Philippine Ateneo is champ in international business tilt
It’s a source of pride when the Philippines stands tall in the boxing ring, the catwalk, under the klieg lights of America’s Got Talent (Rolando Abante, mabuhay ka!) and in the boardroom, besting 23 of the world’s respected universities.
The Ateneo de Manila University just made history as the first Philippine university to emerge as overall champion in the prestigious HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Case Competition held recently.
Prior to the win, Ateneo’s best finish was in 2020, when they bagged first runner-up — at the time, also the first for a Philippine university. Before that, the Philippines’ best finish was second runner-up, a feat of the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2015.
The team was composed of Julianne Co, Joyce Ong, Darren Carandang and Louie Miranda, all senior graduating students from Ateneo’s John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM). The team was mentored by coaches James Soriano, Gabe Sin and Timi Fandino, and supported by faculty members Johnny Filart, Jay Cruz and Mike Tan.
This year, Ateneo faced 23 of the most respected academic institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Africa and North America, including Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Australia’s University of Sydney and Canada’s University of Alberta. They also outqualified universities from India, South Korea, China, Malaysia and Thailand.
Speaking of her experience, Julianne Co, team captain and a graduating BS Management (Honors Program) student, shared: “The program, culminating in the HSBC competition, was excellent preparation for my career as it honed my skills in identifying a problem, coming up with a creative yet feasible solution, and presenting in a way that is engaging. The cases were about companies making a positive and sustainable change in their industry, and this is the type of company I dream to create one day.”
The City University of Hong Kong and Vietnam’s RMIT University were named first and second runner-up, respectively, while Serbia’s Belgrade University also made the final round. To make the finals, each team had to undergo two group-stage elimination rounds and garner enough points by placing first or second in each of their respective divisions.
Now on its 16th year, the HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition is an annual event with participants from over 180 universities around the world. It enhances the traditional strengths of the case method of teaching by moving the business case from the classroom into a global competition format.
In the competition, teams of students from across the globe are given only six hours to solve real-life business cases and prepare a presentation, handwritten on A4 paper, detailing their analysis and recommendations. Afterwards, they present to a panel of senior executives all over the globe. The panel for the final round features a member of the management team of the company featured in the final round case.
This year’s final round case was about a Singapore-based pharmaceutical distribution firm founded in the Philippines looking to scale internationally and increase industry adoption for one of its blockchain products.
“During the competition, I had the opportunity to hone my skill of crafting business strategies and solutions with key stakeholders in mind,” Joyce Ong, a graduating Management Engineering student, said of her experience.
“The competition provided me with a greater understanding of business operations and financing, as well as experience in applying what I have learned in the classroom to real business problems,” Darren Carandang, also a graduating Management Engineering student, added.
Since 2020, the competition has been held online; prior to the pandemic, competitions were held onsite in the HKU campus.
Ateneo began participating in the HSBC Case Competition in 2013.
Upon joining, each of these students immediately undergoes a rigorous training program composed of lectures, written case analyses and panel presentations over a 15-month period. During this time, they are supported in their training by the coaches, who were also products of the program, as well as various faculty members, subject matter experts, and other training pool alumni.
“On a personal level, the program has instilled a level of maturity that I would not have been able to gain within the four corners of the classroom,” said Louie Miranda, a graduating BS Management student.
Throughout the schoolyear, the students are grouped into teams and fielded in different business case competitions representing the school in areas spanning strategic management, marketing and corporate finance.
#aweSM
What happens when nature, culture and arts meet?
An #aweSM and refreshing afternoon welcomed shoppers, art enthusiasts and nature lovers as the grandest and biggest bonsai, ikebana and suiseki exhibition in Asia opened at the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia during the Independence Day weekend.
“SM Supermalls is honored to be the venue for the first-ever joint convention of the Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention (ASPAC) and the Asia Pacific Bonsai Friendship Federation (ABFF). The exhibition also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Philippine Bonsai Society, Inc. (PBSI), the country’s oldest and most prestigious garden club,” said SM Supermalls senior vice president for marketing Jonjon San Agustin.
Over 300 bonsai trees were on display at the MOA Music Hall, Entertainment Mall and Central Atrium. Also, the three-day exhibit, showcased three distinct forms of Japanese art: Bonsai, a miniature lifelike representation of nature; Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement that conveys emotions and reveals the harmony between flora and other elements; and Suiseki, or the Japanese art of stone appreciation.
(You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)
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