Prompts (Available 1/30 @ 2 p.m.)
Banking & Financial Systems
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Explain the purposes and components of retirement accounts.
- Define investment terms such as “risk management” and “rate of return.”
- Understand banking terms such as check register, savings account, interest, deposits, ATM, bank reconciliation, and withdrawals.
- Identify the advantages and disadvantages of credit and other credit-related terms such as credit ratings, credit reports, and secured and unsecured credit.
- List examples of short- and long-term financial goals.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
You are a retirement counselor for Planning for Success Bank, and you have an appointment this afternoon with Tom. Tom is 22 years old, recently graduated from college, and is about to begin his first full time job/career with a small local law firm. He has chosen to work as a legal assistant because he is considering Law School as his next step on his educational journey. Tom is currently single with no children.
Tom has student loans totaling $20,000 and needs advice on whether to prioritize investing or paying off debt first. He does not understand credit score or credit rating and is in need of counsel to navigate that.
When Tom attended orientation for his new job, he learned that Excellent Law Firm currently does not offer any retirement options to their employees, but he knows that the best way to plan ahead for retirement is to begin saving now. They have shared that by the end of 2021, they intend to offer a traditional IRA program available via payroll deduction, but they do not currently have plans to provide any matching to the traditional IRA.
Tom has scheduled an appointment with you to begin exploring how he can plan for retirement outside of anything his employer may offer. When you confirmed the appointment, he specifically asked that you be ready to help him understand the difference between looking at the following:
- Traditional savings account
- Short-term certificate of deposit
- Long-term certificate of deposit
- Risk Free certificate of deposit
- Roth IRA
- Traditional IRA without employer based plan
- Traditional IRA with employer based plan
Keep in mind that Tom is only 22 years old and has very few liquid assets. He needs guidance on what level of risk he should be willing to take.
Tom also wants to know if it will make more sense for him to wait until his employer begins offering a payroll-based retirement account, even though it is his preference to begin saving for retirement right now.
After the presentation concludes, the competitors will answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- How do we lower our debt while also establishing better credit?
- Tom has dreamed of taking a big trip to Europe for his 25th birthday, which is approaching soon. Knowing this, what other recommendations would you make to Tom on how to prepare for this goal that will also impact his financial situation?
Entrepreneurship
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You are the leadership team at TTBD Consulting Group – an entrepreneurial-focused organization that provides business development strategies, strategic planning, marketing support and talent acquisition to businesses in both the private and public sectors. You are to meet with the leadership team at NH Supplies, Inc. – a mid-sized manufacturing company that manufactures and sells household products directly to discount chains (ex: Family Dollar, Dollar General) to, in turn, sell to end-user consumers. NH Supplies, as noted in more detail in the case below, has asked your organization, TTBD Consulting Group to devise a multi-strategic plan to address four current challenges.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Critically assess marketing ideas and develop a branding campaign to help an entrepreneurship reposition its image and reintroduce its products to its existing customer base (marketing/branding).
- Propose a customer-service improvement plan (marketing/customer focus).
- Identify and present a change model to facilitate employee motivation (talent development/human relations).
- Effectively, as an entrepreneurial consulting team, present the three-part plan to your customer (communication).
CASE STUDY SITUATION
Your team represents the leadership partners of the TTBD Consulting Group (Top Tier Business Development), an entrepreneurial organization that provides business development strategies, strategic planning, marketing support and talent acquisition to businesses in both the private and public sectors. TTBD Consulting has been contracted by a mid-sized manufacturing company, NH Supplies, Inc. (National Household Supplies), that manufactures and sells household products directly to discount chains (ex: Family Dollar, Dollar General) to, in turn, sell to end-user consumers. Supplies include household cleaners, earth-friendly disinfectants, and laundry detergent.
NH Supplies was an entrepreneurial start-up seven years ago manufacturing two types of household cleaners. The company has since grown adding two types of earth-friendly disinfectants, and one laundry detergent. In early 2019, NH Supplies was sold to the new owners who decided to keep the name, “NH Supplies”. The new owners still consider the company to be entrepreneurial in mission and spirit.
Within the last year though, several challenges have surfaced in NH Supplies’ business model and infrastructure. The company is also experiencing a decreasing market share with the discount retailers, and significant demotivation of current employees who “liked things the way they were” with the former owners.
