2015 ANU YOUNG BUS INESS LEAD ERS CHALLENGE SELECTIO N ROUND BRIEF. ANU College of Business & Economics

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1 2015 ANU YOUNG BUS INESS LEAD ERS CHALLENGE SELECTIO N ROUND BRIEF ANU College of Business & Economics

2 Business & economics at ANU Preparing the next generation of leaders is a core focus for the. Our degree programs offer every student the opportunity to develop their strengths and the thinking space to decide how they will make their personal mark in the world. Our graduates join a strong alumni network that will sustain them throughout their lives and careers. Our world-class staff are at the forefront of global thinking on the big issues of our time. Together, our exceptional staff and students form a vibrant, supportive community. We are delighted to invite secondary school students who are seeking insight into the educational experiences we provide to join with us for the 2015 CBE Young Business Leaders Challenge. 2

3 CONTENTS ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge 2015 Selection round brief Business and economics at ANU 2 The ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge 4 Judging panel 5 About the client 6 Client brief 6 Selection Round Project 7 Suggested report structure and marking criteria competition details 9 3

4 THE ANU YOUNG BUSINESS LEADERS CHALLENGE The ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge is a team-based school event that brings together groups of Year 11 and 12 students to compete against each other in a range of intellectually challenging activities designed to reflect real business practices. The challenge provides an opportunity for secondary school students to test their understanding of business and economics concepts, work together in a simulated academic environment and gain some valuable insights into both ANU and the world of business. The hosted its first challenge in The format has been expanded in the following years, with a wider range of schools participating and the introduction of an online preliminary selection round. Each year the top ten teams from the selection round progress to the finials held on campus at ANU. 4

5 Judging panel selection round Submissions from round one will be evaluated by a judging panel led by Dr Vinh Lu, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and International Business for the Research School of Management ( Dr Vinh Lu is in charge of the annual ANU International Business Plan Competition (ibcompetition.com), in which his students compete among each other to prepare the best international business plan for companies in the ACT and NSW. An outstanding teacher at the ANU, Vinh has won many teaching awards such as the College of Business and Economics Award for Teaching Excellence, the ANU Commendation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, and the Vice-Chancellor s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. The Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy also recognised him with the Pearson Emerging Educator of the Year Award in December In 2014, Vinh won an OLT Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, a national award from the Office of Learning and Teaching. The judging panel also includes students in their final year of the Bachelor of Commerce program at the ANU. These students were the winners of the 2014 ANU International Business Plan Competition. 5

6 Business Plan for Business background As Australia s only combined zoo and aquarium, The National Zoo & Aquarium combines two attractions in the one precinct and is situated on 7 hectares of land a mere five minutes away from Canberra s city centre. The National Zoo & Aquarium prides itself on having a wide variety of both native and exotic animals and the largest inland saltwater tank in Australia. The National Zoo & Aquarium has attractions for everyone with facilities to have a casual stroll around the park, make use of picnic areas and complimentary BBQ facilities or take part in various animal encounters with the opportunity to get close with some of the world s most amazing creatures. Some of these include their award winning Zooventure tour, the Family Tour or the Walk on the Wild Side Tour. The National Zoo & Aquarium recently expanded into the accommodation industry opening the five star Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra s first all inclusive, luxury lodge experience which allows guests to experience overnight safari at the National Zoo & Aquarium. With three accommodation precincts, opportunities to have a shark tank in your lounge room, feed the zoo s resident giraffe or even have a suite adjoining lions or bears are available. Project expectations The National Zoo & Aquarium face a marketing challenge that requires them to broaden the appeal of the Zoo to attract a more diverse set of visitors. The Zoo s marketing focus for 2015 is two-tiered, with the key objectives being: 1. to attract a younger (18 25 years) demographic to the Zoo and deliver an engaging experience for this target market, with opportunities for interaction and promotion via social media, and; 2. to continue to promote the Zoo s new accommodation venture, and market it as a key tourist attraction in Canberra. The Zoo s overarching mission is to educate the public on the importance of conserving rare and endangered animal species. Owner Richard Tindale says he wants visitors to come away having had an adventure and a slightly different idea of what they can do for animals in the wild.

