Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Once again, proud news resounds from the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) contingent in the 2023 National Student Competition in Business, Management, and Finance (KBMK) final round. The last sequence of the competition was held from August 7th to 11th, 2023, at the IPMI International Business School in South Jakarta. The UGM contingent, consisting of students from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) and the Department of Economics and Business of the Vocational School (DEB SV), successfully clinched five championship titles. This remarkable achievement also solidified UGM as receiving the highest number of medals in this year's KBMK event.

KBMK is an annual competition organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek). The event aims to provide a platform for the nation's best talents to showcase their potential and interest in business, management, and finance. This year, KBMK adopted the theme "Manifestation of the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) Concept in Supporting Indonesia's Chairmanship in ASEAN 2023 for Blue Economic Development and Strengthening Maritime Development in the Indo-Pacific Region within the Framework of Business, Management, and Finance."

The detailed achievements of the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) contingent are as follows:

• The 2nd place in the Investment Research category was achieved by the Prianca Capital team consisting of Yogha Hari Purnomo (Banking SV 2020), Khansa Alifah Naflsa (Banking SV 2020), and David Kurnia Wardana (Banking SV 2020).
• The 3rd place in the Investment Research category was achieved by the Nauticapital team, consisting of Muhammad Zubair Wafir (Management 2020), Felicia Angelina (Accounting 2020), and Gary Neville (Management 2020).
• The 2nd place in the Investigative Audit Finance category was achieved by the Better Off team consisting of Haris Nur Rahmawati (Accounting 2020), M. Davit Rivaldo (Public Sector Accounting SV 2020), and Dai Malik Haryoko (Public Sector Accounting SV 2020).
• The 4th place in the Investigative Audit Finance category was achieved by the Pertow team, consisting of Aurelia Pingkan Wijayanti (Accounting 2020), Alberta Sakanti Sitakara (Accounting 2021), and Putri Nafisah lntani (Accounting 2021).
• The 3rd place in the Scientific Paper Writing category was achieved by the Specta team consisting of Zahra Dian Suryono (Economics 2020) and Azzahra Safira Romaddhina (Economics 2020).

The Secret Recipe Beyond UGM Contingent's Success at KBMK

In preparing its contingent for this prestigious event, UGM has a facilitating community called the Business Laboratory. The Business Laboratory was crucial in guiding UGM's delegates to achieve outstanding results in the KBMK competition. As an initial step, the community held internal socialization and selection to filter the teams representing UGM in the subsequent stages.

Eventually, the teams that have passed the internal selection proceed to the following stages, from the preliminary to the semifinals and final rounds. The Business Laboratory continually guided the UGM contingent throughout each phase to achieve the best outcomes. Apriana Vika Vianbara (Management 2021), the General Chair of the Business Laboratory, revealed, "In each of these stages, the Bizlab Team (short for Business Laboratory) provided intensive training, such as reviewing works and simulating the competition. These training sessions were aimed at preparing participants mentally and making them aware of the situation and conditions at the competition venue."

The training conducted by the Business Laboratory also collaborated with the Directorate of Student Affairs (Ditmawa) UGM. Additionally, the achievement could be reached due to the contribution of the lecturers who assisted during the preparation process, such as reviewing the participants' works. One of the lecturers who played a crucial role in the preparation of the UGM contingent is Choirunnisa Arifa, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., Ak., CA., a lecturer from the Department of Accounting at FEB UGM, who also served as the Coordinator of the KBMK Mentoring Group.

UGM's contingent's journey during KBMK was challenging. Apriana, also known as Ambar for short, then narrated the challenges UGM's delegates faced during this event's preparation process. "Before the final, we encountered obstacles due to the large number of KBMK participants who were engaged in the University Mandatory Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata/KKN). Nine students participated in KKN; seven were even located outside of Java Island when the semifinal round was announced. This situation momentarily hindered the training provided by Busines Laboratory and the professors, but it was eventually overcome by submitting permission request letters," she recounted.

On the other hand, a significant challenge for participants was the limited duration of time. In the final round, participants were given around 10 hours to solve a case and create a PowerPoint presentation. "This led to a lack of rest time for the entire contingent; there were even several students who fell ill during the final presentation session," said Ambar.

Despite the challenges, the UGM contingent successfully weathered the storm and reached for the stars in KBMK 2023. Ambar hopes that the contingent competing next year should prepare themselves to face potential issues that may arise during the competition. "I also hope that next year, the UGM contingent can dominate the first place in KBMK 2024," she concluded.

One of the Participant's Perspective: Balancing Studies, KKN, and KBMK

"Happy, touched, but still can't believe it. From the beginning, I had no expectations of becoming a champion. I'm really grateful, from initially just trying to register for KBMK to becoming a winner," said Haris Nur Rahmawati (Accounting 2020), a member of the Better Off team that successfully achieved 2nd place in the Investigative Audit Finance category.

Behind this remarkable achievement, the young woman, often called Riris, had to struggle with various challenges that came her way. During the internal selection, she juggled preparing for KBMK and attending classes. Moreover, the selection period coincided with the final project for her courses, as well as the final exams. Eventually, Riris and her team advanced to the semifinals.

However, new challenges emerged. The semifinal stage coincided with her KKN activities. She needed extra effort: carrying out KKN programs while working on the case study assigned for the semifinal round. With her KKN location in Ujung Kulon, Banten, the instability of internet signals also became a problem she had to face. Internet issues significantly hindered consultation with the Business Laboratory for the paper and PowerPoint preparation.

Entering the final phase, Riris had to travel from Ujung Kulon to Yogyakarta for a day and a night. After completing the final rehearsal, she and other participants from the UGM contingent traveled to Jakarta. In the final round, her team faced the challenge of solving an investigative audit case within a limited time, only a few hours. Unfortunately, during the case-solving, she fell ill.

Nevertheless, in the end, Riris overcame countless challenges and secured the second position in her team's category. She also shared tips for UGM students interested in participating in next year's KBMK, "Prepare mentally and physically. Because if your mental state, physical condition, and knowledge are ready, I think the competition process will run smoothly. Also, study and understand as many cases as possible for the Investigative Audit category. Prepare everything thoroughly. It's somewhat similar for other categories, too. Read more, especially topics related to the KBMK theme for that year, to gain useful insights for solving the case during the competition."

Once more, congratulations on the achievements, UGM KBMK 2023 contingent!

Reportage: Rizal Farizi