Shining at business competition Peak Time 2009

By NUS Peak Time team

TEAM NUS: Runner-up at Peak Time 2009 Organised by the Stockholm School of Economics, Peak Time 2009 - an international business competition - held in Riga, the capital of Latvia, proved to be a most fruitful and rewarding experience for our team (29 April - 2 May 2009).

Emphasizing on the importance of creativity and strategy in the business arena, Peak Time 2009 was a real assessment of our mental faculty and teamwork. Peak Time 2009 tested our application of theoretical knowledge and analytical skills to an online business simulation and our capacity to solve real business problems.

We competed against more than 500 teams worldwide for the qualifying round to the finals. The initial round saw us pitting against each other in five bouts of business simulation set in the hotel industry. The second round called for the analysis of a macro-economics case study and the submission of a novel business idea. We could still vividly remember the days preceding the deadline for the second submission. It was the sheer determination to qualify plus lots of adrenaline and a- rich supply of caffeine from a nearby convenience store that kept us going. With ideas bouncing off and opinions shot at each other, we had a tough and yet, great time working towards our goal of qualifying for the finals. And qualify we did!

The finals at Riga was well organised and the schedule- was packed with activities. A typical day would consist of competition during the day and by night, tours and party which would last till the wee hours of the morning. Results of the day's competition would typically be released at midnight, leaving qualifiers with a mixed feeling of joy and dismay. Joy as they had qualified to compete in the following day and yet, at the same time dismay at not being able to carry on with partying the night away.

The atmosphere was tense amidst the top teams in the finals. Most teams had students reading business or economics as their major. However, our team WooHooooo consisted of two students from engineering, one from pharmacy and one from life sciences background. Rather than letting this put us down, we saw it as an advantage. Combining academic and practical knowledge gained from the entrepreneurial experience at NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC), we banked on our strengths of analysis and creativity. Against all odds, we clinched the second place.

The Peak Time experience was more than just the competition. With lectures from esteemed international speakers, much valuable lessons were also imparted to us participants. Most importantly, we made friends from Europe, America, Australia and even Asia and networks throughout the event.

WooHooooo as a team worked well together. We had the support of our friends who offered their expertise and opinions. We thank them for their help and also want to take this opportunity to thank NOC and our faculties, NUS Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science, for their support and assistance throughout our participation in Peak Time 2009.

Long Live Peak Time!