SMU’s business case club, Team Cognitare, has continued its strong track record, this time clinching the title of Global Champions for the second consecutive year at the prestigious International Case Competition @ Maastricht (ICC@M).
Organised by Maastricht University in the Netherlands, ICC@M is a highly esteemed case competition that invites only top business schools from across the world.
Now in its 14th edition, the competition took place from 12 to 18 May 2024, and Team Cognitare represented SMU with distinction against 15 other teams from universities across Asia, Europe, and North America, including the University of Florida, Ivey Business School, and Erasmus University.
This year’s SMU team comprised undergraduates Tay Ting Hui, Year 3, Bachelor of Business Management; Claire Soh, Year 2, Bachelor of Business Management; Ethan Martin, Year 2, Bachelor of Science (Economics); and Ng Hsien Ray, Year 1 Bachelor of Science (Computer Science).
The team’s dedication and ingenuity were clear to the judges, who gave them a perfect score across all three cases that built up to its final win.
Refreshing strategies to unlock untapped opportunities
During the competition, teams were tasked to produce innovative strategies for three sponsor companies – Deerns, Acorn Rabobank and Starbucks. The final round saw Team Cognitare tasked with helping Starbucks to unlock untapped opportunities with Gen Z customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
The team developed a refreshing strategy that combined offline and online engagement methods to enhance Starbucks’ positioning as the “Third Place” (important spaces beyond work and home).
As part of the strategy, the team proposed the development of a gamified social experience within the Starbucks app, seamlessly integrated with new “to-go” store formats catering to Gen Z’s desire for convenience as they travel.
The team focused on creating an extraordinary “Cosmos” experience overall, allowing each unique Gen Z individual to freely express themselves through their interactions with Starbucks.
Aside from recognising the insightfulness of their recommendations, the judging panel, made of C-suite executives from the case companies, also commended the team on their strong display of teamwork and exemplary presentation skills.
Commenting on the win, team leader Tay Ting Hui, said, “Our team was motivated by last year’s championship achievement to continue flying the SMU flag high. I am proud of our team for wholeheartedly representing SMU and Cognitare with unwavering dedication. We would like to express our gratitude for the generous support of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, our faculty advisor, Dr Ma Kheng Min, and senior members of Cognitare for their steadfast support and guidance in our training.”
“We deeply appreciate the invaluable advice and encouragement from everyone who contributed to our competition preparations,” Ting Hui added.
