Register The Business Case Competition 2025 is an inspiring new event that connects talented students, academics, and industry professionals around the world. Hosted by the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), this inaugural competition is a chance to solve real-world business challenges and share innovative ideas. It’s more than just a competition—it’s a platform to showcase creativity, sharpen strategic thinking, and collaborate with others to make an impact on a global scale.
As part of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), IBSS is among an elite group of business schools worldwide to achieve the prestigious Triple Crown Accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA)—a distinction earned by fewer than 1% of business schools globally. This accreditation highlights IBSS’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and developing future global business leaders.
Competition Introduction
This year’s theme, Creating Sustained Value focuses on two key dimensions of global business strategy:
- Global Strategy Transformation Through Sustainable Brand Leadership (Preliminary Round): Analyzing how firms can lead through sustainability-driven strategies that shape lasting value and influence for stakeholders. (Conducted Online)
- Global Value Co-Creation Through the Value Chain and Ecosystem (Final Round): Advancing global strategies to drive value co-creation by leveraging stakeholder collaboration, optimizing the global value chain, and fostering innovation ecosystems. (At IBSS)
Participants will engage in a real-world business case designed in collaboration with UTC (China) Co., Ltd. (UTC). Founded in 2007, UTC is China’s first multi-brand, multi-channel travel outfitting operator, partnering with leading global travel goods brands to develop the Chinese market. With years of expertise, UTC has provided safe, comfortable, and efficient travel products to over 10 million travelers through its omni-channel distribution network.
The competition will be set in Suzhou—a city where tradition meets modern innovation—this competition offers more than just a stage for ideas. It’s an opportunity to immerse students in a dynamic, globally connected environment that inspires cutting-edge thinking and meaningful collaboration.
Why Participate?
The IBSS Business Case Competition 2025 offers a unique and rewarding experience for participants:
- Solve Real-World Challenges: Address complex business problems faced by the firm, a global leader, and propose innovative and practical solutions.
- Gain Global Recognition: Compete on an international stage, enhancing students’ academic and professional reputation.
- Build Essential Skills: Develop expertise in sustainability, branding, value chain optimization, and ecosystem collaboration through hands-on experience, workshops, and mentorship.
- Expand Your Network: Connect with industry professionals, academic experts, and like-minded peers from around the world.
- Experience a Global Business Hub: Discover Suzhou, a thriving city that bridges tradition and modernity and serves as a home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and global enterprises.
Team Eligibility and Composition
Eligibility:
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students from universities worldwide.
Team composition requirements and suggestions:
- Teams of 3–4 members, with all team members at the same academic level (i.e., all undergraduate or all postgraduate).
- Individuals can only register with one team.
- Each team must have 1-2 teacher mentors, selected by the team.
- Teams are encouraged, but not required, to include members from different universities or international students to foster diversity and collaboration.
Competition Structure and Details
The competition is designed with two progressive rounds, each emphasizing a key aspect of value creation. Teams that succeed in the preliminary round will advance to the final round, where they will compete for prestigious awards.
Round Structure
- Global Strategy Transformation Through Sustainable Brand Leadership (Preliminary Round)
Teams will focus on formulating strategies for sustainable brand growth and transformation in a global context. - Global Value Co-Creation Through the Value Chain and Ecosystem (Final Round)
Finalists will delve into creating value collaboratively by leveraging the value chain and ecosystem for global impact.
Case Scenarios:
This case is built on a consultancy-based, research-driven process co-developed with UTC. It represents a real-world practice, embodying a high-caliber collaboration between academia and industry to ensure both practical relevance and intellectual rigor. The case delivers deep insights into the topics, showcasing UTC’s current practices, critical challenges, and potential barriers to future growth and global expansion. Designed to the highest standards, the written case will be provided to teams at the start of the competition.
Participant Requirements:
Students are expected to work within their own teams to conduct analysis and provide solutions to the questions outlined in the given case scenarios. The outcomes should be demonstrated through PowerPoint slides and presented to a panel of judges, showcasing their insights, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
Competition Language
The competition will be conducted bilingually, in both Chinese and English.
About Fees
Registration for the inaugural competition is completely free! Finalist teams will be invited to participate in the on-site competition at the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. IBSS will provide meals on the competition day, but participants are responsible for covering their own travel, accommodation, and other associated expenses.
Workshops and Preparation Activities
To fully support participants in completing a real-world consulting project-based case study, the competition has carefully designed and will offer a series of high-quality workshops and preparation activities. These activities aim to help teams deeply analyze challenges, develop solutions, and enhance their overall competitiveness:
- Competition Introduction Session
- A comprehensive introduction to the competition format, objectives, and evaluation criteria, ensuring participants clearly understand the competition process, key milestones, and success factors.
- An in-depth exploration of "sustainable value creation" and its core significance in the global business environment, laying the theoretical and practical foundation for consulting project analyses.
- UTC Specialist Company Overview
- Company representatives will share key strategic and operational insights, providing an in-depth overview of real-world business challenges and strategic implementation cases, offering the essential background for consulting projects.
- Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of UTC Specialist's value chain, ecosystem, and sustainability goals, equipping them with the necessary knowledge to design targeted consulting solutions.
- Thematic Workshops
- Global Value Chain and Consulting Project Fundamentals: An in-depth exploration of "sustainable value creation" and its core significance in the global business environment, laying the theoretical and practical foundation for consulting project analyses.
- Sustainable Value Creation Consulting Strategies: A deeper exploration of consulting frameworks based on ecosystem collaboration and innovation, helping teams build scientific and systematic long-term strategic solutions.
- Case Analysis and Presentation Skills: Expert-led guidance to master efficient data analysis methods, structured solution design approaches, and professional presentation and Q&A techniques within consulting projects, significantly improving proposal quality and communication effectiveness.
Through these workshops and preparation activities, participants will gain a comprehensive experience of the full consulting project process—from problem identification and strategy development to solution presentation. This will effectively enhance their professional capabilities and provide strong support for delivering impactful case solutions during the competition.
Awards and Recognition
Award Categories:
1. First Prize (1 Team):
- Reward: A bonus of RMB 3,000 + Certificate of Achievement.
2. Second Prize (2 Teams):
- Reward: A bonus of RMB 2,000 + Certificate of Achievement.
3. Third Prize (3 Teams):
- Reward: A bonus of RMB 1,000 + Certificate of Achievement.
4. Excellent Award (4 Teams):
- Reward: Certificate of Excellence and a symbolic gift
5. Excellent Mentor (Teacher) Award
- Reward: Certificate of Recognition
Certificate of Participation:
All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation to recognize their contributions and efforts.
Competition Timeline
| Phase | Date | Details |
| Registration Opens | April 2025 | Registration forms available online for participating students. |
| Registration Closes | 21 May 2025 | Final deadline for teams to register for the competition. |
| Workshops and Preparation | May–June 2025 | Includes introduction to the competition, company overview, training workshops, and mentorship. |
| Preliminary Round (Online) | 21 June 2025 | Teams present solutions for global sustainable brand transformation. |
| Final Round (at IBSS) | 12 July 2025 | Teams present strategies for value creation through the global value chain and ecosystem; awards ceremony follows. |
Registration
Click here to register for the competition!
Contact Information:
Dr Jianwen Zheng
Email: jianwen.zheng02@xjtlu.edu.cn
Phone: + 86 (0)512 88970207
Organizer:
International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)
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