The Bowater Business Challenge, hosted by Deakin Business School , provides students with a valuable opportunity to gain industry experience by addressing a real-world business problem.
With the competition entering its fifteenth year, the Trimester 1 2024 Bowater Business Challenge was a resounding success, showcasing the exceptional talents of our postgraduate students.
Bounce Inc. provided the challenge: ‘Optimise climate comfort at Bounce locations to enhance customer satisfaction while achieving cost efficiencies and sustainability goals’
Student teams were selected to attend a Briefing Session where they gained a greater understanding of the challenge from Matt Holman, National Operations Manager of Bounce Inc and key academics Dr Adnan Yusuf, Dr Ha Vu and Associate Professor Ameeta Jain on Marketing, Economics and Sustainable Design respectively.
The student teams then ‘jumped’ into action, developing innovative solutions to present during a competitive preliminary round. The judges, Associate Professor Christine Contessotto and Dr. Allison Ringer, evaluated the teams’ proposals, selecting four finalist teams.
These teams were paired with academic mentors Dr. Ha Vu, Dr. Ruby Ma, Dr. Eka Tan, and Dr. Saikat Deb, who guided them through the final week of preparation.
Matt Homan hosted our finalist teams at Blackburn Bounce for a Q&A session followed by a a fun and complimentary experience, enriching their understanding of the challenge.
On May 22nd, at the Burwood Corporate Centre, the finalist teams presented their well-researched and creative solutions. The event, made possible by the generous support of the Bowater Trust, was attended by Deakin staff, students, and special guests.
Professor Jenni Lightowlers, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, along with master of ceremonies Professor Colin Higgins, acknowledged the foundational efforts of special guests in attendance, Laurie Wilson and Emeritus Professor Darrell Mahoney, who were in establishing the Bowater Trust in 1988, celebrating their vision and dedication to nurturing future business leaders.
The final presentations were evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, including Matt Holman, Dr. Peter Vuong, and Dr. Wendy Webber. The prize winning teams were announced, with ‘Big Bounce Theory’ taking first place and the $3,000 top prize.
Special thanks to Bounce Inc. and Matt Holman for providing an exciting and meaningful challenge for the participants. Thank you to all students and staff involved in making the event a success.
Congratulations to:
1st Prize: $3,000 awarded to The Big Bounce Theory
- Dila Ravenna Theodora
- Hai Yen Pham
- Thuy Linh Nguyen
- Thi Thu Phuong Le
- Academic Mentor: Dr Ruby Ma
2nd Prize: $2,000 awarded to Sustainability Analysts
- Harindu Chandira Weerasinghe
- Jeevanshu Kishnani
- Sanjay Sivakumar Subramanyan
- Thanmay Mohana
- Academic Mentor: Dr Ha Vu
3rd Prize: $1,500 awarded to Bouncing Ninjas
- Naman Singhania
- Neel Soman
- Hector Arenas
- Abhiram Tilak Kosaraju
- Academic Mentor: Dr Saikat Deb
4th Prize: $1,000 awarded to Business Jumpers
- Andy Ngo
- Aleysa Shaeba John
- Lily Benavides
- Selva Vignesh Saravanan
- Academic Mentor: Dr Eka Tan
Our thanks
Deakin Business School would like to thank the Bowater Trust for their continued support of our students. As the competition marks its fifteenth year, we eagerly await future challenges and the innovative solutions our students will present.
Want to provide a business challenge?
Businesses or organisations interested in providing a challenge, please contact the BL Partnerships team at bl-partnerships@deakin.edu.au.