From Mystery to Mastery: V4 Students Competed in Business Case Competition
From 20th to 25th January 2025, a unique international event, the “International Student Business Competition: A Mysterious Business Case” took place in the Tatra Mountains. A total of 30 students from 8 nationalities, studying at universities in the V4 region (Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, and Poland), arrived at a secret location. Accompanied by four professors representing the four partner universities – Prague University of Economics and Business, Matej Bel University, University of Pécs, and University of Applied Sciences in Nysa – the students had no idea where they were going until they arrived. They were guided by the professors and pre-trip instructions. Upon arrival, they were accommodated at the Rysy Hotel, where they worked on solving a mysterious business case.
On the first evening, during an opening ceremony, the students were randomly divided into four groups, each assigned a mentor (one of the four professors) and a business case. On Day 2, the students received training from marketing specialist Professor Zdeněk Kresa, a representative of the University of West Bohemia. In the afternoon, they went on a trip to Štrbské Pleso. That evening, they began evaluating their cases more thoroughly.
On Day 3, the students continued working on their cases in the morning. In the afternoon, two of the four groups were divided into two halves. One half participated in a training session with certified coach Ms Dagmar Kolesárová, while the other half either worked on their case or took some free time. On Day 4, the same schedule was followed, but the roles were reversed for the groups.
On Day 5, Friday, January 24th, the students finalized their presentations for the defense session, which took place throughout the afternoon. The presentations were evaluated by a five-member jury consisting of the four professors (who were no longer mentors, but jurors) and marketing expert, Professor Zdeněk Kresa. After a short break, the students participated in cross-hearings, where they tried to challenge the solutions of the other teams. The jury then declared the winning team. This team, composed of Csenge Páldeák (Budapest Business University), Mikhail Lysyi, Denys Gostiev, Illia Dvornik (all from Matej Bel University), Kacper Urbańczyk (University of Physical Education in Krakow), Emilia Paulina Mazur (Ignatianum University in Cracow), and Václav Pavlů (studying at both Prague University of Economics and Business and Charles University), received an award of 100 EUR for each member. Following this, the jury selected the best three members from the non-winning group, who were awarded 75 EUR each: Illia Kaminskyi, Ngoc Yen Vi Doan (both from Prague University of Economics and Business), and Szabolcs Kőszegi (University of Pécs).
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, the students departed for home. This one-of-a-kind event, where participants arrived from different directions (Pécs/Budapest, Prague/Olomouc, Nysa/Krakow, Banská Bystrica) and did not know the destination, would not have been possible without the full financial sponsorship of the Visegrad Fund, which granted a maximum of 19,800 EUR for the event. Moreover, the Visegrad Fund continuously provided professional support, without which the event could not have proceeded.
The successful execution of the event was made possible thanks to the efforts of several key individuals. First, the four professors from the partner universities – Michaela Zemanová, Ladislav Klement, András Rideg, and Alina Bryll. Second, the event would not have been possible without two students from Prague University of Economics and Business, Karolína Nováková and Yelyzaveta Berezniak, who served for over a year as members of the three-person Organizing Team, presided over by V. Hinčica, who also conceptualized the event. Third, other individuals made significant contributions to the event’s success, including Martin Weinpold, the graphic designer at VŠE, Petr Procházka, a member of the Department of International Business at VŠE, Igor Pasko, an IBB student at VŠE, the staff of the Rysy Hotel and Anna Opałka from the University of Applied Sciences in Nysa, among others. The program was further enriched by several social activities, including a carnival, a theatre performance, and pool games.
The four business cases were connected by a mysterious background, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the competition. However, none of the four groups were able to uncover the mystery.
Therefore, the competition might be back in 2026, do you dare to join?
