Last month, Harvard Business School visited SUIS Gubei and hosted a dynamic and engaging business competition for all grade 10 students.
The event took place at the first-floor basketball court. Students formed small groups and were assigned unique roles within a simulated market (e.g., CEO, CFO). They aimed to compete against other teams by presenting the most innovative and effective business strategies.
The primary aim of HBS’s visit was to promote business education and spark economic curiosity among students. Participants faced challenging decisions requiring bold risk-taking and a strategic, meticulous mindset. The event encouraged students to expand their understanding of economics by honing critical thinking skills and entrepreneurial abilities to solve real-world problems. With the collaboration between HBS and Duolingo, exciting prizes, such as stickers and other small tokens, were awarded to the teams with the most outstanding business proposals.
上月，哈佛商学院访问了协和古北，并为所有10年级学生举办了一场充满活力且饶有趣味的商业竞赛。
活动在一楼篮球馆内举行，学生们分成若干小组，在模拟市场环境中扮演特定角色（如首席执行官、首席财务官等）。他们的任务是通过展示最具创新性和效率的商业策略，以超越其他团队。
哈佛商学院的来访旨在于推动商业教育的发展，激发学生对经济学领域的探究兴趣。参与者将面临一系列挑战，这些挑战要求他们勇于冒险、制定战略，并进行细致入微的思考。活动鼓励学生通过培养批判性思维和企业家精神来深化对经济学的认识，并解决实际问题。在哈佛商学院与多邻国的协作下，表现最杰出的商业提案团队将有机会获得一系列有趣的奖励，包括玩偶和贴纸等小型纪念品。
The first-floor basketball court buzzed excitedly as we gathered in three or four teams for a hands-on business challenge. The event began with an introduction highlighting the significance of economics and business in daily life. The host emphasized how these principles enable businesses to profit and provide the quality products and services we rely on daily.
This challenge centered on Duolingo, a widely used language-learning platform facing financial difficulties. After outlining Duolingo’s struggles and strategies, the host tasked us with developing creative ways to boost its profitability. Each team brainstormed ideas such as targeted advertisements, launching Duolingo-themed merchandise like comics or apparel, or organizing engaging events to increase revenue.
Adding to the challenge, teams had to make a catchy slogan to support thier proposal. Teams collaborated intensely, working for only ten minutes before the host invited volunteers to pitch their ideas. Several students confidently presented their plans in concise, 30-second pitches, showcasing a range of innovative strategies.
活动伊始，一楼篮球馆内洋溢着激动人心的氛围，我们被划分为三至四个小组参与实践性的商业挑战。主持人向我们阐述了经济学与商业在日常生活中所扮演的关键角色。他特别强调了这些基本原理对于企业盈利的重要性，以及它们如何确保我们能够获得高质量的产品与服务。
本次挑战的核心在于多邻国，一个广受欢迎的语言学习平台，目前正遭遇财务挑战。在对多邻国当前的困境及其应对策略进行概述之后，主持人邀请我们提出创新性的方案以增强其盈利潜力。各团队纷纷提出了自己的构想，包括实施精准定位的广告策略、推出以多邻国品牌为依托的商品（例如漫画书或服饰系列），以及策划各种趣味性活动以拓展收入来源。
此外，各参赛队伍需提出一则富有吸引力的口号以支持其提案。在主持人邀请大家阐述其想法之前，各队仅有十分钟时间进行准备。数名学生以自信的姿态，在短短的30秒内展示了一系列创新策略。
The event served as a platform for students to develop critical skills, including collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving. We received some positive feedback from participants, including Tracy Zhuang of 10JJ, who found it fun and exciting. “The HBS event provides a platform for us to express our hidden innovative ideas — those we don’t usually think of — it broadens our perspectives, relating them to real life.” she marked, “Developing and training our critical thinking skills through this event, we can apprehend our future horizons.”The Head of the Humanities Department, Mr. Morgenstein, echoed these sentiments: “It was great to see students think critically and work with their peers to apply what we said in class to real-world case studies. The simulations and the case studies help the students to gain more real-world knowledge, provoking thoughts for the students to apply the concept of economics in the future — whether they want to start their own business one day or think about what role they would play in a company if that’s the case.”
该活动为学生提供了锻炼批判性思维技能的良机，涵盖了团队协作、创新精神以及解决问题的能力。参与其中的10JJ班级学生Tracy Zhuang对此活动给予了正面评价，她认为该活动既有趣又令人振奋。她提到：“哈佛商学院举办的活动为我们提供了一个展现潜在创新思维的平台——那些我们日常生活中可能未曾触及的想法，它拓展了我们的视野，并将这些想法与现实世界相联系。”她进一步阐述道：“通过参与此类活动，我们得以培养和加强批判性思维能力，从而为我们的未来奠定基础。”
人文组主管Morgenstein先生也表达了类似的看法：“目睹学生们能够进行批判性思考，并与同伴协作，将课堂所学知识应用于现实世界的情境分析中，实为令人欣慰。模拟和案例研究不仅有助于学生掌握更多实际知识，还能激发他们将经济学原理应用于实际操作中——无论他们将来是计划创业，还是思考在企业中可能担任的角色。”
This enriching event provided students with a deeper understanding of the intricate operations behind successful enterprises like Duolingo. Beyond business, it underscored the importance of applying theoretical classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. Among the 100 + Grade 10 students who attended the event, many were inspired to consider their future careers in business and economics. They may be more determined to pursue their desired careers in business and economics. Even those pursuing different paths gained valuable insights into the universal relevance of economic principles in daily life. Even those pursuing different paths gained valuable insights into the universal relevance of the economic tenets in daily life.
Harvard Business School’s visit left a lasting impression, fostering innovation and critical thinking while reinforcing the connection between classroom knowledge and real-world applications, preparing us for the challenges that lies ahead in our future educational voyage.
此次活动内容丰富，使学生们得以深入了解诸如多邻国等成功企业的复杂运营机制。活动不仅聚焦于商业领域，还着重强调了将课堂所学理论知识应用于现实世界的必要性。参与活动的100余名10年级学生中，许多人受到了启发，开始考虑将商业和经济学作为其未来职业发展的方向。他们可能会因此更加坚定地致力于在商业和经济学领域实现自己的职业抱负。即便那些未来可能选择不同职业道路的学生，也从活动中获得了宝贵的洞见，认识到经济原则在日常生活中的广泛应用。
哈佛商学院的来访给我们留下了深刻的印象，它在培养创新思维和批判性思维的同时，也加强了课堂知识与现实应用之间的联系，为我们未来的教育之旅中可能遇到的挑战做好了准备。
written by
Rebecca Hou, Elsa Tang and Mia Yu