NH Supplies has asked your TTBD team to develop and implement a plan to address the challenges and to help increase market share through a rebranding campaign to the discount chains as well as increase employee morale and motivation.
Specifically,
- Create an overview for a company branding campaign that will “reintroduce” NH Supplies and its products to the discount retailers (the market it serves). Your team’s overview of this campaign should include a brief introduction of NH Supplies emphasizing a “new direction” that the company is taking as well as ideas for a new brand or image that will improve NH Supplies’ name recognition and product recognition among the discount chains it serves.
- Given challenges in the market, NH Supplies also wants to overhaul its customer service strategy. Though not identified by specific surveys or focus groups, word has it that some of the discount chains that purchase NH Supplies’ products are not happy with the level of service they are receiving. Hence, your team is to develop a process for identifying and resolving customer service issues.
- Due to the change to new leadership, internally, many current employees are demotivated and resistant to any change the new owners are creating. The company has asked your team to develop and present a change management model that will help employees accept current and future changes as well as respect, rather than resent the new leadership.
Directly after presenting, answer the judges’ questions:
- What is the importance of proper branding for a company?
- Explain the relationship between customer retention and sales.
- What are some general ways to keep employees motived?
There are no right or wrong answers. Please be prepared though to present and defend your suggestions in the four areas identified by NH Supplies, Inc.
Help Desk
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 10 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is five minutes. At four minutes the timekeeper will stand and hold up a colored card indicating one minute is left, and at five minutes the timekeeper will stand and hold up a colored card indicating time is up.
- You are a part of a Customer Service/Tech Support team that provides support to small businesses and non-profit organizations. The IT company you work for, Orca Technologies, is based in Redmond, Washington, has clients from across the state, and you work remotely from your home.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- You are required to participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Create positive interactions with customers.
- Identify customer needs.
- Describe techniques to meet customer needs.
- Use basic tools and technologies in providing customer support.
- Apply critical thinking skills to resolve incidents quickly and consistently.
- Effectively communicate strategies for working through various situations.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
You are part of a Customer Service/Tech Support team that provides support to small businesses and non-profit organizations. Orca Technologies specializes in providing customer service and technical support to companies and organizations with operating budgets that are not able to support having dedicated IT specialists on their staff, so they outsource your company to provide IT support to their employees.
For this scenario, your team has received a call ticket from a contractor for the Puppy Hearts Organization. This contractor does not work for Puppy Hearts directly, rather they serve as a contracted trainer and support person for the Puppy Hearts employees as it relates to internal trainings for employees on running programs for the organization.
Because this person is a contractor, they are not using Orca Technologies issued equipment to do their work for Puppy Hearts, rather they have been granted remote access to the Puppy Hearts shared drive on their own personal computer. This contractor is calling because they have lost access to the shared drive.
You will need to be able to walk the contractor through a process to troubleshoot their issue with access to the Puppy Hearts shared drive. If you are able to provide additional information on how to complete the task, please share this information with them.
There is no right or wrong answer. The ability of the competitor to provide a solution, based on the facts provided (and those you care to add), should be the basis for the score. The competitor should present his/her suggestions with clarity and conviction.
Things to consider
You must address the following in your presentation:
- What the scenario is and the scope involved
- State your position and why
- Offer effective solutions for meeting the customer’s needs
Virtual Role Play
Pretend the customer (judge) is sharing the following scenario with you. Record your video as if you are having a conversation with them about their issue and responding to their issue. Feel free to assume responses from the customer for your presentation.
Customer (Judge) Response
Thank you for your assistance! I am trying to access the Puppy Hearts Organization shared drive, but when I do, a window pops up on my screen that says “The network folder specified is currently mapped using a different user name and password. To connect using a different user name and password, first disconnect any existing mappings to this network share.” Will you please help me with access?
Hospitality & Event Management
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- Your team will assume the role of the restaurant management team for a restaurant in a major conference hotel. The general manager for your hotel wants to hear your plan to increase brunch sales during a time when food prices are increasing rapidly.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Explain how the economy impacts the hospitality industry.
- Explain marketing strategies to increase sales.
- Analyze business procedures to make suggestions for improvements
- Explain the role of competition in the hospitality industry.
- Define service marketing for the hospitality industry.
