Background:
The HKU-Accenture Business Consulting Programme is a unique learning opportunity that gives Business School students exposure to business consulting and equips them with fundamental skills, knowledge and methodologies for delivering values to enterprises. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, an intensive one-day programme was organized for all 14 participating students on 11 June 2022.

The Programme complements students’ regular classroom learnings with interactive classes, putting theory into practice through case studies and insight sharings delivered by senior consulting professionals of Accenture. Students can benefit from the in-depth industry knowledge, essential business skills and techniques for working with senior business leaders.

Website / Image URL: 
https://ug.hkubs.hku.hk/student-enrichment/corporate-partnership-programmes/hku-accenture-business-consulting-programme

Photos:

Case studies and insight sharings delivered by senior consulting professionals of Accenture

Case presentations and Interactive lectures

Group discussion

Students Sharing:
“I really enjoyed the one-day workshop given by Accenture professionals, they went into detail about having a career in consulting. They also dived into topics such as Web3.0 and sustainability for businesses. This made me more certain in beginning my career in consulting.”
(by Miss Chong Tsz Yen Hayley; BBA; Year 2)

“The Accenture x HKU Business Programme provided us with case presentations and interactive activities with consultants. Throughout the case presentation, I learned to provide concrete suggestions to SMEs and to pitch our team’s ideas in an organized, concise, and intriguing way. In the one-day programme that allows us to interact with Accenture consultants, I gained insights into some prominent trends, namely the new retail, ESG, and Web 3.0. Moreover, the conversations with consultants also deepened my understanding of the tasks and qualities of a consultant. After the programme, I genuinely learnt more about the life of consultants and hope to be one of them!”
(by Mr. Chung Pok Hong Gavin; BFin(AMPB); Year 2)

“The HKU-Accenture Business Consulting Programme not only offers an in-depth insight into the consulting world but also shares valuable knowledge regarding the newest market trends. Overall, it is a fruitful experience!”
(by Mr. Kua Mang Ting Daniel; BBA(Acc&Fin); Year 2)

“The programme introduces many new trends within the consulting industry in an interactive way. It also shows how trends are being understood and analyzed by an experienced consultant. We get a glimpse of some common consulting frameworks that help brainstorm ideas effectively and comprehensively. Due to the pandemic, we only had a one-day workshop. Even though we didn’t get the chance to build our own consulting skills, like case analysis skills, we were able to observe how consultants grab the attention of the audience and deliver key messages in a presentation. The host and guest speakers also share about life and their learnings in the consulting industry.”
(By Miss Kwok Qing Allie; BBA(Acc&Fin); Year 4)

“The meaningful one-day workshop allows me to gain deeper understanding and insight into the consulting industry.”
(By Mr. Lau Wang Shun Kelvin; BEcon&Fin; Year 2)

“After the one-day course, I learned more about emerging industries such as new retail, NFT, and sustainable development, and interacted with Accenture professional consultants in the class, which really broadened my horizons.
On the other hand, the sharing of Accenture consultants about their career paths, their reasons for becoming consultants, and their work, was helpful and inspiring, which further strengthened my determination to become a consultant after graduation and have a clearer career planning. Hence, I have learned a lot from the program, so I am very looking forward to joining the full program next year, which can have the guidance and advice from Accenture professional consultants.”
(By Miss Wan Tsz Ching Connie; BEcon&Fin; Year 2)

“The one-day insight sharing program was fruitful and thought-provoking given that the speakers covered various content. The consumer trend section digs deep into China consumer market‘s recent development and the evolution of brands and malls to provide omnichannel, personalised and experience-based products. Meanwhile, the ESG and Metaverse sections gave us a glimpse of the most prominent trend in the business and investment industry. Last but not least, speakers shared their experience as consultants in Accenture, including their projects, remarkable moments, relationship with clients and their personal and intellectual growth.
In short: One day with Accenture to leverage imagination, stimulate intellectual growth, and find your career path.”
(By Miss Wan Tsz Ching Connie; BBA(IBGM); Year 2)

On June 25, 2022, HKU Business School successfully held the first Greater Bay Area Digital Economy and Business Analytics Summit, with the theme “Digital Intelligence Economy, Empowering the Greater Bay Area”. The Summit connected representatives from Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and the whole event was broadcast live online. More than 400 people registered for the Summit and over 4,000 watched the live broadcast.

