Bowling event nets IME class donation to Harbour House

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 15:56:02 +0000

The Integrated Management Experience (IME) class at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge donated $1,510.55 to YWCA Lethbridge’s Harbour House women’s shelter following the successful completion of its annual fundraising initiative.

The chosen project, that encompassed two management modules over the course of two semesters, saw the group organize, market and then execute a charity bowling event. YWCA Lethbridge CEO Jennifer Lepko says the students have made a considerable contribution to the organization.

YWCA CEO Jennifer Lepko says that while the money raised is crucial, the enhanced profile of the YWCA and Harbour House through the project is as important as anything. Here

“It has been an amazing experience,” she says. “The students put their heart and soul into it and are really giving back to the community. I don’t know if they really understand the impact they make.”

Lepko says that while the money raised is crucial, the enhanced profile of the YWCA and Harbour House through the project is as important as anything. The YWCA Lethbridge and District serves more than 6,000 men, women and children every year.

“We were able to share the YWCA with more people, which is very important for us because people need to know what we do,” says Lepko. “These funds will go directly to Harbour House. We have a 24-bed facility but we could use way more. We unfortunately have the fourth-highest turn-away rate in the province. We don’t have enough physical space (beds) to meet the needs of our community. Especially right now, in the economic crisis we are experiencing, we’re turning away more than 2,000 people per year.”

Davis Weber, a third-year general management student from Athabasca, says the IME project gave him insight about the YWCA and its place in the community, and allowed him to apply his classroom skills.

“As students we sit here and do a whole bunch of things academically and then being able to apply that and organize an event to go forward and help a non-profit is really cool,” he says. “This was a real situation where there is real pressure and a real event to put on so it was a great learning experience.”

The southern Alberta community and its support of non-profit enterprises impressed Alex Glydon, a third-year accounting major from Strathmore.

“The biggest thing I learned was how generous people are,” he says. “It’s a rough time out there right now and we got a lot donated in terms of silent auction and prizes. It was great to see that.”

IME now turns its focus to next year’s class project, which will benefit Special Olympics.

“It’s such a valuable program in the sense that we have the opportunity to extend our reach into the Lethbridge community, and the skillsets IME students acquire can be leveraged when they enter the workforce,” says IME Director and Faculty of Management professor Mike Madore. “They obtain practical project management skills in advance of going out into the workplace. Students must work in a team environment, which is really important as they will work in teams once they enter the workforce.”

Student team earns accolades at marketing competition

trevor.kenney — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 23:15:15 +0000

The Un iversity of Lethbridge's Faculty of Management recognized four of its students who brought home second-place honours and $1,000 from the 32nd Annual Manitoba International Marketing Competition and Conference (MIMC), at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba in Winnipeg recently.

The team, only the second Faculty group to participate in the MIMC, included students Jesse Zimmer, Kevin Harding and Kurtis Nicholson - all fourth-year students - along with Alex Glydon, in his first year at the U of L.

Kevin Harding, Alex Glydon, Kurtis Nicholson and Jesse Zimmer used a multi-major approach to achieve success at the MIMC.

Zimmer, the only student to have competed in the event previously, is very pleased with the team's second-place finish, particularly in light of their relatively minimal experience.

"Many of the other teams had taken classes that prepared them for the competition - this is something we did on our own time," says Zimmer, "and not all of us are marketing majors."

The multi-major team relied on its expertise in a number of areas, including economics, accounting and, of course, marketing. The students feel their diverse skill set contributed significantly to their success.

"Coming from a management background helped us 150 per cent," says Zimmer. "We had to show we were good in different areas. All of us understand the basics and that made a big difference."

The MIMC challenges teams of three to five students from an undergraduate business program and is comprised of three elements: a simulation, a strategy statement, and presentations. Students apply knowledge from the areas of production, human resources, finance, research and development and marketing.

Harding, Management Students' Society President for 2013-2014 and a veteran of several other business competitions, echoes Zimmer's thoughts on the team's well-rounded expertise.

"We had good general knowledge as a team and made all our decisions together," he says. "That really showed in the question-and-answer portion of the competition."

The MIMC's simulation rounds begin locally in mid-October, with teams submitting their ideas and proposals for marketing a given product online. There, they are viewed by all other competitors and further decisions and refinements to the proposals can be made.

"It gets more interesting and interactive [at this point], and there is more competition" says Nicholson. "Then you develop your strategy statement and implement your ideas."

More recently, the MIMC has included a conference, where students have the opportunity to network and hear industry speakers from businesses like Princess Auto and Warehouse 1 Jeans. All of the students feel the event was a valuable learning opportunity and they are hopeful that U of L teams will continue to compete in the future.

"I gained a lot of knowledge from others," says Glydon. "It helped me realize I made the right decision as an accounting major."

Glydon will return next year to continue his program, and looks to add other competitions and events to his overall educational experience.

"I plan to get more involved with the Management Students' Society (MSS) and JDC West (case competition team) next year."

Nicholson, who has one more year to complete his degree, also plans to join MSS and JDC. "...but I wish I'd started getting involved in clubs and competitions sooner," he says.

Zimmer will graduate this spring and will be exploring his career opportunities, along with Harding, who hopes to continue his involvement with MSS on a non-student basis as a mentor and consultant.

UNews - Alex Glydon

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