- Discuss public relations strategies for a hospitality venue.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
(Max’s) a restaurant at a major hotel has experienced a substantial drop in sales for brunch. They are famous for their brunch menu, but a new chef has seen a decline in sales. Brunch prices range from $15-30 a plate. However, the new chef is sourcing ingredients from a different supplier and some reviews have mentioned the food does not seem fresh and the wait time for food is too long. The city where Max’s is located has a vibrant economy from tourism and conferences, but the hotel where Max’s is located is on the outskirts of downtown. The plus side of this is that Max’s has their own parking lot and it is easy to access the restaurant and hotel. Many patrons tend to be businesspeople staying in the hotel, but also families who drive in from the suburbs on the weekends for brunch and to shop downtown.
You are the restaurant management team for Max’s. The general manager for the hotel (the judges) where Max’s is located wants to hear strategies for improving sales for the restaurant. You will present your strategy to improve the reputation for Max’s, increase brunch sales, and change the image (restaurant/customer service) for Max’s. Your presentation must include details for reaching target markets and informing those markets of the new Max’s.
Your presentation must indicate challenges for Max’s and strategies to overcome those economic challenges.
You must consider the following challenges:
- Importance of understanding the competition when developing marketing strategies
- Importance of following up on customer survey concerns
- Importance of business image
- Strategies to maximize profitability
- Strategies to increase customer satisfaction
- Value of repeat customers
After the presentation concludes, the competitors will answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- What is the current reputation for Max’s?
- What changes will make Max’s more attractive for customers?
- What promotional strategy will you implement to increase brunch sales for weekday businesspeople and families visiting on the weekends?
There is no right or wrong answer to the event. However, in a team event, the ability of the team members to work together to come to a consensus, based on the facts provided (and those that you care to add) should be the basis for the score. The individual or team should present its suggestions with clarity and conviction.
International Business
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- Your team is a part of a multinational engineering firm that is proposing infrastructure projects in the U.A.E.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Define international business.
- Explain terms and concepts related to international business and marketing.
- Explain the impact international business has on consumers, business, and countries.
- Describe what a company must consider when developing a product/service in other countries.
- Recognize the legal issues related to managing a business in the global environment.
- Recognize legal differences in areas such as consumer protection, product guidelines, labor laws, contract formulation, liability, and taxation for various countries.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
An international business consultant (the competitors) has been hired full-time by a multinational engineering firm (the judges). The firm is preparing to pitch infrastructure projects to the local government in the city of Dubai, UAE. The proposal includes two major freeway overpasses and one roundabout highway interchange. The team will be flying out to make the presentation in person and the consultant has been invited to attend and advise throughout the trip.
The consultant (the competitors) will be conducting a meeting with the engineering team (the judges) to prepare them for the presentation. The engineering team needs to be advised in the following areas:
- Any legal issues might the engineering firm incur when working in the U.A.E. regarding how the highway systems work, importing supplies, consumer protection, labor laws, and local customs.
- What research you recommend the team do to find local labor, suppliers, and even translators on the project.
- Any cultural differences the team needs to note as they fly in to meet with locals regarding the project in Dubai.
- Inform the team of the next steps they will need to move forward with after their presentation. Is it customary to form a contract, deposit, and timeline for the project?
- How the team should proceed in finding local labor, suppliers, and translators on the project.
Please present to the engineering team on the topics listed above so they can prepare for their trip.
After the presentation has concluded, please answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions
- What is the most difficult piece of doing business in another country?
- How can someone best prepare to expand their business internationally?
- What skills/qualities would you look for in a team that was going to work abroad?
Introduction to Event Planning
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- If participating as a team, all team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
- Individuals/teams should introduce themselves, describe the situation, make their recommendations, and summarize their cases.
- Please answer the judges’ questions after your presentation.
Background Information
- You are an event coordinator at a high-end venue on the beach in Los Angeles. Your job is to coordinate logistics of events with the client and vendors all while staying on budget. The venue consists of a restaurant, dining area, landscaped patio, and upper deck with views of the ocean. You have a culinary team and staff of servers who work events. The venue has hosted weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, retirement parties, corporate events and holiday parties as well as political fundraisers.
