Students battle for the Best Company title

Manama, Bahrain, 9 May 2012: For the fourth consecutive year,  inJAz Bahrain held the annual students' Company of the year Competition on 8th & 9th May. Collectively sponsored by GPIC, Tamkeen and Milad, the two day event was held at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

The winning team from Khawla Secondary Girls School received the trophy from Sheikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa based on the scores provided by the judging panel which consisted of professionals from several Companies. The winning team will represent inJAz Bahrain and the Kingdom at the regional INJAZ competition taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikha Hessa Bint Khalifa AlKhalifa, the Executive Director of inJAz Bahrain congratulated the winners for their exceptional work and the other teams for their commitment and hard work.  She also expressed her sincere wishes for the winning team to achieve victory at the regional competition in October.

The competition is inJAz Bahrain's annual celebration of the accomplishments of inJAz Bahrain Company Program students ages 17-21. The finalists showcased their enterprise and business acumen before a panel of independent judges who evaluated each company's performance against the competition criteria, which includes their final report, a seven-minute business presentation before an audience, a trade booth display, and a final interview with the judging panel. One of the competition's goals is to measure each team's business achievements with members' individual personal development and knowledge.

Eligibility for inJAz Bahrain Student Company of the Year Competition was limited to qualifying student teams that completed the Company Program during the 2011/2012 academic year. During inJAz Bahrain Company Program, students start and run their own businesses with support from a volunteer from the local business communities. Students devise their product, market and produce it while trying to realize a profit for their shareholders. The program has been implemented at 12 secondary boys' and girls' schools.

The competition is aimed to providing the participating students the opportunity to present and reinforce the values of the Company programme as one of the most powerful and result- oriented entrepreneurial programmes offered by inJAz Bahrain. Additionally the students are exposed to the real challenges businesses face along with an opportunity to effectively present their product and company results to business professionals and the public. This enhances their sales techniques, helps them to understand the business environment better and put to the test the skills they have acquired to accept the challenges the future holds.

This year,13 teams from 8 secondary government schools, one team from a private school  and one university have participated in the competition: University of Bahrain  with 2 teams,  Isa Town Secondary Boys School, West Riffa Secondary Girls School, Jidhafs Technical Boys School,Al-Marifa Secondary Girls School, Al-Hidd Intermediate Secondary Girls School, Isa Town Secondary Girls School with 2 Teams, Khawla Secondary Girls School  with 2 teams, Muharraq Secondary Girls School, and Bayan Bahrain School.

inJAz Bahrain's Executive Director, Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa AlKhalifa said, "We are delighted to organise this competition in Bahrain for the fourth time. In addition to providing hands-on entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, the competition also involves the students in real-life business situations. The competition serves as an excellent learning experience for the students to further enhancing their leadership, entrepreneurship, communication, creativity, and negotiation and presentation skills and prepare them for future challenges".

"This competition is an exciting opportunity for inJAz Bahrain student entrepreneurs to demonstrate the teamwork, leadership and innovative thinking that will help them drive success in the business world," said Sheikha Hessa Bint Khalifa ALkhalifa, the Executive Director of inJAz Bahrain. "They also have the opportunity to create connections and share ideas with other inJAz Bahrain students, while learning the value of responsibility and the pursuit of excellence as they build business-and personal-success.

"We would like to extend our appreciation to our sponsors: Tamkeen, GPIC and Milad, who are helping to empower students to reach high levels of business excellence-and share these skills with the world." she further added.

The Competition is broken into four stages, each stage is designed to evaluate the acquired skills, knowledge and lessons the students have benefited from the programme. The stages are assessed and rated by a panel of judges formed of members representing different working sectors.

The first stage commences with the submission of their company's business plan to the panel of judges. The plan comprises of the overall business performance, lessons learnt and future potential of their company. The second stage offers the students the opportunity to put into practice their presentation skills. They present the experiences and achievements of their company to the audience. The third stage sees the students displaying their products and creative ideas in designated booths where their selling techniques and product knowledge are demonstrated. The final stage consists of a question & answer session. The judging panel prompts the company members on their understanding of the company's performance and the lessons the students were able to draw from this exercise, and how these lessons might be applied in a new business context.

In the "Company" programme, students set up and run their own company. They elect a board of directors from amongst their peers, raise share capital, market and finance a product or service of their own choice. At the end of the programme they liquidate the company and present a report and an account summary. Students gain experience of the real world by taking responsibility and being accountable to their shareholders for the running of the business.

The two day long event bring students from various schools together and serve as a creative, educational and entertaining platform to share and develop ideas. On completion of evaluation of the four stages of the competition, the judges will announce the winner who will be awarded the competition trophy. Following this, the winning team will subsequently represent Bahrain at the Regional Company  Competition to be held in June in Lebanon.

About inJAz Bahrain:
The purpose of inJAz Bahrain is to inspire and prepare young Bahrainis to succeed in a global economy. With the support of positive adult role models who volunteer their time, inJAz Bahrain enables young consumers to understand business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and work-readiness. The programs also encourage confidence and motivate young people to achieve their personal, educational, and career goals. These learning experiences establish the foundation upon which today's students can acquire the skills and aptitudes necessary to succeed in a fast-changing world.

inJAz Bahrain volunteers are supported by 17 committed community leaders who serve on the board of directors. These professionals provide the organization with valued guidance and support. In addition, inJAz Bahrain works with a number of local collaborations and affiliations. These relationships ensure that efforts are not duplicated and that available resources are used in the most effective ways possible.

As non-profit inJAz Bahrain began serving the community in 2005. It is supported by funds generously granted by foundations and area businesses. Individuals also give to the organization, and they assist with fund-raising activities throughout the year. The organization is part of Junior Achievement Worldwide that has a presence in more than 119 countries around the world

© Press Release 2012