The Summit brought together professors and scholars from HKU as well as industry experts and business representatives from the research fields of business analytics, data science, digital economy and information management to discuss hot topics on developing the digital economy era. The Summit also provided valuable opportunities for students from HKU’s Master of Science in Business Analytics programme to present their research outcomes and project collaborations with business partners.

At the main venue in Shenzhen, Professor Haipeng Shen, Associate Dean of Executive Education at HKU Business School, delivered welcome remarks online for the morning session. As a special guest, Mr. Jiang Zhu, Deputy District Mayor of the Futian District People’s Government of Shenzhen, gave the Summit’s opening speech online.

Mr. Guohong Liu, Assistant Dean of China Development Institute, was invited to discuss the development of the Greater Bay Area’s digital economy from the perspective of Shenzhen’s rise in high-tech industries.

Mr. Kunlei Dong, General Manager at China Resources Digital Ltd., Dean of the Research Institute for the Digital Development of Chinese Central SOE, and Chairman of the GBA Collaborative Innovation Union for the Chinese Central SOE was invited to make a speech. He discussed building a digital ecosystem together with Hong Kong researchers and businesses to empower the industrial transformation of the Greater Bay Area.

Dr. Wei Zhang, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation at HKU Business School, gave a lecture on the human-data-algorithm triangle and managerial problems in the digital economy age.

Four members of the panel on “Enhancing Industry-University-Research Collaboration on Data, Analytics, and Intelligence” included (in alphabetical order):

• Hailiang Chen, Associate Professor, HKU Business School, MSc(BA) Director
• Yi Mao, Vice President, China International Marine Containers (Group) Company Ltd.
• Youping Song, Deputy Head of Management Information Department, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Ltd.
• Daoyuan Yang, People Analytics Analyst, Human Technology Center, Tencent

Professor Yulin Fang, Director of Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation of HKU Business School, delivered welcome remarks for the afternoon session at the Hong Kong main venue.

Mr. Herman Lam, Managing Director of Cisco Systems (HK) Ltd., shared his insights on digital transformation opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. He encouraged HKU students to take up the important task of bridging the East and West cultures in developing these opportunities.

Mr. Michael Leung, Board of Directors of HK Cyberport Management Company Ltd., gave a talk on analytics-driven “know-your-customer” (KYC) processes in the banking industry. He elaborated on how the banking industry uses data analytics to drive customer management.

Mr. Francis Ngai, Honorary Secretary and Vice President of Industry Relations of Hong Kong Computer Society, talked about digital transformation in the Greater Bay Area and the need for analytics services. He introduced the positioning of the Greater Bay Area in the 14th Five-Year Plan and its main economic indicators and industries.

Four teams of students from HKU Business School’s MSc(BA) programme presented results of their Big Data-based business analytics projects, Industry 4.0, FinTech, Financial Market Analysis, and Social Media Marketing, done in collaboration with corporate sponsors. In conducting a wide range of industry-academia business analytics projects each year, graduates are given an excellent platform for corporate practice and help corporate partners make effective decisions with digital intelligence, thus achieving a win-win situation for both industry and academia.

Please click below for more information about the four student teams and their projects:

• Team 1: Tiny Times

Topic: Monocrystalline intelligent manufacturing

Supervised by: Prof. Haipeng Shen

Corporate Partner: Raipiot (Yunan Yuzhe)

• Team 2: RD

Topic: Discover slippage with on-chain data

Supervised by: Dr. Hailiang Chen

Corporate Partner: Blockpour

• Team 3: HK101

Topic: Equity index basis prediction and mutual fund performance evaluation

Supervised by: Dr. Weichen Wang

Corporate Partner: Beijing Prism Private Fund Management Co. Ltd.

• Team 4: Meráki

Topic: Predicting successful sales leads

Supervised by: Dr. Qingchen Wang

Corporate Partner: CoPilot AI

Closing remarks were made by Professor Haipeng Shen, Associate Dean (Executive Education) of HKU Business School. He commended the Summit as an outstanding example of Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation and linkage, and noted that the morning session being conducted in Putonghua and afternoon session in English made the event accessible to diverse viewers. He looked forward to more opportunities to bring the promising synergy of Hong Kong and Shenzhen together in the future to promote the ongoing development of the Greater Bay Area.

The Bachelor of Finance in Asset Management and Private Banking programme was founded in 2017, 20 students are graduating this year with another 12 students moving into Year 5. The latter are students who have taken gap term during their studies and such experience would definitely broaden their perspectives in career development.

