The Entrepreneurship case challenges a team of two student participants to think both creatively and strategically in a time-constrained situation. The judges for this event will assume the role of the client in the case study scenario, and will evaluate how well each student team solves the challenge and presents its recommendations.
The Case Scenario
The students competing in this event will be expecting a case scenario of an entrepreneurial nature; however, they will know nothing about the situation, the client company, or the industry before they enter the case preparation room. They will have 30 minutes to read and analyze the case, identify strategic options and develop recommendations and an implementation plan to present convincingly to the judges.
General Judging Considerations
Typically, the case scenario will focus on one of the entrepreneurial stages facing entrepreneurs and small business owners. The intent of the scenario is to address the realistic challenges facing entrepreneurs and small business owners and as such, may present a problem relating to how to compete effectively in the market, the selection of target markets and/or how to develop effective marketing strategies with limited financial resources. Students are expected to use industry-standard business and marketing terminology during their presentation.
Event Objectives
To demonstrate the students’ ability to:
- Analyze a problem situation
- Develop appropriate marketing recommendations utilizing available Marketing strategies
- Justify their recommended strategies based on the marketing issue identified, target market and budget
- Present the proposal in a convincing manner
Eligibility
All participating students must be from diploma-level marketing or marketing-related programs. Post-diploma, graduate certificate or degree program students are not eligible for this event. Repeat OCMC students cannot enter an event in which they have previously participated.
Student Preparation
- Participants should familiarize themselves with the evaluation criteria. Please refer to the case evaluation form below for details.
- Please refer to the case schedules in the program. No changes will be made unless a conflict situation exists.
- Participants will be escorted to a secure preparation room as per the case schedule. Cell phones are not permitted.
- Paper and pens will be supplied along with printed copies of the case.
- A Windows laptop with wired 2 button mouse and current version of Microsoft PowerPoint will be provided in the preparation and presentation rooms. A clicker will be provided in the presentation room.
- A maximum of 7 slides are permitted in the presentation deck.
- Students may bring a prepared PowerPoint template into the preparation room on a USB thumb drive (USB A Style). Team branding is permitted.
- Internet access will NOT be available.
- Presentations must be saved on a supplied USB thumb drive which will be retained but the judges.
- Participants have 30 minutes to prepare their solution. Participants will be advised when five minutes remain.
- At the end of 30 minutes, the team will be moved to their presentation room.
Presentation
The presentation must not exceed 15 minutes, and will be followed by a 5-minute question period.
Participants are responsible for managing their time during the presentation (judges will ask the team to stop, if necessary, once the 15-minute timeframe has been reached). Judges will ask questions only during the 5-minute Q&A following the presentation. Students will leave the room following the Q&A while judges complete the evaluation form.
Evaluation by Judges
- Judges will ask questions (challenge the students) at the end of each presentation.
- Judges will not provide any verbal feedback to the participants during the competition.
- Judges will complete an evaluation form with numerical scores and appropriate summary comments.
- Judges will rank each team from top to bottom. In the case of a tie between any of the top 5 teams, judges will re-evaluate those teams to break the tie. There cannot be a tie among teams ranked one to five.
- Judges’ decisions are final!
Feedback
Each team will receive feedback from the host College approximately three weeks following the competition.