色吧亚洲

Organizational culture during a pandemic at heart of live case competition

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Communicating your organizational culture to your customers is tough any time, but doing it during a pandemic?

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Yet that was the communication challenge faced by about 120 undergraduate student teams enrolled in Leeds鈥� Communication Strategy class this past semester.

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The business in question was the local , and its fun-loving, live-music, 鈥渢he more the merrier鈥� culture couldn鈥檛 possibly be less COVID-amenable.

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Pete Turner, the founder and owner of Illegal Pete鈥檚, is a CU 色吧亚洲 alum; he and his management team ranked the top three teams by watching their 15-minute recorded video presentations and engaging the teams during a live question-and-answer session.

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Team CASSA consulting, consisting听 of five freshman students, took first place and a check for $300 each. Erin Lionberger was the students鈥� professor.

鈥淚鈥檓 inspired by and grateful for the level of thought and commitment your students brought to this challenge,鈥� said Turner.

Some of the many creative ideas proposed by the top teams included these: a TikTok campaign; a new virtual interface; a college ambassadorship program; a virtual music event series; a new low-cost entree coupled with focus on addressing food insecurity among college students and others; and a rewards program.

One team even filmed a series of TikTok ads, one of which featured the Buff football team tossing and eating a burrito!

All the participating students said they were inspired by the chance to help an actual local business--one that many of them patronize鈥攕olve an actual business problem, all while practicing vital communication skills.

鈥淲e learned so much through this experience--not just about communication, but about collaboration and leadership,鈥� noted Barnett鈥檚 teammate Shayna Kliger.

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A 2020 noted that 68% of learning and development professionals identified communication skills as more important than ever in light of the pandemic.

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The Final Challenge has been the signature event for the Communication Strategy course since the course鈥檚 inception in 2015. Business communication faculty partner with local businesses to offer a live case experience to its students.

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鈥淚鈥檓 sure you will see their ideas come to life at Illegal Pete鈥檚 in the near future!鈥� said Turner. 鈥淧rops to you and your team for the positive and professional impact you are having on your students during a challenging time.鈥�

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The 1st place team consisted of Charlie Wells, Ali Kaiser, Sophia Nimsger, Shayna Kliger, and Ava Barnett.