Out of the 20 students graduating, three of them will pursue a Master degree.  The remaining 17 students will be entering the financial sector. Five (29% out of the 17) of them are joining the Private Banking industry, five (29%) to Investment Banks/Securities Firms, three (18%) to the Asset Management industry, three (18%) into Consulting/Regulator/Financial Services and one (6%) is joining Corporate Banking.

Recruiting firms include Barclays, Citibank, CICC, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, eFusion, EY, Fidelity, Haitong, Insurance Authority, HSBC, Mercer and Ucap Securities.

Congratulations to the 2022 AMPB graduates and we look forward to your sharing with your junior AMPBers in the years to come. Stay connected. CONGRATULATIONS! 

Background:

The L’Oréal Brandstorm is an international innovation case competition with participants from  65 countries. This year, more than 1300 registrants with 270 teams from 3 tracks – Green, Inclusion, and Tech have pitched their projects in Hong Kong. Each participating team consisting of 3 members shall come up with an unconventional solution to pitch to the L’Oréal experts. The competition provides an opportunity for students to be mentored by L’Oréal business experts and stay in touch with recruiters. Winning teams can enjoy coaching from L’Oréal’s colleagues and fast-track applications to L’Oréal’s Internship or Management Trainee in Hong Kong. The global winning teams will get an Intrapreneurship experience in L’Oréal Global Headquarters in Paris and make their ideas come true.

The first phase of the competition took place in Hong Kong. Teams were required to submit a 1-minute pitch video together with a 3-page presentation slides. Shortlisted teams had to submit a 5-minutes presentation video and 5-slide deck. 4 finalist teams from each track were selected to compete for the Championship in the National Finals, and the finalists had to give a 5-minute LIVE pitch coupled with a 5-minute Q&A session to the panel of judges. The Champion Team was selected from each track (Green, Inclusion, Tech) to represent Hong Kong in the International Semi-Finals.

The Hong Kong Champion Teams have been invited to join the International Final, 3 tickets will be given to the popular projects for each track, which is to be voted by the public, Loreal Employees, and the Official experts’ jury respectively.

Website / Image URL: 

https://brandstorm.loreal.com/en

Award(s):

L’Oréal Brandstorm Hong Kong Final – Tech Track: National Champion

Awardee(s):

Team name: Quantum Leap

Miss Wong Ching Wai, BFin(AMPB) , Year 1

Miss Lam Ki Yuk Annika, BFin(AMPB) , Year 1

Mr. Kwok Ming Kin Thomas, BFin(AMPB) , Year 1

Students Sharing:

“L’Oréal Brandstorm will own an irreplaceable place in my heart forever. “Congratulations Team Quantum!”. The unexpected name-call caught all of us by surprise. We had joined the competition lightheartedly, only intending to create beautiful memories together during the competition. Little did we know, as the rounds progressed, we ended up pouring our hearts and souls into it with great passion. Our mission is to revolutionize beauty with an all-in-one makeup device for any gender, race, or sexuality. The competition embarked us to express our entrepreneurial spirit, also, the holistic learning path really boosted my professional skillsets. I realized the importance of thinking outside of the box, and being bold and ambitious about our innovation. I will never forget the daily midnight meetings, where we worked very hard until our eyes went square, to develop and modify our product plan every round. Most importantly, we genuinely had lots of fun along the journey, working and joking around. There were many moments when we felt like we should give up, fortunately, we motivated each other and leaped through all the hurdles with perseverance. We came back stronger than ever.

Special thanks to my talented partners, we complemented each other very well. Our team spirit really shined through in the National Finals, I have never been so excited about pitching in the style of a role-play. Coming from the same AMPB cohort, we are each other’s greatest companions, I am so glad that we got to experience this together!”

(by Wong Ching Wai Hazel)

“L’Oréal Brandstorm was the first case competition I’ve ever joined. It was refreshing, insightful, and incredibly humbling. First, I was able to learn about product designing, marketing, and budgeting. This was one of the most important components of our proposal as we had to make our idea pop. We also stubbornly chose the futuristic idea as our main aesthetic, which complicated every step of our way since none of us possessed any strong IT knowledge. We had to sacrifice a lot of our free time and, not to mention, our studies. We had to juggle between our midterms and work at the time, but on the flip side, it forced us to learn to manage our time. Secondly, I learnt how to use several editing software including Photoshop and Canva. Had it not been for the competition, I would’ve never used these softwares! Lastly, it was immensely joyous to work with such intelligent young people, and I was blessed to be in a team with my close friends in the cohort. Together, we went through 3 rounds in Hong Kong and we always came back strong and motivated. When we encountered obstacles, we always approached it positively. Besides commenting on us, seeing other groups’ presentations was humbling to me as theirs were also just as developed and thought-through as ours were. In the coming years, I hope to gain more exposure and connections in future case competitions.”