7 SELECTION ROUND PROJECT For the selection round, teams are required to prepare a report which aims to gather an in-depth understanding of what would attract more of the year old demographic to the National Zoo & Aquarium. Key aims This project aims to train students in the following skills: > > researching, synthesising and justifying appropriate secondary and primary data > > analysing the market environment for a business client > > collaborating in a group environment > > producing a professional report to present their proposal in a concise and convincing manner. Key tasks and guidelines: 1. Research and understand the current target market of the National Zoo & Aquarium. Produce a SWOT analysis of the National Zoo & Aquarium. The SWOT analysis provides critical insights into the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats for an organisation. 2. Conduct market research to expand your understanding on why young people in the year-old group visit the National Zoo & Aquarium and what prevents them from visiting it. This will be in the form of qualitative research, with five in-depth interviews. 3. Based on your SWOT analysis and the interview findings, make recommendations to the National Zoo & Aquarium in relation to any changes to its current marketing strategies aimed at the demographic. 4. Produce a professional report incorporating the SWOT analysis, the market research results and the recommendations to the organisation. This part of the challenge requires teams to understand the client and the target market. This can be completed based on examinations of the National Zoo & Aquarium website, online resources, and the team s own understanding of the clients brief and target market. Each team must submit a professional report. It is important that each team presents their findings in a clear and concise manner. The key is to identify relevant information that is useful to the client and that supports their recommendations. 7

8 Report Structure and marking criteria Report structure 1. Cover page (1 page) > > Title > > Team name > > Names of all team members > > Name of your school 2. Table of contents 3. Introduction (1/2 page max) > > The introduction should cover background information to demonstrate that the students understand the client and the target market. 4. SWOT analysis (1.5 page max) > > Through the SWOT, evaluate the current marketing strategies that are in place to target the demographic. 5. Market research findings (5 pages max) > > Research aim > > Data collection (How did you collect your data? What questions did you ask?) > > Highlights of research findings via key themes. Good marks are awarded if you can identify/ synthesize/ compare and contrast the information gained from your interviews. A few quotes will be useful. 6. Recommendations (2 pages max) > > Student will need to summarise their findings from the completed interviews. 7. Reference list (1 page max) Any writing exceeding the prescribed page limit will not be read/ assessed. Presentation and referencing The report body should be formatted to size 11 font (Arial or Calibri only) with 1.5 line paragraph spacing and a 2.5cm page margin. Students can use bullet points where appropriate to present their findings in the report. Students are encouraged to use in-text references to acknowledge their sources of information and include a reference list (maximum of one page) at the end. Reports should be submitted as either a Microsoft Word document or PDF file. Marking criteria > > The report will be marked out of 100. > > Marks are awarded for different sections of the report, as well as for overall presentation of the work, writing, and referencing. Section Maximum Marks Background Information 10 SWOT analysis 20 Research process and findings 20 Value of recommendations 20 Writing quality 10 Referencing 10 Report presentation 10 TOTAL 100 8

9 2015 COMPETITION DETAILS Submission details Each team must submit one copy of the report via to no later than 5pm on 18 May Key dates 1. Notifications will be ed out mid-june to all teams (The top ten teams from the selection round will then go on to compete in the finals) 2. Finals: The ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge Friday 7 August 2015 (All day on-campus event) Competition winners will be determined based on accumulative scores from all three activities in the finals. Prizes The winning team will receive: > > Over $500 worth of prizes > > CBE participation packs and certificates Terms and Conditions relating to employment as part of the CBE Student Ambassador Program apply. All participating teams in challenge finals will receive: > > CBE participation pack and certificate All participating teams in the selection round will receive: > > CBE participation certificate Challenge contact details: ANU College of Business & Economics Building 26C The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601 Australia Contact: Brooke Easterby, National Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator domestic.cbe@anu.edu.au Phone: > > If members of the winning team choose to commence undergraduate studies in a College of Business and Economics program during 2016 or 2017, there is the opportunity for employment as a CBE Student Ambassador. 9

10 ANU College of Business & Economics Building 26C The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601 Australia T E domestic.enquiry@anu.edu.au E international.enquiry@anu.edu.au W cbe.anu.edu.au ANU CRICOS Provider Number 00120C