PRESS RELEASE 15 October 2003
CITIGROUP AND HKUST ANNOUNCE
FIRST INTERNATIONAL CASE COMPETITION IN ASIA
15 October 2003. Citigroup and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School) today (15 October) announced that the first international case competition to be held in Asia will take place on HKUST campus from 22 to 25 October, 2003.
The competition, sponsored by Citigroup, will bring to Hong Kong 15 teams of outstanding students (four students on each team) and professors from major business schools from Canada, the Chinese mainland, Denmark, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the US. The teams will be joined by a host team from HKUST Business School for the competition. They will work on a real-life business case situated in Asia and provide recommendations on important issues and challenges facing the company involved. From receiving the case to presenting their ideas, each team has a maximum of 36 hours. The case will remain confidential until the formal competition begins on the evening of 23 October.
The case has been developed by a team of professors at the HKUST Business School, led by its Associate Dean Kar Yan Tam, especially for the competition. Team performances will be evaluated by a judging panel of 16 members. Among them are four HKUST professors, four from the management of the case company, four representatives from Citigroup, and four senior business representatives from different industries.
Branded as an event to showcase Hong Kong as an international center for intellectual exchange, the competition's four-day program will feature a number of high-profile speakers. Stephen H. Long, Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup Global Corporate and Investment Bank, Asia Pacific, and Ronnie C. Chan, Chairman, Hang Lung Group will be the keynote speakers, respectively, for the opening and closing ceremonies. Incorporated in the program is a day for the students to “Experience Asia's World City". Citigroup's senior management and regional economists and strategists together with a business professor from the HKUST will present to and discuss with the students the current market trends and business opportunities in Asia, in particular Greater China.
Catherine Weir, Hong Kong Citigroup Country Officer, said at today's event announcement ceremony that the bank is pleased to support a pioneering program in the higher education sector such as Asia's first-ever international case competition. "Throughout our more-than-a-century history in Hong Kong, Citigroup has been committed to making the community better because we are here. We believe that by strengthening the quality of education and offering a forum for international intellectual exchange and achievement, we will help prepare the next generation to achieve professional success on the global stage. We are delighted to be, once again, a leader in bringing in an innovative idea in improving the quality of higher education in Hong Kong."
Citigroup launched the Young Fellowship Program with the HKUST in 2000 to help broaden students' horizons through overseas exchange programs and internships within different businesses of Citigroup.
Last year, Citigroup and Citigroup Foundation gave a total of US$77.7 million to organizations in 83 countries and territories under the themes of Financial Education, Educating the Next Generation, and Building Communities and Entrepreneurs. Close to US$30 million, or 37%, of the total donations was spent on education-related projects. Dean K.C. Chan of the HKUST Business School said, "Corporate sponsorships are crucial to the provision of enrichment activities for business students. These events are very effective in honing students' communications and inter-personal skills. We are pleased to be hosting an event of this scale that allows us to put Hong Kong on the world map of higher educational exchange activities. We are thankful to Citigroup for their generous support." Most of the programs of the case competition will take place at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 22-25 October, with the exceptions of the Opening Dinner which will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and a half-day educational reception at Citigroup's offices.
Participating Teams
1. Carnegie Mellon University - USA 2. Copenhagen Business School - Denmark 3. School of Management, Fudan University - PRC
4. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - Hong Kong 5. McGill University - Canada
6. National Chengchi University - Taiwan
7. NUS Business School, National University of Singapore - Singapore 8. Guanghua School of Management, Peking University - PRC 9. Singapore Management University - Singapore
10. Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-sen University - PRC 11. Thammasat University - Thailand
12. School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University - PRC 13. University of Texas at Austin - USA
14. University of Washington - USA 15. University of Western Ontario - Canada
16. Shantou University - PRC [ Honored Observer of the competition ]
Schedule of Key Events
22 October 2003
Evening Opening Dinner at HK Convention and Exhibition Center
● Keynote speech by Stephen H. Long, Chief Executive
Officer, Citigroup Global Corporate and Investment Bank, Asia Pacific
Morning
<<Open to media>>
Visit hosted by Citigroup
Presentations and Panel Discussion Featuring
● Y K Fu, Head of HK Equity Research
● Don Hanna, MD and Head of Economic and Market
Analysis
● Yiping Huang, Greater China Economist
● Frank Slevin, Head of HK Investment Banking
● Wilfried Vanhonacker, Head of Marketing, HKUST
● Vineet Vohra, Regional Director of Investments Business, Asia Pacific, Global Consumer Group
● Catherine Weir, Hong Kong Citigroup Country Officer ● Lan Xue, Head of China Research
25 October 2003
Morning Preliminary rounds of case competition in the morning Afternoon
<<Open to media>> Final round of case competition in the afternoon Evening Closing Dinner and Awards Presentation
● Keynote speech by Ronnie C. Chan, Chairman, Hang Lung
