SMU’s Team Cognitare has emerged first runner-up at the 2nd Chulalongkorn International Business Case Competition (CIBCC) 2015, held in Thailand’s Koh Samui from 19 – 24 May 2015.

CIBCC, organised by Chulalongkorn Business School, aims to showcase the analytical capabilities of undergraduates from various business schools around the world.  This year's competition attracted nine participating universities from six countries.

The teams were presented with a case relating to the Bangkok Samui Hospital (BSH), a medically advanced private hospital under Thailand's largest hospital operator, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services.  While BSH was strongly positioned against other private hospitals in Koh Samui, its revenues depended largely on emergency services to recreational tourists, resulting in the hospital’s high sensitivity to foreign economies and seasonality of its revenues.  These constraints impeded the hospital from attaining its aggressive revenue growth target – a challenge which the teams had to tackle.

Within a stipulated time frame of 24 hours, teams were to analyse the case and develop a set of recommendations to be presented to a panel of honorable judges from top firms within the local business community.

The SMU team, coached by faculty advisor Senior Lecturer Ma Kheng Min, comprised Phua Su Ann (3^rd year, business), Ting Li Na (3^rd year, business and economics), Nigel Koh Rui Qian (2^nd year, accountancy), Benjamin Wong Yew Weng (1^st year, economics).  They emerged first runner-up after facing off against University of Auckland and Thammasat University in the finals, and impressing both the judges and the audience with their insightful analysis and engaging presentation.

Speaking about the experience, Li Na said, "The competition was a challenging but exhilarating experience for all of us.  We had to face a steep learning curve, as we were presented with a unique industry and company.  Moreover, we had to rely heavily on first-hand research, based on a company visit and Q&A sessions with its management.  However, having simulated competition conditions during our training sessions at Club Cognitare at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, we were well-equipped to tackle the case.  I’m pleased that the analysis and level of detail we demonstrated resonated well with the judges, who included senior management members of the case company.”

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the business school, our professors and our club, all of whom have assisted and supported us immensely throughout this journey," she added.

Kudos to the SMU team for their excellent performance!

Featured photo: SMU Team Cognitare at the Chulalongkorn International Business Case Competition 2015.  (L-R) Benjamin Wong Yew Weng, Phua Su Ann, Nigel Koh Rui Qian, and Ting Li Na with Ms Santhaya Kittikowit, Associate Dean, Chulalongkorn Business School.