The school might not have any sports teams, but the competition is still heating up at Royal Roads University.
Students in the Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management program are in the throes of an intense contest to see which of five groups can outperform the others in an online business venture challenge.
Each sale, marked by a familiar B次元官网网址榢a-chingB次元官网网址� sound notification to at least one groupB次元官网网址檚 cellphones, gets the teams closer to the ultimate goal of having their business bring in the most funds for charity.
And this, says professor Geoff Archer, is just about the closest thing the school has to varsity sports.
B次元官网网址淭hey want to compete with each other. They want to prove, B次元官网网址榟ey IB次元官网网址檓 doing this better than you are,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said.
With early FebruaryB次元官网网址檚 snow firmly in the rear view mirror, many people might be starting to think about their gardens.
At least, thatB次元官网网址檚 what Chris VanderfordB次元官网网址檚 group is banking on.
The Colwood resident and chief financial officer for Seeds for SIDS (seeds-for-sids.myshopify.com) said the idea came to the group after they decided they wanted to support BabyB次元官网网址檚 Breath, a support organization helping families that have dealt with sudden infant death syndrome.
Seeds seemed like a natural idea given their charity of choice.
B次元官网网址淲e liked the metaphor of tying seeds and growing beautiful flowers against the tragic loss of an infant,B次元官网网址� said Vanderford, whose group had sold $500 worth of its product as of Feb. 17.
Students are tasked with using their marketing, accounting and promotion skills over the course of a month to raise as much money as possible for their charities.
BabyB次元官网网址檚 Breath was chosen because, between miscarriages and infant deaths, a large number of people are or know of someone who has been affected by the loss of a baby, Vanderford said.
With group members in Alberta and Ontario, Vanderford says it can be a challenge to co-ordinate meeting times online. But that challenge isnB次元官网网址檛 unique to their group, given that this is a blended online and on-campus program.
B次元官网网址淓veryone has a day job that weB次元官网网址檙e all attending so weB次元官网网址檙e full-time students as well as being full-time whatever else we are B次元官网网址� it comes down to a lot of day to day communication. A lot of phone calls, a lot of messaging,B次元官网网址� he said.
One of VanderfordB次元官网网址檚 competitors is selling stylish socks, while another is raising funds via colouring books.
All of the ideas are original, but successful teams wonB次元官网网址檛 rest on a good idea and will constantly be looking for ways to improve their business.
B次元官网网址淭he students have to roll with the punches. They have to adjust and they have to make decisions on the fly,B次元官网网址� Archer said.
He sees value in the assignment for a number of reasons, but one of the most poignant learning aspects comes after the project has been completed.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 when the students are reflecting back on this experience that theyB次元官网网址檝e had, which could be a pilot for something bigger,B次元官网网址� he said.
A previous group of RRU students started Go Voluntouring, which combines luxury accommodations with volunteering and was later acquired by travel company Flight Centre.
Many students also end up turning over their business to the charities theyB次元官网网址檝e chosen to support.
Archer will be judging his students on 30 different criteria.
B次元官网网址淔rom my perspective, itB次元官网网址檚 sort of a way of tricking people into being excited about writing a business plan,B次元官网网址� he said.
The competition will continue until the end of the month and the students are scheduled to graduate from the program this summer.
The Other Competitors
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com
