Earlier this year, students from Tsinghua University participated in an international case competition in Beijing.  The case competition, held in the Beijing Grand Hyatt on January 4^th and 5^th, included 8 MBA teams, including schools such as the University of Chicago, University of Virginia, University of Washington, and the National University of Singapore.

The case competition theme was to recommend how the Tsingtao Beer Company can improve its profitability in the United States.  The competition allowed Tsinghua students to apply what they have learned from their marketing, strategy, and managerial communications classes. In addition, the theme gave students good preparation for how Chinese brands should successfully enter the global market. As China’s economy continues to rapidly develop, MBA students in China will be called upon by more and more Chinese companies to help them expand outside the China market.

Although the Tsinghua team did not claim the first prize of $5000 (The University of Washington won the grand prize), participants not only made valuable networking contacts, but also learned more about what business executives look for during presentations.   Both the General Manager of Tsingtao Brewery and the head of Crown distributors, the main distributor for Tsingtao in the United States, attended the case competition.  Guo Jian, a 2^nd Year student who spent last summer in London in the BP Global MBA Program, mentioned that there are many unique characteristics one must consider when entering the American market, including customer segmentation and the premium goods market.

About Case Competitions   

Tsinghua University is often invited to international business case competitions, occurring in many areas including Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, North America, and Europe.  Many Tsinghua MBA students have had the opportunity during their two years to participate as teams or individuals in these competitions.