Scenario
The judges will be playing the role of your client—a large tech company from LA who is looking to host their holiday party at your venue. The client will have 100 guests in attendance and the dress code is black tie. You will need to propose a 3-course menu for the seated dinner, as well as passed appetizers for the beginning of the event. There will need to be entertainment present for the evening as well. You need to propose a timeline of events, map of the venue (including major décor), menu, and entertainment options. The event will run for four hours. The budget for the evening is $25,000. The flat rate for renting the venue is $5,000. The price range for a 3-course meal is $30-50 a plate.
Objectives of Case Study
The individual/team must address the following in the presentation:
- Describe how you divided up the budget and where you allocated funds.
- Present a timeline of the evening and logistics for implementation.
- Demonstrate the management and customer service skills necessary for working with the client.
At the conclusion of your presentation, please answer the following judges’ questions:
Judges’ Questions
After the presentation, please ask up to three questions. Develop your own questions or feel free to ask any of the following:
- In what ways did you add value for the client in this scenario?
- What was the biggest challenge in staying on budget?
- Elaborate on how you decided to layout the venue physically and time the evening logistically.
There is no right or wrong answer to the event. However, the ability of the competitor(s) to arrive at a solution, based on the facts provided should be the basis for the score. The competitor(s) should present suggestions with clarity and conviction.
Management Decision Making
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- The judges will play the role of the owner of A to Z Marketing. You are a business consultant who has been asked to advise them through COVID-19 as their workforce transitions to remote work, they struggle to balance their finances and retain customers.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Discuss the shifts in the company’s business model as employees work from home.
- Discuss organizational changes that will be required to cut costs.
- Explain financial decisions in human resources, customer retention and acquisition, cutting expenses and maintaining (or expanding) revenue.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
A to Z Marketing is a small marketing firm (the judges) in a mid-sized city. The firm rents an office downtown for proximity to their clients. The COVID-19 pandemic has moved their employees to work from home. It is no longer necessary for the firm to pay rent on their downtown office. They have decided to close the office and move their 10 full-time employees fully remote. They will be challenged to keep the team-oriented environment that prospered when their employees worked together in the office. They have also been notified of two clients scaling back their projects, which may require the firm to reduce the hours for a project manager and graphic designer. They will be receiving some funds from their PPE loan and want to know how to best apply those funds.
The firm has hired a business consultant (the competitors) to help with their transition to remote working. They are also looking for some financial advice on how to limit expenses and expand revenue through COVID-19.
Here are a few areas they are looking for help:
- The clients who are scaling back their services went from $50,000 a month projects to $20,000 a month in total.
- The firm also now needs to compensate each work from home employee $60 for Internet, phone, utilities.
- The firm is no longer paying rent for their office, which had cost them $4,000 a month.
- The PPE loan will allow the business to borrow up to 2.5 times their monthly payroll to stay afloat. The monthly payroll for A to Z Marketing is $50,000. The PPE loans need to be paid back in 5 years and have an interest rate of 1%. How much would you have them borrow, if any?
- Should they reduce the hours for your project manager and graphic designer or push to bring on new clients?
- Methods of keeping employees engaged and motivated while working from home.
- Software products they should invest in to ease the transition to remote work.
- Be creative, there are no wrong answers.
Things to Consider
- Employee morale during this time.
- Customer retention and delivering a quality product as employees transition to remote work.
After the presentation is complete, competitors should answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- What was the most difficult part of piecing together A to Z Marketing’s financial picture?
- Many businesses are struggling with similar situations during COVID-19. How big of an impact do you think the PPE loans have made?
- It has been said that working remotely is “the new normal” and some businesses will not go back to offices. In what ways do you think this will impact the economy going forward?
Management Information Systems
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Demonstrate ability to make a businesslike presentation.
- Demonstrate ability to work as a team.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the case and explain recommendations.
- Demonstrate effective decision making and problem solving skills.
- Demonstrate effective verbal communication skills.
- Display self-confidence through knowledge of content and articulation of ideas.
- Explain content logically and systematically.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality and arts industry has had significant shifts in how live events are offered. Event production companies have pivoted their business model to provide more virtual options when it comes to live events. Examples of live events range from theatrical performances, concerts, conferences and weddings. The shift in new technologies needed to execute virtual approaches to live events has been significant.
Your team (the competitors) is part of a consulting business that specializes in virtual app solutions. With the impacts to these live event production companies, you are creating a virtual platform these businesses can use as an alternative to a physical venue (ie. hotels, concert halls, theaters, etc.)
