U.S. Network National Business Plan Competition

The 2010 U.S. Network of Virtual Enterprises National Business Plan Competition, one of the most prestigious and rigorous annual business plan competitions for public high school students, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23 (preliminary round) and Wednesday, March 24 (final round). The Competition showcases best practices, rewards excellence, and trains high school students to apply sophisticated knowledge and skills attributed to business professionals and college students.

Teams from across the United States will be selected by their VE Central and Regional Offices to take part in the Competition and vie for cash prizes. Teams must submit written business plans, present their plan and respond to questions from a panel of judges who select the winners. Two preliminary rounds determine the six finalist teams for the championship round, followed by the announcement of the top three teams at the VE International Trade Fair, taking place this year on Thursday, March 25, 2010.

Rubrics can be found at www.veinternational.org. Click on Teachers & Administrators, click on Rubrics and Forms. You can get the password from your Central Office.

The Global Business Challenge Competition

The fourth annual Global Business Challenge will take place on Wednesday, March 24, 2009 (location TBA). The Challenge is a partnership between, the U.S. Network of Virtual Enterprises, PEN International (the international organization of worldwide practice firms), and Working In Support of Education (an educational not-for-profit organization that organizes activities for the U.S. network of Virtual Enterprises).

As innovation and the free flow of information have increased, the growth of international business has accelerated. In order to keep pace, it is necessary for business students to be prepared to understand the global economy in which they will work. The Global Business Challenge (or “Challenge) is a unique opportunity for Virtual Enterprise/practice firm students worldwide to achieve this goal.

The “Challenge” allows students from NYC, national and international VEs, who also participate in the Trade Fair the following day, to experience working in a multinational team and examine the challenges, opportunities and risks involved in a global business.

The Challenge Format:

On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 24 immediately before the start of the Challenge, students are assigned to a multinational team of 10 students. The mission is for each team to analyze company data, identify relevant information for the assigned task, and prepare a business strategy to be presented to industry judges.

Each team is provided with one laptop and a flash drive in order to prepare their presentation. Teams must complete their mission in 2.5 hours.

As the teams work, judges will have the opportunity to observe and evaluate performance, professionalism and effectiveness. This evaluation will contribute to the team’s overall score. At the end of the 2.5 hours, teams will make a 10- minute presentation to judges, followed by 5 minutes of questions. In addition to the criteria of teamwork, teams are rated on their analysis of the company, the strategies they recommend and the strength of their answers to judges’ questions. Scores will be computed and the winners will be announced at the official closing of the Global Business Challenge.

For registration information, email vec@veinternational.org. A full registration packet will be posted on this website by early January.