The School of Management and Languages in Dubai recently hosted its first United Arab Emirates Business Challenge Inter-School Competition.
The challenge consisted of four events: a business and general knowledge quiz, case study presentation, a business scenario and a bridge building challenge. Nine schools entered throughout the UAE with 25 teams participating. The winning team came from the Dubai American Academy.
Plans are being made to host this competition on a much larger-scale next year. School of Management and Languages in Dubai Academic Head, Michael Clarke commented, "The participants performed extremely well and are all potential business leaders of the future. We will run this competition on an annual basis as it has considerable benefits for students, offering them real-life business scenarios and situations including developing skills in presenting, analysis and teamwork."
Sharon Njoroge took part in the competition and said, "I would like to thank Heriot-Watt University for the enlightening experience I received from the business competition. It was a great experience as I got to learn a lot about my capabilities and my weaknesses. I walked into the competition feeling hesitant about my strengths in business analysis and my public speaking capabilities. I left the competition feeling more confident in my abilities, and I have the experience I received from this competition to thank for this personal growth."
Zaid Mustafa was part of the winning team from the Dubai American Academy. He said, "As a student on behalf of Dubai American Academy I would like to thank you for organizing, hosting and providing us with such a memorable experience. The business competition really put us out of our comfort zones and allowed us to learn more about ourselves in the process. We hope that you will continue this competition in the ensuing years as it is truly a worthwhile event."
Gregg Lee is a Business Teacher at the Dubai American Academy. "I just wanted to say thank you again for organizing such a great event. I am obviously very pleased with my students' results but above and beyond that I believe that your competition gave students the opportunity to experience a real life simulation of the business world. My students definitely grew and learnt a lot throughout the day. Special thanks to all the organizers and volunteers for the event. They really made the day special."