NEWS

On Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25, the student organization ORCA (Organization for Realizing Cocurricular Activities), in collaboration with APU, hosted the APU Annual Case Competition (AACC) for APU students.
The term “cocurricular2 refers to student-led activities that complement university education and broaden learning opportunities. Through initiatives such as case competitions and industry interviews, ORCA supports students in preparing for their careers after graduation.

A case competition is an event where participants propose solutions to real-world social and business challenges and compete based on the quality and feasibility of their ideas. While these competitions are often associated with students from the College of International Management, this year, students from the College of Asia Pacific Studies and the College of Sustainability and Tourism were encouraged to participate as well. The theme selected was “Wellness,” a topic familiar to all students.

The preliminary round attracted applications from all three colleges, with a total of 108 students participating. The competition focused on issues facing Beppu City, which aims to position itself as an international wellness destination leveraging its hot spring resources. Participants were asked to address problems such as declining visitor numbers, intensifying competition, and the sustainability of water resources. In the preliminary round, 27 teams presented their proposals before judges from Aimnext Corporation, Fukui Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Change Inc., and TMH Co., Ltd., as well as faculty members from Ritsumeikan University and APU. Four teams were selected to advance to the final round.

On the second day, the four finalist teams faced off, each adopting its own unique strategy. Ultimately, Team BIG4, composed of four APM students, claimed the championship. The team was highly praised for the validity of its problem-setting, the feasibility of its ideas, and identifying risks. Soft skills such as presentation delivery and effective team communication were key evaluation points, which also contributed to their victory. This year’s AACC concluded with the top three teams receiving cash prizes.

Comments from ORCA

The most significant achievement of this competition was the participation of Japanese students. Previous ORCA case competitions were primarily conducted in English, which posed a barrier for many Japanese students. To address this, the event was organized in a bilingual format, and efforts were made from the recruitment stage to ensure information reached a wider audience, including Japanese students. We hope this initiative will lead to greater participation by Japanese students going forward.
Additionally, students from Ritsumeikan University and the Kyushu Institute of Technology assisted with event operations, creating new connections with ORCA members. Building on these relationships, we aim to foster more collaborative learning opportunities among the three universities, including joint event planning in the future.