Six New Zealand Students Impress at the 2012 FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge
Monday 18 June 2012, 3:18PM
By PR-ink
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Auckland, New Zealand, June 20, 2012 – After a grueling two-day challenge, FedEx and Young Enterprise Trust announced six finalists who have been chosen to represent New Zealand at the 2012 Asia Pacific FedEx / Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge in Hong Kong from August 26 – 29.
The New Zealand representatives who will be competing with eight other Asia Pacific countries and their 48 representatives in Hong Kong are:
1. Isabella Morris, 17 years, Tauranga Girls’ College
2. Karan Deva, 17 years, Macleans College Auckland
3. Jesse Medcalf, 17 years, Westlake Boys Auckland
4. Alice McFall, 17 years, Aquinas College, Bay of Plenty
5. Lorenzo Peace, 17 years, Wanganui Collegiate
6. Joel MacManus, 17 years, Garin College, Nelson
Over the weekend, 81 of New Zealand’s young aspiring entrepreneurs took part in the FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (ITC) and were tasked to export a wood based product to Indonesia. These the budding entrepreneurs aged between 16-19, worked in teams to prepare a market entry plan and 15 students were shortlisted to present ideas to the judging panel who then selected the final six.
Business proposals ranged from kitset cardboard houses to help with the shortfall of housing for the 8 million homeless people in Indonesia, bed frames which are able to be stacked on top of each other to cope with accommodating extended families, to tea filters made from charcoal to help purify the water and environmentally friendly pine based drink bottles which contain medicinal properties and replace plastic bottles.
The students were judged on their market-entry strategies detailing marketing, promotion, pricing, inventory and product distribution plans. The judging panel included Duncan Bridgeman, National Business Review news editor; Andrew Patterson, Radio Live business editor; Lee Davies, country manager, FedEx Express; Tony Dixon and Garrick Thompson, managers from FedEx New Zealand, and Chuck Slogrove and Paul Minors, previous FedEx ITC Asia Pacific winners.
Lee Davis, FedEx country manager, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, and one of the five judges, said the three teams were selected based on their understanding of economic and business concepts, market entry strategies and entrepreneurship skills.
“We are really pleased with the level of professionalism and creativity shown by the students this year. The six winners impressed us with their passion, ingenuity, creativity, teamwork and communication skills. They were able to effectively communicate the value proposition of their market entry strategies.”
Sponsored by FedEx Express and organized by Young Enterprise Trust, the FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge is designed to help students in Asia Pacific markets learn about international trade and provide them with an opportunity to set up a mock business and develop a plan to export a product to an overseas market.
“Our goal at FedEx is to make students aware of how businesses thrive in the global marketplace, to inspire them, stimulate their creativity and most importantly, instill a spirit of entrepreneurship. As more and more companies become global in their outlook, we encourage the students to think on a broader level and understand the needs of the different countries, the market differences, their target customers and what to look out for to be successful,” said Kim Garner, managing director, FedEx Express Australasia.
The International Trade Challenge is in its sixth year in Asia Pacific and this is the fourth year FedEx is sponsoring the program in New Zealand. FedEx sponsorship has provided 6,000 students in nine Asia Pacific countries, including 226 students from 120 schools in New Zealand, with invaluable insight into global trade.
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Key Dates FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge:
Stage 1, June 16-18 84 NZ students compete in regional heat in Auckland
Stage 2, 28-29 July Team NZ attend a two-day workshop in Auckland to hone their skills
Stage 3, 26-29 August Team of six represent NZ in Hong Kong at the Asia Pacific finals
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is one of the world's largest express transportation companies, providing fast and reliable delivery to every U.S. address and to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee*.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $42 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.