BUSINESS ACTIVITIES DAY
March 26, 2008

BASIC RULES:

1. A contestant may enter ONE contest. NOTE: For the Promotional Video Competition, this event is done prior to B.A.D. Students entered in this event can also sign up for another event. See the Rules and Descriptions sheet for more detailed information. All contests are one session - one and a half hours long. Some contests have limited enrollment. In the event your student(s) are not able to enter a contest of choice, you will be notified and be able to select another contest.

2. Each school may enter FOUR contestants in each contest except Web Page Design Competition is limited to TWO contestants in the competition.

ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES COMPETITION
(Accounting Is Fun) David Crawford, Activity Coordinator

A one hour paper and pencil assessment (test) competition for high school juniors and seniors who have completed or are in the process of completing at least one year of high school accounting. A second segment of the competition should be fun because we will apply accounting principles to an interactive game of BINGO.

BUSINESS ETHICS COMPETITION
(The Great Debate…Convince Us!) Eric Burgess, Activity Coordinator

"Team Event" - Each high school may enter one team with two to four students on the team

Is big business good for America? Why and how is it good? Why and how is it not good?
The students will develop a five to ten minute presentation on CD's or DVD's using presentation software to persuade and convince the judges regarding their position on the above stated questions. Teams must create their CD's or DVD's in advance of Business Activities Day and bring them to the competition. Each team may choose to either defend big business or to indict big business. Team arguments should include evidence that supports their position on the choice they make about the virtues or shortcomings of big business. The top three teams that have the most persuasive presentations as determined by the judges will win the competition. Feel free to talk about the ethics of companies like Enron, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, World Com, Global Crossing, and Martha Stewart. You can also discuss controversial issues like: outsourcing to other countries for low cost labor; sexual harassment in the workplace; appropriate use of company funds, supplies and equipment; appropriate use of company owned computers; and working with a diverse workforce.

Teams will be evaluated against the following assessment criteria:

1. Quality of the presentation and selected delivery media (25 points).

2. Appearance and professionalism of the presentation team (25 points).

3. Substance and validity of the arguments presented (25 points).

4. Thoroughness and persuasiveness of the presentation (25 points).

Plaque to 1st place winning team and $700 UMC Achievement Scholarship, 2nd place winning team and $500 UMC Achievement Scholarship, and 3rd place winning team and $300 UMC Achievement Scholarship. Scholarship to be distributed to the team member(s) that want to attend UMC.

FORENSIC ACCOUNTING COMPETITION
(Catch The Thief) Ken Bulie, Activity Coordinator

Several schemes involving fraud, embezzlement, and theft are described. Some are aimed at taking money from others, some are not. Participants are asked to evaluate the different examples and determine which ones are fraud, embezzlement or theft, which ones are not, and how to prevent them from happening in the future.

JOB INTERVIEW COMPETITION
(I Want This Job) Behrooz Sedaie, Activity Coordinator

In this event you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills as an employer interviewing an applicant for a position. You need to employ the right person for the position and therefore you face the challenge of asking the applicant questions that will determine for you if the applicant is the person you want for the job. Or you can take the role of a job seeker who is interviewing for a position and your challenge would be to answer the employer's questions during the interview in a way that will convince the employer that you are the right person for the job.

This game will have six rounds and in each round there will be five pair of students participating in the game. In each pair one student will be the interviewer asking three questions and the other will take the role of a job applicant answering those three questions. There will also be a panel of three UMC business students who will be the judges determining which player asked the best question and which player gave the best answer. In each round the position for which the interview is being done will be different. These positions are: a bookstore salesperson, a waiter or waitress in a restaurant, a computer store salesperson, a customer service worker in a department store, a grocery store cashier, and a video rental shop salesperson. Because in each round of the game there will be ten players, 60 students can participate in this game.

Plaques to two 1st place winners with $500 UMC Achievement Scholarship and plaques to two 2nd place winners with $250 UMC Achievement Scholarship.

PERSONAL FINANCE COMPETITION
(Investing In The Future) Chuck Lariviere, Activity Coordinator

This activity will involve a multimedia interactive question and answer session where contestants will answer multiple choice and/or true or false questions from the following categories relating to personal finance:

Setting Financial Goals, Budgeting, Secrets to Saving Money, Banking Basics, Credit Cards, Digging out of Credit Card Debt, Other Credit issues, Work and Career, Housing Options, Buying a Home, Living with a Mortgage, Automobile Decisions, Minimizing Income Tax, Investing, Retirement, Insurance, Estate Planning, and Current Events Relating to Personal Finance.

