DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Currently, there are over 3,500 high school chapters and 215,000 members participating in DECA!
For those that are not sure about their future career, DECA helps provide career opportunity to narrow down possible options.
In addition, DECA is an excellent organization for all students as it prepares them to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and an experience leader.
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Currently, there are over 3,500 high school chapters and 215,000 members participating in DECA!
For those that are not sure about their future career, DECA helps provide career opportunity to narrow down possible options.
In addition, DECA is an excellent organization for all students as it prepares them to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and an experience leader.
Written
Projects
Written
Projects
Business Operations Research Events
The 2022-2023 topic for each career category is to research an existing business’s website, products, and/ or services and develop a strategic plan to adopt a hyper-personalization approach. Today companies are tracking and collecting large amounts of customer data and are using artificial intelligence to determine patterns within the data to simulate a customer’s thought process. Consumers have raised concerns about privacy and ethics in regards to this type of data collection. Participants will develop a strategic plan to enhance and improve the company’s existing products and/or services by incorporating this approach and addressing consumer concerns.
The Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed by management personnel. Students conduct actual research studies in their communities.
Participants in the Business Operations Research Events will:
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select an actual local business operation
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design a research study
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conduct a research study
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analyze the results of the research study
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prepare a strategic plan
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prepare a proposed budget
present in a role-play situation
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the design of the research study
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the findings and conclusions of the research study
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the proposed strategic plan
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the proposed budget to enact the suggested strategies
Business Services
Operations Research
Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel . Students conduct actual research studies in a Business Service industry in their community. These industries include: human resources, information technology, legal services firms, training and development organizations, health care service prociders, libraries, construction companies, landscaping companies, beauty salons, car washes, automotive repair companies, interior decorating, child care services, photography and tuitoring services.
Buying & Merchandising Operations Resarch
Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel. Students conduct actual research studies in a Buying and Merchandising industry in their community that gets the product into the hands of the customer through forecasting, planning, buying, displaying, selling and providing customer service. Examples may include any retail or wholesale business that provides consumer goods: specialty stores, department stores, shopping malls, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, discount stores, farmers markets and car dealerships.
Finance
Operations Research
Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel . Students conduct actual research studies in a Finance industry in their community that provides financial services to commercial and retail customers. Examples may include: banks, credit unions, accounting firms, investment companies, insurance companies and real estate firms.
Hospitality & Tourism
Operations Research
Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel . Students conduct actual research studies in a Hospitality and Tourism industry in their community that provides products and services related to event management, lodging, restaurant management and travel and tourism industries. Examples may include: hotels, lodging services, convention services, food and beverage services, restaurants, museums, amusement parks, zoos and other tourism-related businesses.
Sports & Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
Business Operations Research Events provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed by management personnel . Students conduct actual research studies in a Sports and Entertainment Marketing industry in their community that provides products, services or experiences relating to amateur or professional sports or sporting events, entertainment or entertainment events, selling or renting of supplies and equipment (other than vehicles) used for recreational or sporting purposes or products and services related to hobbies, leisure or cultural events. Examples may include: sports team, movie theatres, waterparks, music venues, concerts, festivals, amateur practice facilities, tournaments, summer camps, outdoor adventure companies and craft/music classes.
Project Management Events
The Project Management Events require participants to use project management skills to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close a project.
Participants in the Project Management Events will:
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identify a problem
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develop a project management plan related to the problem
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implement the project using project management skills
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develop a written report and presentation on the project
Business Solutions Project
The Business Solutions Project uses the project management process to work with a local business or organization to identify a specific problem with the current business operations and implement a solution. Examples include talent acquisition, employee on-boarding, policies and procedures, technology integration, customer service improvement, safety operations, marketing and promotion activities, and productivity and output enhancement.
Career Development Project
The Career Development Project uses the project management process to promote/educate the knowledge and skills needed for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship. Examples include career fairs, summer boot camps, professional dress seminars, résumé development workshops, career exploration initiatives, mock interviews, educational paths, career paths, workplace re-entry and mentor programs.
Community Awareness Project
The Community Awareness Project uses the project management process to raise awareness for a community issue or cause. Examples include day of service, distracted driving, driving under the influence, bullying, disease awareness, mental health awareness, drug awareness, ethics, environmental and green issues, and vaping.
Community Giving Project
The Community Giving Project uses the project management process to raise funds or collect donations to be given to a cause/charity. Examples include food bank donations, homeless shelter donations, 5K’s, sports tournaments, auctions, banquets, item collections, holiday drives, adopt a families, etc.
Financial Literacy Project
The Financial Literacy Project uses the project management process to promote the importance of financial literacy, including spending and saving, credit and debt, employment and income, investing, risk and insurance and financial decision making. Examples include organizing and implementing seminars for students (elementary, middle, high and post-secondary), tax preparation assistance, retirement planning, and student loan workshops.
Sales Project
The Sales Project uses the project management process to raise funds for the local DECA chapter. Examples include sports tournaments, t-shirt sales, 5K’s, school merchandise sales, catalog sales, sponsorship development initiatives, fashion shows, pageants, restaurant nights, value cards, and yearbook sales.
Entrepreneurship Events
DECA’s Entrepreneurship Events provide opportunities to explore entrepreneurial concepts from idea generation, business planning, to growing an existing business.
Start-Up Business Plan
The purpose of the Start-Up Business Plan Event is to provide an opportunity for the participant to develop and present a proposal to form a business. The event provides an opportunity for a participant to develop and demonstrate mastery of essential knowledge and skills as they apply to the analysis of a business opportunity.
Integrated Marketing Campaign
DECA’s Integrated Marketing Campaign Events provide opportunities for members to develop an integrated marketing campaign of no more than 45 days in length for a real event, product or service and present the campaign in a role-play situation.
Professional Selling and Consulting Events
DECA’s Professional Selling and Consulting Events provide an opportunity for participants to demonstrate skills needed for a career in sales and/or consulting. Participants will organize and deliver a sales presentation or consultation for one or more products/services/customers.
Financial Consulting
For 2022-2023 you will assume the role of a financial consultant to a local bank or credit union.
The bank or credit union is looking to close some of its brick-and-mortar locations and transition more of its services to an online/virtual platform. The bank or credit union is seeking your recommendation on what services could be transitioned to an online-only banking platform without compromising customer service to its customers.
Professional Selling
For 2022-2023 you will assume the role of a sales representative of a virtual human resource firm that specializes in employee accountability.
Since the pandemic, the company is allowing workers to work remotely and is looking for a solution to hold employees accountable for their workload. The chief operations officer of a major company has scheduled a meeting with you because he/she is interested in using your services to ensure accountability in the virtual workplace.
Hospitality & Tourism Professional Selling
For 2022-2023 you will assume the role of a sales representative for a technology firm that specializes in touchless technology integration.
A local amusement park owner has scheduled a meeting with you to discuss how to implement touchless customer options and learn about the types of products that can be integrated into their company to benefit their business.