(by Lam Ki Yuk Annika)

“Though the L’Oréal Brandstorm was not my first case competition, it was probably the most groundbreaking and epoch-making one. In light of the high degree of creative freedom given, we decided to develop a product that revolutionizes the way YOU can makeup. The only requirement was to design a product for 2030. With the knowledge we learned during our first year of study here at the HKU, we were able to propose a detailed timeline for the product-designing, raw material outsourcing, production, and sales. Doubtlessly, having only a creative idea was not enough to make us win. What made us stand out was the way how we presented our business idea. Therefore, having an informative, catchy, and clear PowerPoint presentation slide was fundamental to our success in this competition. Frankly speaking, neither of us came from a solid IT background. Hence, creating 3D prototypes and animated pitching videos of our product deemed to be our biggest obstacle. Nevertheless, we did not give up and we thrived to learn the relevant IT knowledge on our own during the three months. Eventually, our self-learning effort paid off and we were able to seal an outstanding presentation. Throughout the competition journey, my biggest reward was learning the importance of persistence. No matter how seemingly insurmountable the task was, the key was to never give up and trust your teammates and yourself. It was genuinely my pleasure to team up with the two intelligent, outstanding, and forward-thinking young lads. I will keep staying humble to face more difficult challenges in the future.”

(by Kowk Ming Kin Thomas)

Background:

The EYHK Young Tax Professional of the Year is an international competition designed to reward young talents and foster the next generation of tax leaders. As one of the yearly highlights of EY Hong Kong, the competition provides an opportunity for students to share experiences with people from a range of backgrounds and cultures. By bringing together different ideas and students from all over the world, the competition aims to demonstrate how much the tax profession has changed today and how business is managed in different cultures.

The first phase of the competition took place in Hong Kong. After completing a quiz on tax concepts and computations, shortlisted participants were randomly grouped and given around 2 weeks to prepare a group presentation on an assigned case. On the competition day, the best presenters were selected and invited to give a 15-minute individual presentation on an extended case followed by a Q&A section. Students were challenged with case studies and interviews by experienced judges.

The Hong Kong finalists invited to join the Greater China final on 15 June 2022. Country winners have been invited to participate in the International final in November 2022.

Website / Image URL: 

https://ug.hkubs.hku.hk/competition/eyhk-young-tax-professional-of-the-year-2022

Awardee(s) and Award(s):

Miss LUI On Ni, BBA(Law)&LLB, Year 5 (The Champion, National Competition)

Mr. WONG Lok Him, BBA(Law)&LLB, Year 3 (The Champion, Local Competition)

Miss LEUNG Sin Yan Kiki, BBA(Acc&Fin), Year 3 (Finalist, Local Competition)

Students Sharing:

“To start with, I am extremely grateful for Dr. Christina Ng’s unconditional support and continued guidance throughout the competition, having been coached before by her in the last Deloitte Tax Championship as a semi-finalist. The competition was particularly challenging in 3 aspects: Timing, Grouping, and Scoping.

To start with, both the semi-final and final of the competitions took place in mid-to-late-April, which happened to be very close to the end of the semester. This clearly put our time management skills to test, especially for the overwhelming majority of penultimate and final year students in my assigned group. In addition, the competition put heavy emphasis on both our individual competencies and teamwork. The preliminary and final rounds primarily assessed our personal knowledge in profits tax, VAT, and DTA as well as our presentation skills and analytical thinking, whereas the semi-final patently zoomed in on our ability to excel as a team by staying agile, responsible, and efficient. This was the case essentially because of the inter-university and randomized nature of the grouping, the stringent time constraints for presentation, and the strict requirements of having each and every team member speak during the presentation time. Such experience has inspired me to not only engage in further studies about the tax effect of complex decisions, but also to rethink how I can better coordinate and connect with the team to deliver supreme performance and superior results ahead of time.

All in all, I very much appreciate the streamlined process of the competition and the friendship derived from pulling through the challenge together as a team.”

(by Lui On Ni)

“It was a rewarding experience to work with students from various universities and prepare the group presentation together. It was a pleasure to know other talented students who share an interest in tax, some of whom I will be working with and befriending even after the competition. During the preparation for the group presentation, I learned a lot from our collective research on contemporary tax issues and the exchange of ideas with groupmates. This intellectual enrichment was a valuable takeaway from the competition.