Your team has been asked to develop a virtual platform for existing live event companies to use as they expand into virtual event offerings. Things that should be included in the discussion are all related to a virtual platform – What are the virtual platform features? How does the virtual platform integrate with financial management systems? What do personnel needs look like in order to set up and operate the virtual platform? The plan should be generic in nature so that regardless of what type of events they are providing, these solutions would be helpful as they transition to use this new platform.
Things to consider
Your team will present your final plan recommendations to your company’s board of directors (the judges), management, and production staff at the next board meeting, two weeks from now. The board believes that although the shift to virtual is in response to the pandemic, this is a change in the industry that will remain even when in-person gatherings are allowed once again. They want to better position your company to serve both in-person and virtual events with a virtual platform. You must address the following in your presentation:
- What the scenario is and the scope involved
- State your position and why
- Offer effective solutions for meeting the customer’s needs
- Strategies unique to this project
After the presentation concludes, the competitors will answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- What other strategies should our company be thinking about to prepare for when the pandemic ends and in-person gatherings will be allowed again?
- Although this platform is meant for virtual events, what key feature or feature(s) are also valuable in an in-person event experience? How so?
Marketing
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- You have recently been hired by Rustic Events. Your team will need to develop a new marketing campaign aimed at a new target market or Rustic Events. You will also need to include pricing and sample contracts to lock in new clients. The judges will play the role of Rustic Events
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Identify ways businesses track customers.
- Analyze the ways in which changing cultural characteristics impact serving customers.
- Design policies and procedures for onboarding new customers.
- Describe the process for new product and service development.
- Design strategies for maintaining customer loyalty.
- Explain the importance of target markets and market segmentation.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
You (the competitors) have recently been hired by Rustic Events. Rustic Events is a locally owned event planning company. Rustic Events has recently expanded from weddings to corporate events and retreats. In the past, the owners (the judges) have focused on a target market consisting of younger generation Xers of couples who are getting married. Now they are looking for a more serious and dignified tone as they pitch to companies with deeper pockets. The companies they have tried to bring on recently have mentioned they need more professional customer service upfront by providing things like formal quotes and contracts before they sign on as a client.
The owners realize that a company policies and procedures manual needs to be developed. They have asked your team to come up with a plan and procedure for providing quotes to clients and contracts to lock in dates, prices, and services before a client comes on board.
Additionally:
- The owners would like you to look at revamping the services that are offered for the new market of clients.
- The owners would also like to add budget templates to provide pricing and sample contracts for the clients to review.
- The owners asked that the plan address a potential new brand (in addition to the existing brand) to attract a more professional audience for corporate events.
Your team has been asked to present its recommendations to the owners of Rustic Events.
After the presentation, students will answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- Why is the development of the policies and procedures manual essential for Rustic Events to onboard new clients?
- Can you discuss the benefits of having formal quotes and contracts in place?
- Describe the benefits of developing a rebrand for the new market you are expanding to?
- Explain ways that we can utilize the data we collect about our customers?
There is no right or wrong answer to the event. However, in a team event, the ability of the team members to work together to come to a consensus, based on the facts provided (and those that you care to add) should be the basis for the score. The individual or team should present its suggestions with clarity and conviction.
Network Design
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- Presenters may use two note cards per person for notes and a flip chart / paper to draw out visuals/diagrams.
- All members of the team must participate in the presentation, as well as answer the questions. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Logical solution is selected and presented with positive and negative aspects of its implementation given
- Alternatives are recognized with pros and cons stated and evaluated
- Thoughts and statements are well organized and clearly stated; appropriate business language is used
- Demonstrate ability to effectively answer questions and interact with judges
CASE STUDY SITUATION
Johnson City Consulting is a marketing firm owned and operated by Mr. Hamden. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Hamden needs to allow his staff to work from home. Each of his nine (9) employees will need access to the main office as if they were in the office. Each home-office will need one computer, one VOIP telephone, and one-color laser multi-function scanner/copier/fax/printer machine. All the computer and printer hardware has already been purchased. You will need to decide on a VOIP telephone solution.
Mr. Hamden contacted you requesting a proposal showing how you would bring his vision of work-from-home into reality. He has asked for a detail-oriented presentation covering all aspects of implementation as well as an explanation of how the equipment works and messages the exchange of information/data. The systems at each home-office need to be connected on a LAN at the home and externally to the main office. Mr. Hamden has also requested a price breakdown and overall cost of the project.
