KAPT Team members (from left) Tyler Cheung, Wesley Tong, Katie Lam and Arthur Chan with sponsors after the prize presentation.

'We are the champions' are certainly the appropriate words to describe the feelings of the MBA Association's KAPT team members, who recently became the Hong Kong Champions in the 1999 Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) Management Game.

The KAPT team, which comprises Arthur Chan, Tyler Cheung, Peter Kam, Katie Lam and Wesley Tong, participated in the HKMA Management Game this year on 26 June. The annual game is organized by the HKMA, which challenges teams of business executives to outwit each other in the making of management decisions in a timely and strategic manner. Each team operates as a company to compete in a competitive business environment. Since the game was launched in 1971, around 400 managers and executives from various sectors have come together to form teams to participate in it each year.

KAPT successfully outperformed 30 teams this year to take the $25,000 cash prize and the South China Morning Post Perpetual Trophy. They will represent Hong Kong in the regional final against teams from Australia, India, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore on 2 December.

'At the beginning, we thought this was just a game to beat the business model and that it had nothing to do with real life. However, the simulation turned out to be quite realistic, especially when the economy was not doing so well. The strategy then became how to stay ahead of your competitors instead of the normal profit-oriented business decisions,' said team leader Katie Lam in exuberance.

Another team from the MBA association, VICTORY, came in close as the second runner-up. VICTORY team members included Agnes Choi, Victor Lui, Lorictor Tam and Elly Tjuti.