The Entrepreneurship case challenges students to think creatively and strategically in a time constrained situation. As a judge in this event, your job is to assume the role of the entrepreneur or clients described in the case scenario and evaluate how effectively each team presents their analysis and 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. It is assumed each judge is from the client company.
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 students must be from marketing or marketing-related programs.
- Please note that post-diploma, graduate certificate or degree program students are not eligible for OCMC.
- Repeat OCMC students cannot enter an event in which they 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, pens and highlighters 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 be available, speed and quality of the connection cannot be assured.
- 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
- Presentations must not exceed 15 minutes. There will be a five-minute question period following the presentation with judges.
- Participants are responsible for managing their time when presenting. Judges will be conscious of time when listening to presentations and will ask a team to stop if necessary.
- At the conclusion of the question period the students will leave the room.
- The judges will use the remaining minutes in the cycle to complete the evaluation form.
Evaluation by Judges
- Judges may ask questions of the students (challenge the students) at the end of each presentation during the official question period.
- Judges will provide feedback to students by completing an evaluation form with numerical scores and space for comments.
- Judges will rank each team from top to bottom. In the case of a tie between any of the top 5 teams, they will re-evaluate those teams to break the tie. There cannot be a tie amongst teams ranked one to five.
- Judges are not to provide any verbal feedback to students after the students have left the presentation room (ex. after judging has concluded for the day or before awards are announced at the banquet).
- Judges decisions are final!
Feedback
Each team will receive feedback from the host College approximately three weeks following the competition.
Event Scoring
| 1st Place | 10 points |
| 2nd Place | 8 points |
| 3rd Place | 6 points |
| 4th Place | 4 points |
| 5th Place | 2 points |