The most exciting part of the competition was the final individual presentation. Given such a short preparation time, the pressure was immense. The challenge not only came from the presentation case, but also from the instant Q&A with the judges. Same as many other real-life challenges, keeping composure was the key to success.

While the cash prize was attractive, nothing would be worth more than the opportunity to represent Hong Kong in the Greater China final and the internship offer which would allow me to further explore the tax industry with EYHK. I look forward to building on this experience and continuously developing myself into a world-class, game-changing professional.”

(by Wong Lok Him)

“Joining EYHK Young Tax Professional of the Year 2022 would probably be one of my best moments during my university life. Instead of simply doing some calculation or computation, applying logical and critical thinking to analyse how a cross-border business could better manage its tax liability would properly be the highlight of this competition. I am very honoured to have this precious opportunity for not only presenting my insights in front of the tax professionals from EY, but also to handle the case with students from different universities in Hong Kong. This valuable experience has really provided me with a lot of knowledge of the international tax system, and more importantly, a chance for me to prove my skills and talents.”

(by Leung Sin Yan Kiki)

Background:

The Joint-University Algo FX Trading Challenge 2021, organized by Algo Challenge Association, aims to identify and nurture the next generation of algo trading talents and advance the development of the FinTech industry in Hong Kong. The Challenge focuses on Hong Kong Equity Market, including stocks, futures, and options. Participating students implement their strategies and ideate the trading algorithms to compete with counterparts from other universities in Hong Kong and overseas on various metrics such as Return, Sharpe ratio and Strategy Design.

The competition consisted of three rounds. Participating teams submitted trading proposals in the 1st Round (Ideate). In the 2nd Round (Test), teams were required to write trading algorithms and test on the organizer’s proprietary platform. Shortlisted teams advanced to the Final Round (Compete) where participants’ strategies were competed based on a two-month live paper trading from February to March 2022, and participants were required to make a 5-minute pitch on their trading plan to judges on the final presentation day on April 3, 2022.

Website / Image URL:

https://algochallenge.org/globalfx2021/

Award(s):

2^nd Place in Best Strategy Design

3^rd Place in Best Return

Awardee(s):

Team List:

Mr. Lai Tsz Tong, BSc(QFin), Year 3 (photo position: 1^st from right)

Mr. Tang King Hung, BSc(QFin), Year 3 (photo position: middle)

Students Sharing:

“We were able to apply the knowledge in textbooks to real-world situations to evaluate portfolio performance in the Challenge. We tried to replicate a pair trading strategy described in a book. The book described a brief trading framework and we needed to implement the details and made choices based on backtest results on our own. Besides gaining professional knowledge and practical skills in algo-trading, it was a valuable opportunity to sharpen our problem-solving skills and presentation skills. We were honored to be ranked the 2nd Place in Best Strategy Design and 3rd Place in Best Return in the Challenge. We would like to thank our alumni, Ms. Yoyo Chan (BSc(QFin) Class of 2020), for assisting us throughout the competition and guiding us in different aspects.”
(by Lai Tsz Tong and Tang King Hung)

A new course, FINA 3336 – Investment Consulting, Institutional Business and Family Office, was added to the AMPB curriculum in the second semester of 2021-22. The course was led by two experienced industry practitioners, Ms. Janet Li and Mr. Edmond Lau, and aims to provide conceptual and practical approach to the understanding of the institutional investment consulting and family office business. It offers students learning opportunities with practitioners who can share real business challenges and insights of the latest industry developments as well as innovations.  To enrich students’ perspective, four guest speakers were invited for interactive lecture sessions with them.

Nurture deep understanding in the investment consulting industry dynamics

Mr. Alvin Tay, Head of Investment Risk of The Hong Kong Jockey Club	Mr. Alvin Tay, Head of Investment Risk of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, was invited to share with students the typical investment roles and channels of an asset owner.  He also shared the skills required for students who are interested to be an asset owner.
Mr. David Chang, ex CEO & Regional Head, Greater China of Franklin Templeton	Mr. David Chang, ex CEO & Regional Head, Greater China of Franklin Templeton, shared his career path and the volunteer work he endeavoured to over the years with the aim to give back to the community.  He also shared the typical organisation arrangements at asset management firms and deep dived into institutional business sales process and characteristics.

