The First Richmond Secondary School Case Competition

On February 28, 2023, the Richmond Secondary School Business Club hosted the first school-wide case competition, consisting of 14 participants and three judges who are teachers from the business department. Instead of purchasing a case study from a business school, we wrote our own case scenario. Because Valentine's Day occurred in February, we decided to focus on chocolate firms and asked our participants to develop recommendations that would allow a chocolate firm to combat the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the process, I gained a better rounded perception of the potential challenges that were common to any firm, one that is as big as Amazon and as small as Timothy's frozen yogurt.

Before the event was held, I prepared for the case competition by contacting school officials, assigning my club executives various tasks, and advertising the event. I communicated with the school's principal to ensure that the event did not coincide with another school event. By doing so, I was able to construct my own interpersonal relationship web which assists me in hosting future school-wide events. We also designed posters to inform students about what a case study is about; we wrote morning announcements to encourage participation; we directly advertised the case competition to students by visiting class to class. We further designed certificates of achievement for the winning group. 

Not only was the case competition a fun experience for students interested in business to interact and exchange ideas with each other, but also an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone by leading the event and talking to a group of unfamiliar students. In the next school year, by contacting other business clubs, I hope to host a multi-school case competition where students from ages 13 to 18 will have the opportunity to meet and connect with other students who have come from different ethnicities, backgrounds, cultures, and religions but possess a similar passion for studying business.