Video summary

HOW TO WIN BUSINESS CASE COMPETITION - WORKSHOP BY EDWARD HARTANTO ENRICO ABADI

Main summary

Key takeaways

Business

Business competition: what it is (and why join)

Business case competitions give teams a realistic company problem (often in marketing, sales, product, innovation, or supply chain/operations). Teams must produce a structured proposal and a presentation deck.

Key benefits highlighted

  • Skill-building
    • Proposal writing
    • Presenting
    • Debating
  • Stronger CV / recruiter “achievement” sections (evidence-based wins)
  • Internship / full-time opportunities (examples below)
  • Workplace simulation
    • Learn how companies make decisions (often data-driven vs innovation-led)
  • Recognition and networking
    • Other teams can become future collaborators

Presenter background (source credibility)

  • Edward Hartanto Enrico Abadi
    • BINUS alumnus (BIT major; 2020–2024)
  • Competition record:
    • “~50 wins” across ~hundreds of competitions
  • Professional experience mentioned:
    • Garena SA: Product Manager
    • Mobin: Analyst
  • Additional references:
    • Listed as a finalist in a competition (subtitle context unclear due to errors)
    • Active leadership: BINUS Mapres 2023

Types of competitions (business-relevant categories)

  • Business case competition
    • You receive a case and produce strategy for specific functions such as:
      • marketing
      • sales
      • product
      • innovation
  • Marketing case
    • Similar to a business case, but the deliverable is explicitly marketing-oriented (e.g., campaign plan / marketing deck).
  • Business plan
    • Create a business idea.
    • Judging tends to favor execution, marketability, and visibility more than “coolness.”
  • Hackathon / open innovation
    • Hackathon: from concept to coded prototype/app.
    • Open innovation: create a business idea from scratch.
  • UI/UX (mentioned as “UIOS/UIUX”)
    • Tech/design-driven work: develop UX/UI design and processes (from definition → ideation).
  • Supply chain & operational cases
    • Recommend improvements to supply chain efficiency and speed (example: faster operations).

Frameworks / playbooks Edward teaches (core of the workshop)

1) A 3-stage process to solve a business case

Analyze

  • Skim/read the case to find the problem to solve
  • Identify key issues
    • Separate core problems from secondary ones
  • Research current market conditions
    • Example given: FMCG trends, relevance of offline marketing

Structure

  • Define a problem statement using SCQ, then make it SMART (see below)
  • Brainstorm solutions
  • Evaluate & prioritize
    • Don’t list everything—pick what matters most
  • Use issue decomposition (“Issue 3”)
    • Move from high-level problems → root causes

Craft & Deliver

  • Create the deck + executive summary
    • Use a top-down pyramid structure
  • Pitch with:
    • evidence-backed slides
    • financials
    • timeline
    • risk mitigation

2) SCQ (Situation–Complication–Question) + SMART problem statement

SCQ

  • Situation: current environment/conditions (internal/external factors)
  • Complication: what makes it hard / conflicting constraints
  • Question: what the case is actually asking

SMART for the problem statement

  • Specific
  • Measurable
    • Example mentioned: ROI “2:1” interpreted as ~200%
  • Actionable
    • Can be implemented and aligned with company capabilities
  • Relevant
    • Fits the real question and the present/future context
  • Time-bound
    • Recommendations tied to a timeframe (e.g., next 3–6 months or 5–10 years)

3) Root-cause decomposition constraint (MECE-style)

Use a “mission principle” (indicated as MECE):

  • Mutually Exclusive: root-cause categories don’t overlap
  • Collectively Exhaustive: together they cover the full problem space

4) Prioritization matrix: “Potential vs Visibility”

Axes

  • Potential/Impact
  • Visibility
    • Feasibility + how quickly results can show

Quadrants

  • Money now: high impact + high visibility
  • Start planning now: high impact + low visibility
  • Review only if you have time: low impact + low visibility
  • Quick wins: high visibility + low impact

Practical guidance

  • Don’t try to solve all problems.
  • Select what aligns with business urgency, often framed as:
    • “biggest loss” / what you’d notice first from the business perspective

Example: canteen/restaurant issues

  1. Bad reviews
  2. Unhappy/unsatisfied customers
  3. Loss of loyal customers

Mapping:

  • Bad reviews → Money now
    • Driven by social proof platforms like Google/TikTok
  • Unsatisfied customers → Money now
  • Loss of loyal customers → Quick wins
    • Often handled by reconnecting and targeted programs

5) External/strategic analysis tools (optional modules)

