyone to temporarily set aside their competitiveness, we gained valuable insights into the other teams, their countries’ cultures, their international case competition experiences, and much more. As participants, we felt that the opportunity to socialise and befriend other teams truly enriched our experience during the competition.

The team receives the championship trophy presented by Ms. Winnie Chiu, the President and Executive Director of Dorsett Hospitality International (on the right).