ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The Business Cup Challenge (BCC) is a unique platform, designed to challenge high school students and launch them into the business world at a young age. The BCC was introduced in 2013 by Lancaster University Ghana in partnership with the Transnational Academic Group and its partnership schools and has increased in popularity since then.
This challenge is designed to provide a platform for aspiring business enthusiastic students to showcase their innovative ideas, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Through this competition, students will be encouraged to assess real-life problems, analyze critical business scenarios, develop, and implement business plans to solve those problems, and present a case to an academic and professional panel.
High school students will get the opportunity to work as part of a team, in a competitive environment and be guided by mentors.
This year the Business Cup Challenge will focus on the Internet of Things and its use in businesses.
BCC 2025 THEME AND TIMELINE
THEME: INTERNET OF THINGS
Computing power and internet access have become so affordable that it’s now possible to connect almost anything to the internet, creating a world of unprecedented convenience. Today, and even more so in the future, people can coordinate every aspect of their lives through internet-connected smartphones, computers, or digital assistants. From cooking breakfast and cleaning the house to scheduling appointments, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, artificial intelligence, and robotics can manage tasks.
Just as these technologies will revolutionize our personal lives, they will also transform our business lives, driving productivity advancements and causing significant disruptions across entire industries. This century will see the rise of ubiquitous computing, where nearly everything is connected to the internet.
The 2025 edition of Business Cup Challenge focuses on the Internet of Things, challenging High School students to envision the future and develop IoT-based solutions for business cases across various industries.
3 cases on the I0T will be addressed. The cases will be sufficiently broad to allow for many creative solutions. The case responses will be judged on the creativity/uniqueness of the solution, the technical and social feasibility of the solution, the financial viability, and the results of the PESTEL analysis.
GUIDELINES
THE FINE PRINTS: ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION
- The competition is open to all high schools in Ghana.
- There is no entry fee to participate in this competition.
- Each school can register up to three teams from grade 11.
- Each team can consist of a minimum of four to a maximum of six members.
- Each school can register a maximum of 3 teams.
- Each participating school is required to nominate a Team Supervisor to liaise with the University.
- After each team has registered individually, mentors/teachers must email [email protected] to confirm the list of students and teams from their school so they can be eligible to participate.
- Registrations close at 5.00 PM on 29 November 2024
- Cases and guidelines are released online (BCC Site) as per schedule for easy access to the Team Supervisors
- Certificates will only be issued to the teams participating in the elevator pitch / grand finale. Teams that drop out before that point will not be awarded certificates.
- All answers must be submitted to the link provided, the submission link will be active as soon as the case studies are released.
- Case studies will be rated, and feedback given online. Please refer to the marking rubric for more information about markings.
- Teams will be awarded points according to the set criteria.
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY 1
Answers to be submitted by: 30th Jan 2025
CASE STUDY 2
Answers to be submitted by: 6th Feb 2025
FINAL CASE/GRAND FINALE
Live Presentation – 21st Feb 2025
TIMELINES
Date | Activity |
1st October - 29 November 2025 | Registration Open |
1st October - 29 November 2025 | Orientation Workshops (in person and Virtual) Accra, Kumasi & Cape Coast) |
2nd - 18th January 2025 | Promotions (in-person) Accra, Kumasi & Cape Coast) |
23rd January 2025 | Case Study 1 Release |
30th January 2025 | Case Study 1 Submission |
3rd - 7th February 2025 | Case Study 1 Marking |
30th January 2025 | Case Study 2 Release |
6th February 2025 | Case Study 2 Submission |
10th - 14th February 2025 | Case Study 2 Marking |
6th February 2025 | Elevator Pitch & Case Study 3 release |
21st February 2025 | Grand Finale - Case study 3 & Elevator Pitch |
Cases Study | Case Study Question Released | Answers Submitted/ Live Presentation | Marking Period | Results Released |
Case 1 | 20th Jan 2025 | 30th Jan 2025 | 3rd - 7th Feb 2025 | 10th Feb 2025 |
Case 2 | 30th Jan 2025 | 6th Feb 2025 | 10th - 14th Feb 2025 | 17th Feb 2025 |
Final Case/Grand finale | 6th Feb 2025 | Live Presentation - 21st Feb 2025 | Panel assessment - 21st Feb 2025 | Awards - 21st Feb 2025 |
LEADERBOARD
PRIZES AND AWARDS
Apart from medals and the BCC Trophy, Winners will also receive cash prizes, gadgets, and scholarships to study at Lancaster University Ghana. Teams/participants that make it to the elevator pitch and grand finale will be eligible for the participation certificate. Teams that drop out before that point will not be awarded certificates.
BCC OVER THE YEARS
2013
Winner
Faith Montessori School
2014
Winner
Roman Ridge School
2015
Winner
Wesley Girls High School
2024
Winner
International Community School, Kumasi
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
Join us in supporting the next generation of business leaders by sponsoring the 2025 edition of the Business Cup Challenge. Your brand will have the opportunity to engage with top talent and gain visibility across a wide audience.
To sponsor the event, please send an email to [email protected] for more information.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Citi TV/FM, Multimedia, Atlantis Radio, 3Music TV, Business and Financial Times