The Commerce Times

TRMC Day Three

On the third and final day of The Ted Rogers Memorial Conference the main event was the Bay Street Simulation run by Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Ryerson. Participants from a number of different universities from as far away as Alberta and Quebec attended. There were 120 participants in all.

Participants were split up into groups of four for the simulations. Each team was given a case and their own separated prep area, the teams would have 30 minutes to read the case, discuss the issues, and give their evaluations for what needs to be done. After the allotted time ran out the team would present their case in front of a judge.

Each judge is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and would mark the teams on a set of given criteria. The competition was tough and each team did their best to earn those top marks.

The best part of the Bay Street simulations for Lisa Miller, a University of Alberta student was the energy,

“ The best part is the pushing yourselves in areas you may not be comfortable in and meeting lots of great people.”

After all the teams had presented it was time to tabulate the scores and determine the top three teams. These top three teams would then compete in one final challenge that would have them presenting to a panel of 12 CMA’s. This next competition allowed teams to create a presentation in only 15 minutes.

The final case involved a company called SLP that would need to implement a brand new website and a web-based training program.

The first team presented a detailed analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and the implication such a procedure would have for the company. The team also explored financial issues and how to fund the entire project.

The second team presented potential obstacles and how to overcome an IT duopoly that existed in the business world SLP existed in. Their presentation focused heavily on reaching new clients through social media.

The final team followed an e-commerce model. Their presentation mainly focused on out-sourcing they did not want to go to the social media route because they believed it to be it unprofessional.

All three teams fought well, but only one team would come on top. During the gala that took place that evening the winners were announced. The team placements were as follows:

1st Place:
Tasom Jeong
Meghan Youmans
Lisa Miller
Manpreet Barbra

2nd Place:
Rachael Aramolaran
Salman Habib
Rania Maroun
Christopher Nguyen

3rd Place:
James King
Faiza Hussein
Stephen Sin
Victoria Nguyen

TRMC Day 1
TRMC Day 2