BUDEHAVEN Year 12 business students had a very successful day at a Plymouth University business presentation competition, which took place on Tuesday, December 6.

Two teams were entered from the school, and they came away with a first and third prize.

The university-run competition set the brief to create a presentation on any topic with a business theme around technology, sustainability, the environment or enterprise. Students were given just two hours to choose a topic, research and create their presentations with the support of university business undergraduates.

Teams then had to present to a panel of judges, including university lecturers from a range of business disciplines and the director of Plymouth Business School, and a filled lecture theatre of the other schools taking part.

The winning team was made up of Will Atkinson, Charlie Barratt, Tom Mitchell Ford and Conor Stripe, who presented about whether wealth creation or protecting the environment was more important. The students raised some interesting questions about whether these two things can ever successfully co-exist.

Budehaven’s third placed team, consisting of Molly Grenfell, Abi Laryea, Dan Morecroft Rice and Lottie Messum, considered the environmental disasters created by multinationals in the past, alongside the benefits and other problems multinationals bring, and whether their actions can ever be controlled.

The group posed several questions for the audience to consider about whether multinationals do more good than bad, or more bad than good.

The judges complimented both teams on their presentation skills, level of research and understanding, and the ability to critique the points they raised. Judges also commented on the quality of work they saw from all schools taking part, which they stated was often at undergraduate level.

Laura Goodwin, leader of learning of business studies at Budehaven, said: “The competition was a really useful activity for students to take part in, as it developed understanding of some key issues and questions we explore in lessons. It also enabled students to hone their presentation skills and improve their confidence levels.

“I was really proud of how the students managed the brief, worked as a team and, of course, their final presentations. To have two teams finish in the top three was an amazing achievement for the students and the school.”