Straight down to business for these students

Classes have only just begun for the year at Otago Polytechnic, but Applied Management students have been thrown in the deep end with public pitches of new business ideas.

The Business in a Box Challenge is a creative and interactive project designed to help the students develop and present their business ideas for a product or service which meets a need.

Groups are given a random box of objects, and must work together to develop a business concept based on items in the box before an initial pitch in front of their classmates.

(Tell Your Cat I Said PSPSPS (L-R) Tirea Campbell, Raana Te Whata, Mitchell Porter-Thomas, Dylan Cunningham)

The challenge followed a one-hour introductory workshop session run by Startup Dunedin as a quick introduction to entrepreneurship, including tips on refining their ideas and presenting their business concept to ākonga and kaimahi in The Hub last Thursday.

Pitches included a mobile app to check available parking spots & prices in real time, a one-stop venue hire business, a water bottle and wristband system to track your hydration levels, breakfast-related gift boxes, custom-designed work-friendly children’s toys, sustainable kete baskets for canines, and “tried & tested” cat toys, 

Caryn Hayes (Senior Lecturer at the School of Business) teaches the paper alongside lecturer Joe Taylor to just over 70 ākonga studying the Diploma of Business and Bachelor of Applied Management.

The students come from a mix of backgrounds, including some straight from high school, some fresh from a gap year or work stint, and others looking for a career change or switching from university.

As well as being a good learning challenge, it’s a great informal icebreaker between the new students, helping build their confidence and class culture.

(Team HydroTrack (L-R) Max Jones, Samnazareth Salefao, Mitchell McNally, Beau-Bradley Clark)