Recent trend in Asian family offices

Mr. Angus Chan, COO and CFO of Sunlink Holdings (H.K.) Limited	Mr. Angus Chan, COO and CFO of Sunlink, shared about how the family office he works for is being structured and operated, so as to meet their objectives of community building.  Rather than purely focusing on financial returns to business operations, the family office hopes to grow in the education sector alongside with investments in real estate and technology.
Mr. Eddie Lau, CEO of ARTA TechFin Corporation Limited (HKEx: 279 HK)	Mr. Eddie Lau, CEO of ARTA TechFin, shared with us the latest milestone ARTA has achieved in offering blockchain and data services to family offices and hedge funds. Mr. Lau also shared his insights on how virtual asset servicing can be integrated into traditional financial services.

Student Sharing

“Through the course, I got closer to the industry by getting insights into fund strategies, asset allocation, ESG and digital assets. Students were provided with step-by-step guidance in building technical skills and writing investment reports in a structured and professional manner.” Christina Li, AMPB 2022 student enrolled in FINA3336.

Background:

J.P. Morgan Private Bank Challenge 2022 provides an opportunity for students to gain knowledge of how the Global Private Bank business works, get access to senior leaders and gain invaluable skills to prepare them for future opportunities at the firm. Through a hypothetical case study, students are able to find out what it takes to work as an Analyst in Global Private Bank.

During the competition, students in teams of four across different locations in Asia, including Singapore, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were required to submit the decks and recorded presentations in the First Round. Shortlisted teams presented online to the judging panel in the Second Round. Finalists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and China competed in the Final Round in April 2022 for the APAC Championship.

Website / Image URL:

https://careers.jpmorgan.com/us/en/students/programs/asset-wealth-management-challenge?search=&tags=location__AsiaPacific__Indonesia

Award(s):

Hong Kong Champion

Awardee(s):

Miss Sulaiman Aurell, BSc(QFin), Year 2
(3 other team members were students from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Students Sharing:

“Overall, the competition was so far the most insightful learning I have ever experienced. The on-the-job experience allowed me to gain knowledge about how the Global Private Bank business works. By solving the case study, the team and I gained practical experience in asset allocation, client management, and scenario analysis. More importantly, we developed a stronger bond through all the late-night meetings solving the case study and learned a lot from one another as we came from different academic backgrounds. Another highlight of the competition is the mentorship I received from J.P Morgan professionals, namely Karen Cai (Vice President) and Paulina Chui (Associate), that was arranged by the competition for all the second-round qualifiers. Through these mentorship sessions, we received very helpful feedback from the mentors, along with their support that boosted our confidence during the presentation. Apart from the mentors, the judges also gave constructive feedback to improve our performance in the future and further insights on private banking at the end of the final round presentation.”
(by Sulaiman Aurell)

The Virtual Business Professional (VBP) Project offered by the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC) is a six-week project that offers students an opportunity to collaborate and work in a virtual setting with students from all over the world to develop virtual and cross-cultural collaboration skills using state-of-the-art collaboration tools.

15 students from HKU Business School joined the VBP Project in March. They were placed among 57 teams of five to six students with over 300 students from 11 different universities worldwide to work on a consulting project for companies including Amazon, Samsung and SpaceX. Throughout the Project, students have learnt essential skills for remote working, intercultural communication and comprehending different business models and marketing strategies, as well as how modern virtual collaboration can be powered by artificial intelligence technology.

Miss Sun Ruohan, BSc(QFin) Year 2 student, who belongs to the winning team, worked on the consulting project for Samsung. She said, “I really enjoyed the VBP project and learnt a lot in this experience. Not only did I make lots of new friends from different countries, I also developed the skills required for better teamwork, communications and problem-solving, as well as strengthening my leadership skills.”

Representatives from Samsung commented in their report that the winning team proposed great suggestions that addressed the company’s pain points, especially the brand marketing strategy for social media.

Two other teams, with our students being team members, were selected by SpaceX as 3^rd and 4^th place among the top teams.

“My two biggest takeaways are the advancement of my cultural intelligence and effectiveness in virtual collaboration. All in all, participating in VBP is a valuable experience of mine which motivates me to work with people with diversity and explore possibilities that a virtual global team can bring.”

Miss Chan Hoi Ching Ella, BBA, Year 2

“Communication is not that easy because we are in different countries with different time zones, and each member has her own study and work arrangement and some personal issues. Luckily, we did it and completed a relatively perfect final report in the end, and it was chosen as one of the best reports by SpaceX.”

Miss Wu Linman, BBA(Acc&Fin), Year 3