In its second year of competition, JDC (Jeux de Commerce) Central was held this past weekend at Wilfrid Laurier University in conjunction with the school’s centennial – a point that was highlighted during the event’s opening ceremonies Jan. 21.
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t even put it into words,” said the School of Business and Economics Students’ Society (SBESS) president Aneesh Lal of Laurier hosting the event. JDC Central’s theme this year was “Celebrating a History of Success,” in honour of Laurier’s hundredth anniversary.
“JDC – whether it’s in the east, the west, central, is always one of the best competitions for business students across the country,” Lal said.
Lal explained that there were between 30 and 40 Laurier students participating in this year’s competition, dispersed throughout six case teams, a debate team and an athletics team. Laurier students were chosen through an application process carried out by two JDC captains who were appointed at the beginning of the year.
At last year’s JDC Central, hosted by Ryerson, Laurier won the “School of the Year” award, an honour they recaptured during this year’s event.
“They worked so hard practicing since November, five to ten hours every week and it really paid off,” said Lal.
Speakers at the JDC Central opening ceremonies, held in the Schlegel Centre Atrium, included dean of the school of business and economics Ginny Dybenko, whose message to contestants was simply, “work hard, compete fairly and have some fun.”
The competition includes six academic case analyses, which test students’ knowledge in a number of areas of business, a parliamentary-style debate, a sports tournament and a social competition. The annual event is supposed to reward well-rounded business students by testing their school spirit, teamwork and academic abilities.
Sponsor of the event, the Certified General Accountants (CGA) of Ontario, had a large presence at the opening ceremonies. CGA business development manager Erin McDonald and campus recruitment officers Dan Allison and Catherine Millar all spoke during the opening ceremonies.
“We’re happy to be here to support the academic excellence and encourage teamwork and leadership,” said McDonald of the CGA’s involvement.
Capitalizing on what hosting JDC Central means for the Laurier business program, Allison, a Laurier alum, said, “[The school is] showcasing everything they’ve done over the past couple of years really developing the business program to the level it’s at now.”
The next JDC Central case competition will be hosted by the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.
“Now that we’ve won two years in a row they’re going to have to work hard to keep that energy up,” commented Lal. “We had the home field advantage – next year it’s all the way at Sprott so we’re going to have to make sure that the spirit of Laurier reaches all the way there.”