  • SWOT
  • Porter 5 (Porter’s Five Forces)
  • PESTEL
  • Competitor analysis
    • Feature comparison and learning from competitors’ tactics
  • Consumer/Persona analysis
  • Summary mapping
    • Avoid “messy” decks by clearly linking Problem → Solution with visuals

6) Presentation slide structure (top-down pyramid method)

  • Start with an executive summary
    • Situation/Complication/Question → Solutions → Impact
  • Use a “3-level” pyramid per slide:
    1. Main message
    2. Evidence/proof
    3. Source
  • Slide design principles:
    • Synthesis, Accuracy, Transparency, Impact
    • “Less is more” (avoid text dumps)
    • Consistent fonts/colors; use highlights
    • Use charts/prototypes/icons appropriately (don’t drown in numbers)
  • Storytelling:
    • Add insight captions under charts (not only the chart)

7) Recommendation content checklist: 5W1H

Include:

  • Why
  • What
  • Who
  • Where
  • When
  • How

Also recommended:

  • Timeline / go-to-market plan
    • e.g., Q1/Q2/Q4 or month-by-month
  • Risk mitigation
  • Financial analysis (profitability metrics)

8) Financial metrics to include (simple set)

Mentioned:

  • Break-even point (BP)
  • ROI
  • Payback period
  • NPV (Net Present Value)

Practical output approach:

  • Use an Excel template (prebuilt by the team)
  • Present via charts such as:
    • revenue growth
    • ROI
    • payback period

Concrete examples / mini case demonstrations

Example A: SCQ practice case (investment allocation)

  • Case idea:
    • Company X/Y/Z invests 100 billion
    • Decide sector allocation and target ROI
  • Student outputs:
    • Situation: invest to increase profits via sales market share; allocate 100B
    • Complications:
      • need ROI 2:1 within timeframe
      • competitive environment
      • demand fluctuation
      • ESG risks (from another team)
    • Question: optimal allocation across sectors and identify priority/new market areas
  • Edward’s interpretation (example logic):
    • Focus on company strengths (e.g., logistics capabilities: air/sea/land; fleets/resources)
    • Contrast with mining risks (e.g., ESG/CSR contradictions; environmental harm)
    • Recommend allocation logic (e.g., 50/30/20 or an “all-in” approach if math supports)

Example B: Restaurant prioritization

  • Bad reviews become visible immediately → Money now
    • Google/TikTok/social proof
  • Unsatisfied customers lead to bad reviews + churn → Money now
  • Loyal customer loss:
    • often easier to win back
    • handled with targeted quick win programs → Quick wins

Example C: Competitor analysis in real work context

  • Edward references doing competitor analysis at his company:
    • If Tokopedia runs a major promo (e.g., 11.11 iPhone giveaway),
      • plan your next campaign timing around Ramadan to avoid duplicating competitor momentum
      • but replicate proven tactics when they work

Actionable recommendations (what to do during competition)

  • Treat the deliverable as a structured business recommendation:
    • Problem: SCQ → SMART
    • Approach: prioritize with impact vs visibility, and decompose using MECE
    • Solution: each recommendation includes 5W1H
    • Plan: include timeline (Q1/Q2/months) + risk mitigation
    • Proof: include financial analysis (ROI/BP/payback/NPV as appropriate)
  • For the pitch:
    • Use top-down pyramid slides
    • Ensure every slide has a clear message
    • Prepare Q&A contingencies with scripted answers/talking points
    • Practice with a script/Q-card, and incorporate teammate feedback

Example of internship opportunities / recognition (high level)

  • Sibank International Design Challenge (UI/UX)
    • A judge (IT Director) liked the presentation → offered an internship (and later became the intern’s boss).
  • L’Oréal Brandstorm
    • Example mentioned:
      • won #1 in Indonesia and #1 globally (Paris)
      • internship opportunity in Paris for 3 months
      • living/accommodation/flight covered

Presenters / sources mentioned

  • Edward Hartanto Enrico Abadi (main speaker)
  • Farel (host/introducer; BINUS/Bekasi campus context)

Companies/events referenced:

  • Ruang Guru (organizer context for “Clash of Champions”)
  • BINUS Bekasi / BINUS (campus/program context)
  • Garena SA
  • Mobin
  • Sibank
  • L’Oréal
  • Tokopedia / Shopee (competitor comparison example)
  • Unilever (marketing case example)
  • Walls (by Unilever) (marketing case example)
  • COC and BINUS Mapres 2023 (achievement/program references)

Original video