From Research to Real Life: Corvinus Students’ Case-Solving Experience in Thailand

The students, who are also active members of the Corvinus Case Track Community, were selected and prepared for the competition by Bence László Pistrui, assistant professor at the Department of Business Economics. The team was chosen based on their performance during the Case Track courses, such as the Cases on International Business Strategy course. 

The team began preparations as early as January, regularly tackling 8- and 24-hour business cases and even participating in a domestic competition together. 

In the competition, the teams had to solve two cases about companies they could familiarise themselves with before arriving to the country. On-site they had 8, and 24 hours, to solve the cases and present them in 10 and 15 minutes, with 10 minutes of Q&A times respectively. The 8-hour case was about Siam Piwat Group, a Bangkok-based retail and development company, with luxurious shopping malls in the capital. The team’s challenge was to provide solutions for attracting more visitors to their shopping malls, by improving the current experience and/or launching a new business venture. The second, 24-hour case was about the WHA Group, Thailand’s leader in fully integrated logistics and industrial facilities that operates industrial estates and provides warehouses and factories in industries such as automotive, and consumer electronics. The challenge posed to the international teams was to find a solution to transform the company into a technology-focused one. 

According to Levente Pintér, the professional environment presented by the organizers was apparent from the start: 

„From the perspective of the organizers, the whole event was quite professional. In the opening ceremony not only the C-level executives and the university’s presidency presented, but the minister of education and research as well.”  

A unique aspect of the CIBCC among case competitions is the planned visit to the facilities of the case companies. Visiting these facilities in real life provides invaluable insights into their operations. 

„As the case companies had been revealed approximately a month before the competition, we already did research on them at home, but it was very interesting and useful to visit Siam Piwat’s malls in real life, this helped a lot during the case solving” – said Eszter Bujáky. 

„The two Thai companies we visited were fascinating and successful; it was an honour to gain insight into their operations during the company visits and case-solving” – agreed Izabella Jahn. 

In addition to their work on solutions against twenty other teams from Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania, the team also competed in the Social Media Challenge. They placed first in this challenge along with two other teams. 

„The social challenges held during the competition made it unforgettable, as we always strived to approach the tasks creatively and to understand the local culture better. Moreover, we were honoured to be awarded a special prize for our efforts” – commented Petra Jenei about their success. 

The well-organized experiences in the stunning country made the stay unforgettable for every team member. 

„We stayed in beautiful hotels with stunning beaches and had the opportunity to see some of Thailand’s most beautiful sights, including scuba diving and visiting a private island near Rayong” –commented Izabella Jahn. 

While summarizing the experience in Thailand, the team expressed their gratitude to their peers, mentors, and their Thai helping buddy, Plum. 

„Overall, I had a great experience learning from students from all around the world, and I truly appreciated our time together. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone involved in organizing this amazing week, including our buddy Plum, our advisor Bence Pistrui, and of course my teammates” – added Levente Pintér. 

„I am grateful to our advisor, Bence Pistrui, for coaching us and guiding us along the way. I am also thankful for my team, from whom I learned so much and with whom I could share this incredible experience with” – said Izabella Jahn. 

„I believe we formed an excellent team during the competition, and I hope everyone gets the chance to experience what it’s like to participate in such an event and tackle tasks from various industries” – concluded their experience, Petra Jenei. 

We would like to congratulate the team and their mentor for their proud representation of the university and thank the CIBS course instructors and members of the Corvinus Case Track Community for their contribution to the preparations of the team!