Fact Sheet
Issued by the
APEC Secretariat
November 2009
2009 APEC 20th Anniversary Essay Contest
To mark APEC’s 20th Anniversary in 2009, the Secretariat invited business students from APEC’s 21
member economies to write an original essay on: “What can APEC do for Business?” Targeted invitations
were sent to over 100 of the region’s top business schools and a general invitation was issued via the APEC
website.
PRIZEWINNERS
1. The winner is Geoffrey (Kok Heng) See from Singapore. Geoffrey is currently studying state-owned
enterprises in China at Yale University in the United States. His essay recommends that APEC work to
reduce ‘institutional distance’ (i.e. differences in institutional environments) so that the Asia-Pacific can
be the world’s global production cluster.
2. The first runner-up is Indra Surya Susantio from Indonesia. Indra is a student at the Graduate School
of Commerce, Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. His essay advocates that APEC work to encourage
the private sector to provide goods and services for lower-income consumers as a way of fostering
economic development.
3. The second runner-up is Sunviana Sunaryo from Indonesia. Sunviana is studying for a Bachelor of
Business at the Prasetiya Mulya Business School, Jakarta, Indonesia. Her essay proposes five ‘green
steeps’ that APEC should take to promote sustainable economic growth and to generate new ‘green’
business opportunities.
The winners will be congratulated by Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, on the sidelines of the
APEC CEO Summit on the 13th of November.
The full text of the three essays is available at:
http://www.apec.org/apec/news___media/media_releases/20091012_student.html
Abstracts of the essays are provided below.
For more information, contact:
Linda Carroll at lac@apec.org or at (65) 9617 7316
Anita Douglas at ad@apec.org or at (65) 9172 6427
APEC Member Economies: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia;
Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; and Viet Nam.
Fact Sheet
Issued by the
APEC Secretariat
November 2009
1. WINNING ESSAY:
Asia Pacific as the World’s Global Cluster? Reinterpreting APEC’s role in a world of
increasing institutional distance
Author: Geoffrey (Kok Heng) See
Citizenship/Permanent residency: Singapore
Student of: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, The United States
Abstract
The Boeing Dreamliner project is remarkable not just for its amazing product, or its interminable delays, but
also for the unprecedented global production network it has brought together. Boeing chose to rely on
suppliers from all around the world not just for the delivery of selected parts, but also for research and
development collaboration and the production of entire subsystems of the plane.
This network provides a glimpse of the global cluster: a futuristic approach to production that links producers
from all over the world to produce much more efficiently than ever before and to produce things that could
not be produced before. If the global cluster becomes a reality, this new production system will provide an
enormous boost to trade, economic collaboration and technological collaboration between economies. This
is why APEC must care about this transition in production systems, promote it, and make Asia-Pacific the
most competitive host for it.
However, delays in Dreamliner production reveal problems with the global cluster. The global cluster is made
possible by innovations in communication and decreasing ‘institutional distance’ between economies. As the
institutional environment in different economies become more similar, inter-economy collaboration becomes
easier. However, evidence points towards increasing differences between institutional environments (which
business academics term ‘institutional distance’) throughout this decade.
APEC, by viewing its ‘Three Pillars’ mission through the lens of global clusters, can effectively aid the
transition in production systems. APEC can overcome the key obstacle of increasing institutional distance by
leveraging its unique network of state and private actors to identify key institutional distances to close and to
persuade relevant actors to take action.
APEC Member Economies: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia;
Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; and Viet Nam.
Fact Sheet
Issued by the
APEC Secretariat
November 2009
2. SECOND PLACE:
What can APEC do for Business?: Fostering Economic Growth through the Business
Development Program at the Base Of the Pyramid
Author: Indra Surya Susantio
Citizenship/Permanent residency: Indonesia
Student of: Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract
This essay attempts to emphasize the importance of the private sector’s involvement through APEC participation in
fostering economic development at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP).
In December 2008, the Asian Development Bank reported that poverty in the Asia Pacific region is estimated to be
much larger than earlier reported. The region was also reported to be facing major hurdles in meeting its Millennium
Development Goals. Following ADB reports, in January 2009, the World Economic Forum, in partnership with The
Boston Consulting Group presented a set of new insights and design principles which can help companies tap the
economic potential of BOP markets in ways that serve both commercial and societal goals.
In fact, both reports concluded that the task to reduce poverty is far too large for the public sector to handle by itself,
and so the role of the private sector in poverty reduction and inclusive growth is therefore critical. They argue that the
private sector can play a bigger role in improving the lives of the poor and near poor than it does now, leaving the
public sector to focus on those most in need.
While many companies around the world are increasing their engagement in emerging markets, many remain
focused on the high-income populations in those countries. The major reason is because the BOP approach needs
an innovative concept that channels private entrepreneurship towards inclusive development. Unfortunately, most of
the private sector has been familiar with traditional and regular ways of doing business, and therefore faces difficulty
in changing their ways of doing business in the BOP market.
I submit this proposal for a private sector-led response with the conviction that innovative marketing approaches will
provide solutions to continuous business growth in APEC members.
APEC Member Economies: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia;
Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; and Viet Nam.
Fact Sheet
Issued by the
APEC Secretariat
November 2009
3. THIRD PLACE:
APEC 5 GREEN Steps: Facilitating ‘Green’ Business in Asia-Pacific Region
Author: Sunviana Sunaryo
Citizenship/Permanent residency: Indonesia
Student of: Bachelor Business, Prasetiya Mulya Business School, Jakarta
Abstract
Businesses around the globe are currently facing two of the most detrimental crises of the 21 st century – a
financial crisis and an environmental crisis. I believe focusing only on financial concerns will be a big historic
mistake. Hence, global environmental issues and promoting sustainable economic growth should be an
imperative worldwide agenda, constituting an important topic for discussion in many forums, organizations
and cooperation, including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The essay begins by delving into the status quo related to climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. The
environmental crisis will outlast the serious economic downturn that worsens the financial crisis in the region.
Significant loss of marine, agricultural and industrial revenue and additional environmental costs will be both
big burdens and obstacles for APEC economic activities.
To address the problems, this essay proposes APEC 5 GREEN steps. These include:

Generating Climate Change Research in the Asia-Pacific Region

Reinforcing Green Investment Officer

Encouraging Green Investment and Funding

Establishing Annual Asia-Pacific Green Economy Conference

Navigating the Right Path for the Next Green Business Leader
APEC is beyond regional cooperation, it plays a global role and I am firmly certain that APEC can translate
the environmental crisis into lucrative business opportunities. These strengths and opportunities can
successfully tackle all major weaknesses and threats to the APEC 5 GREEN steps proposal. These will be
briefly discussed through a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat) analysis. Afterwards, this
essay shows economy benefits that APEC 5 GREEN steps will bring to Asia-Pacific economies.
Finally, the essay comes to the conclusion that APEC 5 GREEN steps are convincingly feasible steps to
enhance the role of APEC in promoting sustainable green economy and simultaneously facilitating lucrative
business in the region.
APEC Member Economies: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia;
Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States; and Viet Nam.