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Two students from The University of Western Australia Business School have been named state winners of the CPA Big Break Project.

Alexander McFaull, a fifth year Law/Commerce student, and Rein Duim, a second year Economics/Commerce student, worked together to create a business plan for the educational charity Room to Read.

As the state winners, Alex and Rein won a $1,000 clothing voucher and Apple iPad, and went on to compete in the national finals in Melbourne.

The CPA Big Break Project is a competition for teams of Australian undergraduate students that challenges competitors to solve a real-world business issue facing a global non-profit organisation. This year's charity was Room to Read, which aims to address literacy and gender equality problems in education in developing countries. Rather than relying on grants, the charity works with local communities and encourages individual villages to contribute space, labour, materials, and/or cash.

In the first round of the competition, the students were required to submit a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis for Room to Read. The analysis involved examining the charity's current operations, the current situation of the global educational non-profit market, and the opportunities available to Room to Read should it expand its operations.

After the announcement that Alex and Rein had won the state competition, their excitement quickly gave way to hard work as they prepared for the national finals. ‘We spent about two weeks of full days (and sometimes late nights) polishing our final submission,' says Alex. ‘Then after submitting our written component, we developed a thirty-minute accompanying presentation, which we worked on all the way up until the day before our presentation!'

‘Having little knowledge of Honduras, and in particular its social and economic problems and the impact of these on education, proposing a market entry strategy to improve literacy was a difficult task,' adds Rein. ‘We considered a lot of different market entry strategies that the non-government organisation (NGO) Room to Read could adopt, and felt that creating village-based institutions would allow for the greatest chance of successful implementation in the country. We went for the "path of least resistance."'

Armed with their prepared presentation and tickets to the (second) AFL grand final, Alex and Rein travelled to Melbourne, accompanied by their academic mentor and football devotee, Professor Phil Hancock. As for the result, Alex says, ‘We didn't end up taking home the big prize, but we were very happy with the final product we developed, and being in the final seven teams in the country.'

Meanwhile, attending the grand final replay proved to be pleasant compensation for their loss. ‘Melbourne on grand final day is incredible - the whole city is buzzing with excitement,' beams Alex. ‘Phil Hancock, our nominated academic, managed to pick up tickets for all three of us to go to the big game. Although the game ended up being a bit of a one-sided affair, the atmosphere at the MCG is something that must be experienced.'

The teamwork wasn't limited to the football field, with the students finding the competition's emphasis on small group work to be a rewarding experience. ‘Learning how to work effectively in a team is a skill which I feel is of the utmost importance, and if it wasn't for the strong team bond Alex and myself formed, we would have had less chance of success,' acknowledges Rein. ‘Knowing when to ask for help is also important. Getting Alex onboard gave our entry a new perspective which was influential in our success.

‘Competitions like these bridge the gap between life at university and life in the corporate world. Skills learned in these competitions give great value to your future employability and most importantly build your character and improve your strengths and weaknesses.'

Both students say that the competition has strengthened their interest in business and finance. ‘It has given me the opportunity to work with someone who has very different attitudes towards business than me, to commit to a project for an extended period of time with a big reward up for grabs, and has also afforded me the opportunity to develop some strong business relationships with academic staff at the university,' says Alex.

More information on the CPA Big Break Project .

Media Reference

Heather Merritt
Director, External Relations
UWA Business School
T: +618 6488 8171
E: [email protected]

Verity Chia
Communications Officer
UWA Business School
E: [email protected]