Making global exposure a reality for Nepali undergrads

"It's not that we don't have young talent in Nepal. It's just that we need to provide the right platform for them to unleash their potential.The CIMA Global Business Challenge is exactly the platform an undergraduate needs!"

With thousands of students graduating every year from different colleges affiliated to various universities all over Nepal, the job market is getting tougher by the day. We often find ourselves preparing for the tough market ahead but fall short in terms of opportunities that might help us in our all-round development; something that’ll help separate us from the crowd. We, as students, complain that we do not have enough exposure, lament the ‘lack of practical knowledge’ in our education system and feel that we are not prepared enough for the tests that wait us once we graduate. However, instead of complaining about what’s lacking and what could have been better, it is time that we made the most of the opportunities that are available to us.

One such amazing opportunity for undergraduate level business students all over the world is the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Global Business Challenge 2015, which is an annual business competition designed to bring the best out of future business leaders. Nepal is among the 24 nations involved in the competition and undergraduate students in Nepal too will have the platform to showcase their business acumen and make a real impression in front of international judges that comprise of hotshots from Barclays Bank, Unilever, Tesco and so on.

Who is organizing it?
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA),a UK based  professional management accountants qualification degree organizes the competition every year in partnership with Barclays to give the future business leaders of 24 countries the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be business consultants and learn real life business skills.

Having participated in the competition and represented Nepal in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2013, Shristi Mishra and I have taken on the responsibility to make this glorious opportunity available to undergraduate students in Nepal. As country representatives for the Global Business Challenge in Nepal, we have been making presentations in business schools, motivating students to make the most of this opportunity of a global exposure.

So what do you need to do?
Make a team of four undergraduate students (from the same college), register your team for FREE and start working on a case study provided by CIMA. Acting as business consultants, you’ll need to submit a 3000 word report addressing the various real life issues faced by the company in the case.
Upon submission, 4 teams will be shortlisted for the Nepal finals whereby each will make a presentation on the same case in front of a panel of national judges.

One winning team will get a lifetime opportunity to represent Nepal in an all-expenses paid trip to Poland in August 2015.

Why should you participate?

-          Because for undergraduates opting to stay back in Nepal and study here, it is a lifetime opportunity to travel to Poland and experience what it’s like abroad- that too for free!

-          Education is separation and this is your chance to separate yourself from the crowd by showcasing your talent to employers.

-          To apply what you've learnt in undergrad school and get the feel of what is it like to consult a business.

-          This competition will give you a sense of where exactly do you stand as a future business leader and realize your strengths and weaknesses as you prepare for the job market ahead.

-          It is a great platform to network with people from over 24 countries. Imagine the lifelong contacts you’ll build in Poland!

-          Just imagine the pride of representing your country in a global platform- priceless!

Why won’t you participate?

-          Because you’ll doubt if you have the capability to make an international standard report. Don’t worry! CIMA has uploaded two reference reports to make your job easier. Take help from those and get started.

-          You’ll want to wait until next year. However, if you’re already in your final year, this is your last chance since you’ll need to be an undergrad to participate. In our case when we participated in 2013, we would have ended up going to India instead of South Africa if we’d waited one more year.

-          You’ll think that because you don’t have a CIMA qualification, you won’t be able to compete. We had Pokhara University’s degree with us when we participated. However, we still managed to get every financial calculation spot on. So that shouldn't be something that’s holding you back. If we could, why can’t you?

-          Assignments and exams galore, we understand. But exams and assignments come around every single time. Opportunity like this does not! It’s all about time management. If you get started early, it shouldn't be a problem at all.

-          Because you feel that the competition is tough. In the first phase of submitting a report, you should only concentrate on your own report and not be bothered about others. If you make it to the top 4 yes, there’s a slight competition but don’t you think it’s better to head to Poland as a deserving winner?

Back in 2013 when we participated, we got to experience amazing things that you can never imagine to get as an undergraduate student in Nepal. Now as organizers for the competition in Nepal, we are bringing this opportunity to you solely because we believe that Nepalese students have the talent to make a big name in the global arena. It’s just that the exposure and platform is lacking and we are bringing you just that. Our aim is to make sure that a Nepali team makes it to the top 6 in the next 2-3 years and not merely as just a participant.

 If you take pride in representing your country and truly believe that you've got what it takes to be a future business leader, the CIMA Global Business Challenge is just for you!

Register now! Early bird gets the worm and in this case, early bird gets the case study and scenarios quicker to get started on the report.
 Sign up now at:  www.cimaglobal.com/gbc
Contact: 9849256805 for queries.