An investment company with an environmental conscience has been judged the winner of the 2007 Global Enterprise Experience, a business-concept competition uniting 650 students from 34 countries. The winning team are: Marit Borrmann (Germany), Patient Irumva (Rwanda), Chloe Dallaway (New Zealand), Katharina Von Kracht (Germany), Angela Delfina Mateus (Macao PR China) and Ka Leng Ho (Macao PR China), both 4th year student of Tourism Business Management major in the Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT). “Global Enterprise Experience” was established in 2004 by Victoria University of New Zealand and Te Kaihau Ltd, a group of Wellington-based innovation and management consultants. Led by Victoria University students from the School of Marketing and International Business, the international teams had three weeks to design and jointly write a business proposal using web-based communication technology. This year’s theme required a venture that fosters environmental sustainability that draws on the talents and opportunities in the team members' countries. The winning business concept - Bios Investments, is an asset management company that strategically invests in companies that offer both immediate financial returns and environmentally sustainable returns for future generations. In addition, rather than simply returning dividends to investors, a two per cent portion will be devoted to implementing a green marketing campaign. Soo May Cheng, Professor of IFT who encouraged students to participate in the 2007 Global Enterprise Experience, says she is very pleased to see two of her students’ names in the winning team, and several others commended. This competition is a valuable experience for her students to develop a more global outlook and be confident to participate in international events in future. According to the Director of the Global Enterprise Experience, Deb Gilbertson, each year the number of entries doubles, and the quality and creativity of the students’ proposals is increasingly impressive. The competition showcases young people’s ability in developing global partnerships. In her letter to Professor Soo May Cheng, she mentions that her students are reliable, hard working and capable and she is delighted to hear that they will be participating again next year. Head of Victoria’s School of Marketing & International Business, Associate Professor Val Lindsay, states that the competition is a valuable opportunity for students to put their business skills to practice, and to further develop skills in leadership and communication technology. “This is a real-life opportunity for our students to apply their learning in developing international business while dealing with all the complexities of languages, cultures, time zones, religions, world views and levels of wealth,” Dr. Lindsay says. The teams were judged by Dion Mortensen (Movac Ltd), Kerry Prendergast, Steph Smith (Creative Manufacturing Cluster), Tim Gibson (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) and Fulvia Farinelli (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva).
