Bright ideas shine at global business challenge

28 October 2025

The University of Hong Kong (student team pictured from left) has taken the top spot at this year’s Australian Undergraduate Business Case Competition.

Hosted by Monash Business School in partnership with UNSW Sydney, over six intense days at Monash College’s Docklands campus, 64 students from 16 global universities competed in the annual event.

Delegates travelled from around the world, including Thailand, Canada, Hungary, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States, as well as across Australia, to develop innovative solutions to real-world business challenges.

Throughout the week, teams tackled three complex business cases, putting their strategic, analytical, and creative skills to the test.

Performance across all rounds determined which teams advanced to the finals, where they presented their analysis of the final case – a brief from Australia’s largest e-commerce company, New Aim, which challenged students to recommend which international market its drop-shipping subsidiary should expand into next.

The University of Hong Kong impressed the judging panel with a well-structured, data-driven strategy that demonstrated commercial insight and creative thinking.

Chulalongkorn University placed second and the University of Southern California took out third place.

Two of the 64 students who presented cases.

Associate Dean of Programs, Professor Ralph Kober, praised all the participants for their efforts.

“The quality of presentations across the entire week was next level,” Professor Kober said. “The judges couldn’t believe how professional the students were, particularly given how little time they had to prepare.”

Prof Kober said the annual competition once again demonstrated the benefits of experiential learning.

“Students not only demonstrated their problem-solving skills under pressure but also built invaluable global networks that will serve them well in their careers,” he said. “Competitions like this allow students to put theory into practice in a high-stakes, real-world environment.”

Since it was founded by UNSW in 2014, the AUBCC has positioned Australia as a hub for global business education and innovation.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for Monash to showcase its capabilities and for our students to gain hands-on experience on the world stage,” Prof Kober said. “We’re proud to have hosted such a talented and diverse group of future business leaders and to see the innovation and collaboration that emerged throughout the week.”

Students built global networks during the event.

Professor Kober thanked the Monash organising team for their work behind the scenes.

“I’d like to particularly recognise Chris Keynes, whose initiative and countless hours of work – much of it in his own time – were key to making the AUBCC a success,” he said. “He was brilliantly supported by Hannah Brooks and Winnie Yip.”

He also acknowledged the sponsors whose support made the event possible.

“Our sponsors – New Aim, CIMA, UniSuper and ACCA Global - played a crucial role in ensuring the competition’s success, providing business cases, judging expertise and industry insights,” he said.

This year’s champion team now qualifies for the Champions Trophy Case Competition, hosted by the University of Auckland, where they will compete against other top-performing teams from around the world.

Learn more about the 2025 Australian Undergraduate Business Case Competition