The Hooponomics Team from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), has achieved an outstanding international achievement by winning First Place at the 2025 Asia Pacific Student Case Competition. The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) organized the competition, which took place virtually on June 28, 2025. Over 100 student teams from various universities across the Asia-Pacific region participated.
The Hooponomics Team consists of five Accounting students from the class of 2022: Clea Amabelle (Accounting-IUP 2022), Azalia Ilma Irfani (Accounting-IUP 2022), Della Nurhaliza (Accounting 2022), Steven Nathanael Liyanto (Accounting-IUP 2022), dan Aurora Btari Maharani Putri Suhendi (Accounting 2022). Under Wuri Handayani, Ph.D., and Singgih Wijayana, Ph.D., the team successfully solved a case study involving the NBA basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks.
In this competition, participants faced the challenge of solving a complex case. They had to determine how the Dallas Mavericks (Franchise A) could optimize their performance and financial efficiency to become strong playoff contenders again. The Mavericks, who already have 12 permanent players, must recruit three additional players to complete their ideal lineup. However, they face obstacles such as an inefficient salary structure, a high luxury tax burden, and weaknesses in defense, rebounding, and offensive efficiency.
Team member Aurora Btari explained that participants designed an optimal player acquisition strategy using a cost-benefit analysis approach through trades, drafts, and free agency. The decision-making process had to consider player performance indicators, such as points per game, defensive rating, and blocks per game, as well as salary structures and their impact on the team’s finances. The analysis also needed to consider the Mavericks’ position in the league competition to ensure the acquisition strategy aligned with tactical needs and NBA market trends.
“This competition required financial knowledge and the ability to conduct a comprehensive strategic analysis. We had to evaluate costs and benefits in detail while formulating strategies to convince new players to join, given the fierce competition with other clubs,” said Aurora.
Aurora added that this achievement resulted from the team’s hard work and strong cohesion. Furthermore, this success came about thanks to the support of the Career and Student Development Unit (CSDU) of FEB UGM, which provided mentoring programs offering perspectives and evaluations of the developed solutions. Intensive guidance from faculty advisors also strengthened the team’s readiness to face the competition.
Wuri Handayani, Ph.D., the faculty advisor, expressed her appreciation for the team’s accomplishment. According to her, the FEB UGM team successfully presented a very detailed explanation of the strategies and solutions offered. She had previously encouraged the team to ensure that the proposed solutions were realistic, feasible, and included in-depth feasibility studies and contingency plans for potential risks.
“I saw that the team could provide a detailed explanation of the proposed solutions and the considerations that needed attention, ” she said.
Wuri hopes that this achievement by FEB UGM students will inspire other students. She encourages more students to seize opportunities, develop their potential, and actively participate in competitions at the national and international levels.
Reporter: Orie Priscylla Mapeda Lumalan
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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