Contestants will be competing against each other on an individual basis with the top three scoring individuals being declared the first, second and third place winners. In the case of a tie, there will be a tie breaker to determine the winner.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT COMPETITION
(Make It Yourself) Christo Robberts, Activity Coordinator

"Team Event" - Each high school may enter one team with up to four students on the team.
For the product development section all the pre-presentation work must be done at the high school prior to Business Activities Day. Students have to develop a product concept, not a real product. They should also develop a list to describe the beneficial properties of the product that could be used in advertising, in the outlines of a marketing campaign, and on the packaging. On the day of the contest each team will present their product to a large panel of judges that will judge each product with regards to novelty, innovation, advertising, marketing, packaging, presentation style, presentation materials, and viability of the idea. The other contestants will be part of the judging team. We will provide a projector and a PC or Apple computer for PowerPoint or any graphic presentations. The presentation can be brought on CD or memory stick. Presenters can also bring posters and whatever else with them. It is always a good idea to produce a prototype of what the product could look like. This is good but not essential. As with all presentations, the wow factor is very important. Wow the judges and you will do well. Remember it is a virtual product so you can make it sound a lot better than what it really could be. That will be good salesmanship of the group.

Business Activities Day 2008 Product Development Competition:
A company produces specialized toiletries for active men and women. Their products sell very well since it has been formulated to cope with the requirements of athletes during the workout, and also after the workout. They are planning to extend the range of products and plan to manufacture one-time use disposable razors. The aim is to reach male and female consumers.

By changing the distance between the multiple blades and also the shape and size of the razor they intend to have specialized razors for facial hair, leg and chest hair. Market research found that the facial razors have to compete with all the products already for sale. The razors for chest hair are aimed for male consumers and will trim and thin the hair rather than shave the chest. The razors for the leg hair will be used by male and female persons and will have some competition with products already for sale.

You are asked to set up a team to develop the razors. The team needs to prepare a presentation that will address the following points:

1. Product concept.
2. Product features that differentiates it from other products.
3. Choice of packaging.
4. Advertising message.
5. Identify the P's of the marketing mix.
6. Target marketing.

Teams will also be judged on:

1. Presentation skills.
2. Presentation creativity.
3. Novelty of the product concept.

Plaque to 1st place winning team and $1500 UMC Achievement Scholarship to be distributed to the team member(s) that want to attend UMC. Plaque to 2nd place winning team and plaque to 3rd place winning team.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO COMPETITION
(Let's Sell Our School) Chuck Lariviere, Activity Coordinator

"Team Event" - Each high school may enter one team with up to four students on the team.
This contest will involve a team of up to four students that will produce a two minute promotional video promoting their school. Tell us what makes your school the best. The video will be shot, edited and produced prior to Business Activities Day (B.A.D.) and submitted to the UMC Business Dept for judging by Monday, March 17th. The names of the team members must be included in the video credits at the end of the video. The winning videos will be shown during the awards ceremony at B.A.D. and the top three winning teams will be announced. The video must be submitted either on DVD or in PowerPoint file format on CD or DVD. The judging will be done by a committee of judges from the Marketing Department, Communications Department, and the Audio-Visual Department at UMC. The video must be two minutes long, plus or minus five seconds. The video credits are not included in the time requirement. The videos will be judged on their promotional value, originality, quality of editing, and quality of video taping.

NOTE: Because the work for this contest is done prior to B.A.D., the team members of the video contest will be allowed and encouraged to participate in another event at B.A.D. They will not have any activity at B.A.D. in connection with this competition except be present at the awards ceremony for the presentation of the winning videos.

Video needs to be submitted by Monday, March 17th to the Business Department, University of Minnesota, Crookston, 2900 University Avenue, Crookston, MN 56716 ATTENTION: C. Lariviere

Rules:

1. Teams will consist of up to four team members.

2. Team member's names must appear in the video credit section at the end of the video.

3. The video will be two minutes long, plus or minus five seconds. The video credit section at the end is not included in this time restriction. Points will be deducted for being too long or too short.

4. The video must be submitted on ready to play DVD or in a video PowerPoint file format on CD or DVD, along with the video entry form supplied (entry form is attached to this document).

5. The video must be videotaped, edited, and produced by the team members only.

6. You can use whatever software you would like to edit the video.

7. All videotaping, editing, and production of the finished video must be completed at your school and submitted to The UMC Business Department by Monday, March 17th, 2008 to be judged prior to B.A.D.

8. You must have the rights to use all material on the video, in other words no copyrighted material is to be used without the permission of the owner.

9. All content is to be appropriate for family viewing and listening.

10. All winning videos will be shown at the awards ceremony at B.A.D.

11. The video will be judged mainly on its promotional value, its creativity and originality, the quality of editing and workmanship, and the quality of videotaping.

12. Team members are encouraged to be present and to participate in another contest but the entire team does not have to be present to win. However, someone from the team or your school will have to be present to accept the award.

Plaque to 1st place winning team and $1500 UMC Achievement Scholarship to be distributed to the team members(s) that want to attend UMC. Plaque to 2nd place winning team and plaque to 3rd place winning team.

RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT COMPETITION
(Hell's Dining Room) Ken Myers, Activity Coordinator

You are the manager of "Hell's Dining Room." You are faced with the task of training new staff on the basics of how to properly set a table and serve a meal. You must demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts, communicate, and deal with somewhat difficult situations. You will be given all the needed tools (table, china, glassware, silverware, napkins, etc.) and a staff. But beware, as the staff can also be a little difficult to train. NOTE: Students will also take a test similar to tests given in some classes.

SALES PRESENTATION COMPETITION
(Sell This!) Kenneth Johnson, Activity Coordinator

Effective personal selling skills are needed not just by salespeople but every person throughout organizations today. Selling can be a lot of fun too. In this competition, contestants will be given a product the day of the event and will identify creative uses for it in relation to prospect needs. Contestants will prepare and deliver a brief consultative sales presentation for judges who will act as prospective customers.

Contestants will be judged on their skills in identifying prospect needs, overcoming buyer resistance, and closing the sale. Contestants are expected to sell benefits in addition to features and demonstrate effective relationship, product, customer, and presentation strategies. Contestants are encouraged to show their creativity and professionalism throughout their presentations. This competition should prove to be quite entertaining and informative for contestants and audience members alike.

Keep in mind the following:

1. Always greet prospects with a proper, professional greeting. Introduce yourself and the company you represent.

2. You should always try to identify prospect needs. Feel free to ask the prospects questions at any time which will help you tailor your presentation to their needs.

3. Although you should sell the features of our product, it is always more important to sell the benefits of a product. Remember, a feature is just data, facts, or characteristics of a product whereas benefits are whatever provides the customer with a personal advantage or gain. For example, a feature of a car might be air conditioning, but the benefit to the customer is the increased comfort on hot summer days.

4. If your prospects demonstrate resistance, you must overcome that resistance. For example, if they believe the price is too high you need to explain why the price is reasonable. If they say the competition's product is better, you need to explain why your product is better, and so on.

5. Don't forget to ask for the close! The close can be as simple as asking how many items the prospect wants to buy. Too many salespeople never ask for the close and lose the sale.

6. HAVE FUN! This is a competition and there will be winners, but having fun is important too!

Judging Criteria:

1. Creativity (30%): Be creative! You will be judged on how creative you are in coming up with different uses and benefits for the products.

2. Features and Benefits (30%): How do your products benefit the prospects? A benefit answers the question, "How will I benefit from owning or using the product?"

3. Professionalism (30%): Conduct yourself in a professional manner. You will be judged on the professionalism of your introduction, enthusiasm, confidence, speaking skills, ability to overcome resistance, etc.

4. The Close (10%): Don't forget to ask the prospects for the close! Try to get them to buy today. A sale is only closed when prospects agree to buy the product and become your client.

Presentation:

You have up to three minutes to present and one minute for questions and answers with the judges.

SPORT MANAGEMENT COMPETITION
(Showcase You Ability, Design A Facility) David Rolling, Activity Coordinator

"Team Event" - Each high school may enter one team with up to four students on the team.
In advance of the competition, each group (maximum four per group) will plan and design a new sports facility, determine the number of personnel and type and budget amount needed to manage the facility, and coordinate a sporting activity/event. The groups will then present their idea, using their choice of presentation materials (poster, handouts, PowerPoint, diagrams, etc.). Each group will have 15 minutes for their presentation. Presentations should cover areas including:

Planning and producing the event. Hiring personnel. Facility management.
Alcohol management.

Financing (private, public, or both). Contracts.
Crowd management. Concession management.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Risk management. Medical emergency and evacuation plans. Box office management.

The presentations will be graded on:

1. Creativity: Is this idea creative and original? Improving an existing idea is acceptable so long as creativity is demonstrated.

2. Content: Did the group consider relevant factors needed to justify the expenditures needed for this idea?

3. Presentation: Was the presentation enthusiastic? Did it "sell" the judges on the idea? Did the group demonstrate professionalism? Did the group handle questions appropriately?

4. Thoroughness: How well did the group demonstrate an understanding of the objectives of the project? How well did the group organize and present their ideas?

Plaque to 1st place winning team and $700 UMC Achievement Scholarship, 2nd place winning team and $500 UMC Achievement Scholarship, and 3rd place winning team and $300 UMC Achievement Scholarship. Scholarship to be distributed to the team member(s) that want to attend UMC.

WEB PAGE DESIGN COMPETITION
(My Page Rocks) Amy Lubarski, Activity Coordinator

Are you an aspiring website designer with mad HTML and graphics skills? Then flaunt your skills and join the UMC web page design contest where you will be given the opportunity to stand out and be recognized. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to develop a web presence for a client. The client will provide basic graphic templates and page content to build your site with. At your disposal will be the standard web development industry software tools of Dreamweaver 8, Frontpage 2004, Photoshop CS2, Paintshop Pro 8, and Fireworks. Once your mission is complete, your site will be evaluated on your skills in graphics design, page layout, site navigation, web optimization, and most importantly… your creativity.