Project requirements:
- There must be an adequate level of security for all systems connected.
- The printers will be connected so the data can be printed from any employee’s computer to a printer located at anyone else’s home or to the main office.
- Provide for limited downtime at the main office when the home-offices come online.
- Provide a suite of software for all communications, email, fax, printing, and content creation (Adobe Creative Cloud & Microsoft Office).
- The network must be configured so that it can be managed from an off-site computer.
- Your proposal must include costs for all the software, telephony, network hardware, NIC cards, wireless equipment (if using), and all wiring.
- The costs must be kept as minimal as possible.
Complete your proposal including costs for computing equipment, network infrastructure, network servers, printers, and related hardware, software, and accessories. Include as much detail as possible as well as justification for your selections. Diagram and explain your physical network and computer design as well as the logical network design (server installation, domain layout, etc.). Because this is a small business, cost is a major factor and should be minimized.
After presenting the proposal, please answer the judges’ questions.
Judges’ Questions:
- What is the most difficult obstacle in this scenario?
- After reviewing the scenario, is it sustainable and cost-effective for companies to move their employees remote permanently? Why or why not?
- How did you decide on your timeline to complete this project?
Parliamentary Procedure
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to prepare for the scenario.
- Presentation time is nine to eleven minutes.
SCENARIO
This is a regular meeting of your FBLA chapter.
Below is a list of parliamentary procedure motions, concepts, or principles that you are to incorporate into your performance. Use situations typical of a regular chapter meeting to illustrate all of the items below.
The items are listed randomly. You may present them in any sequence you wish as long as their use conforms to correct procedures.
Part of the evaluation by the judges will be the quality of discussion. Motions should be clearly stated and complete. Debate should be logical, natural, concise, germane, and enthusiastic.
Please speak loud enough so that the judges can hear you.
- Take up a motion postponed at the previous meeting.
- Amend a motion passed at your past meeting.
- Lay a motion on the table.
- Divide a question and walk through the process of voting on each separate motion.
Sports & Entertainment Management
PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS
- You have 20 minutes to review the case.
- Presentation time is seven minutes.
- You are the manager of a minor league baseball team, The Wildcats, in a mid-sized suburban town.
- You may use two note cards per person for notes.
- All team members must participate in the presentation as well as answer the questions posed by the judges. Cover all the points described in the case.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- Explain the nature of sponsorships in sports.
- Define the components of sports and entertainment facility management.
- Demonstrate the importance of human resources strategies in running a sports team.
CASE STUDY SITUATION
You are to assume the role of a manager of a minor league baseball team, The Wildcats. As the manager, you are responsible for overseeing player contracts, staff for the stadium, facility operations, and team sponsorships.
Ticket sales have been down this past year as the team lost some of their best players to the major league. It has been hard to keep up with player salaries and staff salaries. You have laid off and cut back hours for a few of the ushers and maintenance workers. This has resulted in a strike that you are currently trying to settle. In order to increase revenue and meet the demands of the workers, you revisit corporate sponsorships.
Your team is currently sponsored by AN Heating and Air Conditioning, a local family run company who has been a supporter for years. They currently sponsor the team for $10,000 a season and are promised their name in the outfield, on the scoreboard, and their logo is on player’s sleeves. Players also attend one AN Heating and Air Conditioning fundraising event each year to support a good cause. The players have complained about the event in the past. AN’s sponsorship price has not increased for five years now. You are considering new ways to advertise their business in addition to raising their sponsorship fee. You are also looking at ways to entice new Ships from other local businesses.
At the board of directors meeting, you must be prepared to:
- Describe effective management techniques
- Explain strategies to reach target markets
- Describe return on investments
- Explain how the community will be included in the plan
Special care and consideration will need to be given to how the team benefits the community. This should be consistent throughout the plan. The final project will need to be presented to the board (judges) for their review. Be prepared to answer questions about human resources regarding the strike and complaints of the players. After you have explained your strategy for helping the team financially, you will also answer the board’s (judge’s) questions.
At the conclusion of the presentation, competitors will answer the following questions:
Judges’ Questions:
- How do we keep the community engaged with the team?
- How can we expand sponsorships and financial opportunities outside of ticket sales?
- How do we resolve the issues with our ushers and maintenance staff?