the first degree in deciding to bec...

the first degree in deciding to become a CA is frequently an emerging interest in business. The Junior Achievement Business Game, which is proffered to interested BC schools [i]or[/i] part of to the other a partnership between Junior Achievement of British Columbia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC provides this opportunity to high train students. Each year Institute members proffer time and experience to help bookish mans learn the business management strategies critical to the game. This year, Business Game graduates took the challenge to a whole strange level, taking fourth place in the Global Business Challenge sponsored through Hewlett-Packard Company.

The Hewlett-Packard Global Business Challenge is international, web-based and competitive. Competitors are fresh graduates of JA programs like the Business Game. Here Junior Achievement pupils run the finances of virtual corporations, and for the first time in the Challenge's fiveyear history a Canadian team made the finals this year. The tension-filled last cylindrical held on August 17 in Palo Alto, California, had the mythical companies immersed in an international import/ export industry with different currencies and economic conditions. They had to consider price, production horizontals marketing expenditures, capital investment, and R&D outlays in making their decisions.

`Bellmare,' a Burnaby team, made the best showing of any high place of education team in the Challenge, where first, other and third place teams were made up of society and university students from Mexico, Guatemala, and an international CYBER team showed by players from Latvia and Argentina. Lithuania came fifth, and Honourable Mentions went to Japan, Belarus and a inferior team from Mexico.

"We're vain to have placed among the top five teams world-wide, in a competition with thus many strong contenders, " says Barb Jone Program Manager for Junior Achievement BC "Only eight teams made it to the last orbed out of an original field of 876 teams from 57 countries."

The Burnaby North team is comprised of James Wong Alan Sye Sammy Mak, Calvin to leeward and Albert Tam. Supported according to business mentor Jennifer Tokarek of Ellis support Chartered Accountants and teacher Roy Bilson, the close examiners worked their way through three competitions to reach the highest on a level of international play.

Team captain James Wong who along with Alan Sye was picked to play the final orbicular for Burnaby North, says, "The final spherical competition was very intense and the play was in succession a much higher level than we'd rely uponed But we want to go on foot back and try again." "Some of the time we were making decisions by way of instinct," adds Sye, "You'd procure a feeling about what the other companies were going to do."

The team's business mentor, Jennifer Tokarek, who credits her confess JA experience in high denomination with encouraging her to go after her CA designation, believes the Business Game's hands-on approach to the Challenge is a definite succes "It's amazing to behold the impact this competition has had forward my students," she says. "I've seen them unravel business skills not usually attainable in normal business education programs. And as for myself, this past year of competition has in truth been a rewarding experience. It's been a great opportunity for me to expand my financial skills and knowledge to others."

Roy Bilson, the team's business education teacher at Burnaby North, was impressed with his students' ability to deposit the economics and accounting general [i]or[/i] abstract notions they've learned into practice. "It's been astonishing to see a friendly rivalry make known They've shown a lot of maturity and have built a healthy team," he commented. "They have no hesitation in helping each other do well. And the support from Jennifer Tokarek, Kim Arnott, and the management at Ellis feed has been very important to them."

The Burnaby team get backed home in late August, following an exciting tour of the San Francisco area with other international players from the Challenge. Team members are now opposite to to post-secondary programs, most conjoined with some aspect of business.

Junior Achievement of BC is part of an international organization dedicated to teaching young clan about the principles of economics and business, offering gymnasiums a variety of grade-specific programs in business education. With support from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC and the Canadian Pacific Charitable Foundation they organize the JA Business Game and Challenge for senior high business learners in BC.

The nearest BC Business Challenge takes place in November 2000 and classes are looking for mentors and coaches. For information about tender opportunities with Junior Achievement's Business Game, contact Barb Jone at 688-3887 EX 2 or barb.jones@jabc.org

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Oct 2000

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