Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School became champion of the Marshall MBA Global Consulting Challenge 2004 held in Los Angeles on Jan. 29-30.

Seven teams of top Masters in Business Administration (MBA) schools from around the world participated in the competition. They are representatives of University of Southern California, University of California-Los Angeles, University of California Berkeley, Yale University, London Business School, University of Michigan and HKUST.

In the competition, the teams were asked to explore new opportunities for a global energy provider which was planning to open up their convenient store market. The provider asked the team to analyze their convenient store operations and develop both revolutionary and evolutionary strategies to increase profitability.

The judges commented the HKUST team for providing business solutions with both revolutionary thinking and practical recommendations. The judge also commented on the team's sophisticated and persuasive presentation and their quick response to challenging questions.

The leader of the HKUST team said that, three team members among them are from Chinese mainland and their being familiar with the mainland's environment made them win competition.

Graduate of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Jerry Zhao, is one of the team members. He said the MBA programs offered in Hong Kong universities are of high standard and can help increase his international competitiveness, which he believed will do good to his future career.

The Marshall MBA Global Consulting Challenge 2004 was organized by the University of South California and last year's winner was University of Michigan.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2004)