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BBA Thammasat -- Winner of Alberta International Business Competition 2016, Canada
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Written by Dachpadung Wong, BBA #23
As representatives for Thammasat University, Ravisara Grover, Pitikarn Suriyamongkol, Supanaut Jamta, and I, Dachpadung Wong had the opportunity to compete at Alberta International Business Competition held in Jasper, Canada. Being the youngest one in the team, I would like to hold the honor to share our experience in winning 1st place at AIBC 2016.
The team had departure Bangkok on November 4th, along with our supervisor, Ajarn Supawat Likittanawong. After 30 hours of travelling, we finally arrived in Jasper safe and sound. We were two days early for the competition, this allowed us to adjust to the local time zone. We spent those days exploring the town of Jasper. It was a peaceful and quiet town filled with nice people all around.
Talking about the competition itself. The format for AIBC includes a total of two cases: one 5-hour case and one 30-hour case. In which, the 5-hour case is weighted at 40% of the total points and the 30-hour case is weighted at 60%. There were 12 teams in total, which were further divided into three divisions. Each division consists of two Canadian teams and two international teams. The team with the highest cumulative score from each division will proceed to the final round.
The competition started off with a 5-hour case surrounding issues faced by a non-profit organization. Their main function is to provide treatments for the well-being of first responders and military personnel within Alberta. We gave it our best effort and believed the presentation went pretty well. Unfortunately, we ended up getting second place in our division. However, the results did not discourage us at all. As a matter of fact, we cheered each other up and the team spirit gave us motivation to work even harder in the second round.
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After a good night sleep, we had a mountain tour in the morning. The organizing committee took us to witness the most beautiful sceneries in Jasper. And later that evening, the 30-hour case began. It was a tourism case, we had to analyze issues faced by a transportation and tour service company. Their main business is to provide bus and tour services within Jasper. While working on the case, there were conflicts in our strategies causing us to change the structure several times. It was one of the most intense case-cracking session I have ever done. Nevertheless, the whole team was in on it. We told each other we can do it and everything will come out great. Fighting hard against time, we successfully finished with a content we truly believe in. We were confident during the presentation and we delivered the message through.
Finally, the moment of truth. With our performance on the 5-hour case, we cannot be anything less than number one to get into the finals. The committee announced the results of each division, one by one. Starting from the 4th place, to the 3rd place, and finally “1st place, Thammasat University.” said the committee loud and clear. It took us a few seconds to absorb that in. We’re in the finals! However, realizing the competition was not over, we gave it our everything in the final round. We presented our solutions in front of the company’s CEO along with six other judges and a huge crowd. In the end, our hard work and dedication has paid off. We won 1st place in the competition!
From what I see, the real work did not happen during the competition. It happened during our preparation for the competition. We have dedicated our time and our priorities to practice case simulations for the past four months. It has enhanced our knowledge and skills to be a better case-solver. With me having the least experience, I have received spectacular training from my seniors and great comments from my advisors. We could not be more grateful for everyone who has helped us to develop the skill sets we need. Last but not least, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Ajarn Supawat Likittanawong, Dr. Worapong Janyangyuen, Asst. Prof. Dr. Orapan Yolrabil, Dr. Nopporn Ruangwanit, and Thammasat Business School. They had been a great support in giving us the chance to experience this surreal achievement. Thank you.
Posted on November 22, 2016 |
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