Northern Lights College (NLC) students are presenting their business case at the Western Canadian Business Competition (WCBC) this weekend.
Business Management students Rebecca Christopher (accounting), Ramanpreet Kaur (general), Mohammad Asif Ekram (information technology), and Krisell Tuallo (general), along with their coach and instructor, Issoufou Soumaila, are off to Douglas College in Vancouver to demonstrate their business acumen against other colleges.
“I was grateful to be chosen, it’s a great privilege and opportunity to be going,” Rebecca says.
The competition is a simulation of a business at its five-year mark. All the teams are given the same financial statements, the same amount of money, and the same information with the task of growing the company to be as successful as possible. There are several rounds, each representing a year of business.
And it’s not just about how much money they make; there are several factors that determine the winner, including profit margin, credit rating, and image with the public.
The team has been practicing with the simulation software and competing against each other to prepare for the competition. Issoufou stressed that they need to work together as a team, even if one person may not agree, they will have to compromise to reach their goals.
“It will depend on the team and what strategies we want to follow,” says Mohammad. They will also have to make presentations between the rounds about their business and what they’re doing to achieve their goals.
This isn’t NLC’s first go at the WCBC. A team was sent to the competition in 2020, where they placed fourth out of seven teams. It was on the flight home that they found out campus would be shutting down due to the rise of Covid-19.
But, after a few years’ hiatus, Issoufou is looking forward to showing other colleges what his students can do.
“I’m very confident about it, this team is highly motivated,” Issoufou says. “This is such a great opportunity; they’re going to learn so much.”
Best of luck to the team! We know you’ll make NLC proud!
