HOME | ABOUT | EVENTS | COMMITTEES | JOIN | CONTACT

Competitions

UPCOMING | PREVIOUS | COMPETITIONS | CONFERENCES

Michigan DEX participates in the State Competition and International Competition every year. Competitions are made up of several portions and are similar to the structure of competitions held at the high school DECA level. Participation in these competitions is not mandatory for members, but we highly recommend it. Michigan DEX members consistently earn high scores in these competitions. Check out the awards we have won over the years! For competition information, please contact our State Ambassador.

State Competition

The state competition is usually held on the second weekend in February in Lansing or Battle Creek, Michigan. The top 3 winners in each category qualify for the International Competition. DEX will help members prepare for the events with mock competitions and guidance. Participants may only compete in 1 business simulation and 1 case study. Participants may participate in multiple prepared events.

Competition information will be available on the DEX Facebook Group.

 

International Competition

The International competition is usually held in mid-April. Only members who have placed in the top 3 in a category at the State Competition may compete at the national level. The official name of the competition is the International Career Development Conference(ICDC). ICDC offers you the chance to engage in challenging learning activities, receive recognition for your competitive achievements, and expand your peer and business networks.

Competition information will be available on the DEX Facebook Group.

For additional competition information, please check out the official website.

Anaheim HiltonAnaheim Hilton 2

Anaheim Hilton 3Anaheim Hilton 4

 

Components of the Competitions

Business Simulation & Multiple Choice Exam

The business simulation event has 2 parts: a 75-100 question multiple choice test, and a scenario.

Business Simulation Scenario
Prep time: 30 minutes.
Presentation time: 15 minutes.
Categories: Apparel & Accessories, Financial Services, Hospitality, Restaurant & Food Service, Retail Management, Travel & Tourism.

You are presented with a business problem or a business proposal with certain objectives that you must achieve. You may brainstorm and plan your presentation during the allotted preparation time. You may bring your laptop, and/or poster board, construction paper, markers, etc.. The presentation is similar to that of the role-play, with the judge for the most part observing and asking a few questions at the end.

Multiple Choice Test
This test is a component of your business simulation score, although it is not weighted nearly as much. You must take the test specific to your category in the business simulation. Any introductory marketing book will be sufficient to study from, and any high school marketing class will cover most topics presented on the exam. Studying off of the sample exams will give you a head start on the other competitors.

Sample Marketing Management test: Questions | Answers

Sample Apparel & Accessories test: Questions | Answers

Glencoe Online: preparing for deca competitions - includes terms, links, online practice tests

In order to view these files, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later. Get it at adobe.com.

Case Study

1-2 participant(s).
Prep time: 30-60 minutes, depending on event.
Presentation time: 10 minutes.
Question time: 5 minutes.
Categories: Business Ethics, Business Law, Business-to-Business Marketing, E-commerce Decision Making, Human Resource Management Decision Making, International Marketing, Marketing Management, Sales Manager Meeting, Sports and Entertainment Marketing.

Students work to tackle a business problem or present a business proposal. Students will be expected to create relevant props (graphs/diagrams/etc) out of markers, poster board, etc.. The presentation is similar to that of the role-play, with the judge for the most part observing and asking a few questions at the end.

Prepared Business Simulation

1-3 participants.
Prep time: none, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, depending on event.
Presentation time: 10-20 minutes.
Question time: none or 5 minutes, depending on event.
Categories: Advertising Campaign, Design Presentation, Entrepreneurship, Sales Representative, Web Site Development

Prepared events are usually started about a month in advance of the competition and will have limited preparation time during the competition. Some prepared events have no presentation and are just submitted to the judges to evaluate. If you wish to participate in a prepared event, please contact an e-board member beforehand so we can get you the resources you may need.

Other Events

At the state level, executive job interview and other events that do not continue on to nationals are offered; if you are interested in participating in these, contact an Executive Board member for more information.

Events may include:

- Visual Merchandising
1 participant.
Use a certain number of given items to create a window-type advertising display.

- Executive Job Interview
1 participant.
Participants must bring a resume and/or portfolio with work samples (projects you have worked on, presentations, flyers from your events, etc.).

DEX Directory:

 

Michigan DEX | The University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan