In October, several senior Business Club members participated in a virtual business challenge where students managed a simulated business for two weeks. Students from across the US and Canada enter this annual competition. St. John’s School took the top spot in BC in five different categories and came in second place in the Accounting category.
Top RETAIL team in BC: Jonathan W., Dian S. and Teddy Y.
The Retailing Track of the DECA VBC encourages DECA members to test their skills at managing a retail convenience store, a sporting goods store or an electronics store. Participants merchandise their products, determine purchasing levels, price their items, determine staffing needs, research store locations and more. For each round, teams are ranked based on their store’s cumulative profit after running the simulation for five virtual years.
Top RESTAURANT team in BC: Michael Z., Louis L. and Daniel Z. (team NOODLES)
The Restaurant Track tests skills at managing a simulated restaurant. Participants design menus, develop dining and kitchen layouts, organize staffing, purchase ingredients, use market research and more. For each round, teams are ranked based on their restaurant’s profit after running the simulation for five virtual years.
Top HOTEL team in BC: Lukas Y. and Jerry W. (team YES)
The DECA Hotel Challenge is presented by the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and encourages students to test their skills at managing a simulated hotel. Participants schedule banquets and meetings, set room rates, bid on group sales, book advertising, monitor customer service, determine housekeeping needs and more. Participants’ scores are based on a balanced scorecard that includes profitability, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.
Top SPORTS team in BC: Lukas Y. and Jerry W.
The Sports Track tests skills at managing a football franchise. Participants manage concessions, book events, analyze players, choose ticket prices, organize staffing needs, coordinate parking logistics and more. For each round, teams are ranked based on their franchise’s total profit after running the simulation for two virtual football seasons.
Top PERSONAL FINANCE TEAM in BC: Lukas Y. and Jerry W.
The Personal Finance Track tests financial literacy skills. Participating teams are making personal finance decisions for a simulated person. Participants will pay bills, use online banking, apply for credit cards, file taxes, monitor their credit score, choose a career path, determine scheduling needs and more. For each round, teams are ranked based on their person’s net worth after running the simulation for four virtual years.
Second place ACCOUNTING TEAM in BC: Lukas Y. and Jerry W.
The VBC Accounting event encourages DECA members to test their accounting skills. There are two qualifying rounds and three mini-challenges per round. During each mini-challenge, students have to identify three accounting issues in a business, out of a number of choices.
Congratulations to all of our Grade 11 and 12 Business Club winners for employing critical and creative thinking skills while applying business concepts to these virtual simulations. We look forward to participating again starting in January for Round 2.