HKU-SaSa Joint University Case Competition 2023 (1st Runner Up, Best Presenter)

We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the HKU-SaSa Joint University Case Competition (JUCC) 2023 and the winning of 1^st Runner-up and Best Presenter of our HKU Team.

JUCC is the annual signature event of HKU International Case Society (HICS), a student-run organization supported by the School which aims to provide a platform for students to hone their case cracking, analytical and presentation skills. 16 teams of elite students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The City University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong take part in the 48-hour real-world business case challenge and present their solutions to the panel judges in HKU Campus every year.

This year, SaSa International Holdings Limited (SaSa) has partnered with the HKU Business School to present a retail case to the participating universities. Before the competition, participating students joined an industry workshop on retail on April 1, 2023. Mr. Danny Ho, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of SaSa, shared his experiences in business management and views on the development opportunities of the retail industry with the students. Students enjoyed the workshop and gained in-depth understanding of the retail industry which better prepared them for the case cracking after two weeks.

Two rounds of competition were held on April 16, 2023. During the Division Round in the morning, all teams were divided into four divisions and presented to the judges who are graduate representatives from each of the participating universities currently working in various large corporations. The top scoring team in each division advanced to the Grand Final in the afternoon to compete for the Championship. The judging panel for the Grand Final included

• Winnie LEUNG, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate), HKU Business School
• Danny HO, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, Sa Sa International Holdings Limited
• Fred KU, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies), Director of Studies in Undergraduate Studies in Business; Co-director, Integrated BBA Programme, CUHK Business School
• Tat Koon KOH, Associate Professor, Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management; Program Director of Global Business Program, HKUST Business School
• Wei Thoo YUE, Professor of Management Information Systems, Department of Information System, City University of Hong Kong

Students presented their case solutions to the judges by showcasing their innovative ideas and responded to penetrating questions from the judges in the Q&A session. After due deliberation, the Grand Final judges identified the Champion, 1^st Runner-up, 2^nd Runner-up and the Best Presenter. They are:

Champion: BCSS (from The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

1^st Runner-up: SECA Research (from The University of Hong Kong)

2^nd Runner-up: Nexus (from The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Best Presenter: Ms. Hasegawa Emi (from The University of Hong Kong)

"We are very grateful for the collaboration with SaSa International Holdings Limited and the support from the participating universities who are the supporting organizations of JUCC 2023" said Regan, the President of HICS. After the presentation, Mr. Danny Ho (Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd.) shared that he was impressed by the “level of detail in the case, despite only having two days of preparation. A few things have stood out in the competition”.

Dr. Winnie Leung (HKU Business School) praised that, “all of you (the presenters) done very well in the presentations. I can see your efforts in doing a lot of analysis, very detailed analysis and very creative ideas.” She thanked SaSa for the collaboration opportunity and expressed gratitude to Danny for giving a guest lecture and Angela for her valuable comments.

The competition provided the participating students with valuable insights into case cracking and business competitions, and students from the Champion team and the best presenter were offered internship opportunities at SaSa.

Case Competition Judging Panel – (from left to right) Dr. Winnie Leung (HKU Business School), Prof. Wei Thoo Yue (CityU), Dr. Fred Ku (CUHK Business School), Mr. Danny Ho (Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd.), and Dr. Tat Koon Koh (HKUST Business School)

Case Presentation by one of the finalist team

Mr. Danny Ho (left) and Dr. Winnie Leung (right) with Ms. Hasegawa Emi (middle), The Best Presenter of JUCC 2023

Mr. Danny Ho (left) and Dr. Winnie Leung (right) with the Champion Team – BCSS

Prof. Wei Thoo Yue (1^st from the left), Dr. Fred Ku (2^nd from the left) and Dr. Tat Koon Koh (1^st from the right) with the 1^st Runner Up Team – SECA Research

Prof. Wei Thoo Yue (1^st from the left), Dr. Fred Ku (2^nd from the left) and Dr. Tat Koon Koh (1^st from the right) with the 2^nd Runner Up Team – Nexus

Everyone gave a “thumbs-up” after the competition