Commerce students visit AUT
Posted on July 26, 2021
Last term the Year 11 Commerce students visited the AUT Business School in Auckland city.
Upon arrival,
students played a fun introduction game before taking part in a number of
workshops. The first workshop focused on garbology, the study of trash. Each
table was given a bag containing an anonymous person’s thrown away wrappers and
told to create a profile about them. Many interesting characters were imagined
as everyone got creative.
The follow-up task was to design two products that would satisfy the profiled person. This taught the students the importance of understanding one’s target market. In the next task, each student was given a playing card. The number represented its value, and the colour determined whether the holder was a buyer or a seller. Students circulated the room trying to find a suitable person to trade with. The prize of Mentos lollies drove everyone to bargain hard to get the most out of their trade. Here they learnt more about the relationship between suppliers and consumers in determining the market price.
Next, the students toured the AUT campus as a fun treasure hunt. Students were divided into groups and they set out, posting and tagging AUT on Instagram as they completed each activity.
At lunchtime, everyone dispersed around the campus exploring its many cafes and eateries.
Early afternoon, serial entrepreneur and Macleans College graduate Denym Bird (Kupe House 2006 - 2010) gave an inspirational talk about his three successful businesses, one of which he established during the lockdown. The start-up was so successful that he had three acquisition offers and ended up selling it four weeks later.
The final workshop introduced Design Thinking, a business model originating at Stanford University. Students were challenged to come up with a fundraiser at which Kendall Jenner would be present. Students followed the steps of Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test and Iterate in order to come up with an innovative fundraiser. Using diverse craft items, groups then built interesting and bizarre events from dunk tanks to boat rides, making the final activity an entertaining exercise.
The day at AUT was an exceptional educational opportunity for all present.
