YEAR 10 BUSINESS MARKET DAY

REPORT BY CHLOE STEVENS & MARY FU

We are so glad that we chose Business Studies as an elective this year. Not only have we learned a great deal, but we have also applied this new knowledge to hands-on activities (Year 10 Market Day). Studying Business gives you great life skills, even if you don’t want to become a business owner. We have covered a fair amount of knowledge in Business, Economics and Legal Studies, and all of this can be applied to every-day life. We learned that even as young teenagers, we can have an impact on our economy. In class, we have discussed current issues such as the Budget Night, Donald Sterling in the NBA, and Alex McKinnon in the NRL.

The work that goes on behind the scenes before the Year 10 Market Day is a lot harder than most people know. We had to come up with a product that we could sell, and write a business plan based on the knowledge we had gained in class. We completed market research to assess the market and our consumers to see if they would buy our products at the price we had set. We had to use different advertising methods to get the word out about our stall, and work out exactly how much everything was going to cost and how much we needed to sell to break even. Our business plan consisted of things like target audience, location of our stall, what type of business we were and our mission statement.

Market Day was very exciting. We sold cupcakes, and many other desserts. We had prepared adequately and were very organised. We had to set up our stall and make it look as attractive as possible to attract customers. Even before lunch began, teachers were saying how amazing our products looked and some even bought our products. Our first sell made us very excited, and we became more and more confident in ourselves. When lunch began, our products sold quickly, and many people were disappointed when they missed out. It was so great to see that all of our hard work had paid off.

By the end of lunch, all of our products were gone, and we had made a total of $100 profit, which we donated to charity. We were very lucky that our business was successful, and so many other businesses were successful as well.

Overall, studying Business has been a really great experience, and we have gained so many new skills, such as leadership, confidence, organization and communication skills. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing Business teacher Miss Jobson, who guided us through the whole process. We recommend studying Business to everyone, as it is such a great experience and you gain so much from it.

Chloe Stevens & Mary Fu

REPORT BY HANNAH CURRY & CASEY CHIORNY

On Thursday 8 May, the two Year 10 Business classes conducted their Market Day in the grounds of McKinnon Secondary College. The day’s success was due to the hard work of all those involved. The students had been preparing for this day for many weeks in organizing their stalls, the products they were going to sell and how they could maximize their profits.

On the day, there was a variety of things to be purchased. The majority of students chose to sell food items such as cupcakes, tacos, sushi, sausages, ice cream, cookies and fried rice although some groups preferred non-food items such as phone holders or running video game challenges.

Each group had to go through a series of steps to be allowed to be a part of the day. They had to allocate a particular location to set up their stalls on which to sell their particular product as well as organizing the necessary equipment that would be needed. For those groups selling food items, the decision as to where to cook the various food items needed to be made beforehand to satisfy quality and health requirements.

The weather was sunny on the day which, given that we live in a city known for its tendency to rain when people least want it to, was such a blessing. Everybody was excited but also nervous for the outcome. We had Period 4 off to set up the stalls so that as soon as the lunch bell rang we would be ready to start selling. People ran around trying to gather last minute resources to ensure their stall would be popular and rewarding.

Students had the chance to prove to the teachers and administration what they had learnt from the semester and thus experienced what completion looks like in the real world of business. The school community embraced the day with enthusiasm and the throngs of students milling around the various stalls and queuing up to buy the various products on offer ensured that the day would be a success. Of course, there was the big clean up afterwards while other students counted the money made. Many stalls were able to generate profits which were then donated to a charity of choice.

Overall, the day had a positive outcome and we would like to thank Ms Jobson, Mr Rorke, Mr Fernandez, the Administration and all the staff involved who assisted us and allowed us to use the various resources in the school in preparation for the day. Thank you also to the Administration for their support and encouragement on the day itself and during the days leading up to the Market Day activity.

Hannah Curry & Casey Chiorny