Competitive Events Update

Get a head start on the competition season with DECA's competitive topics and resources for business operations research, professional selling, hospitality and tourism professional selling and financial consulting.

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BUSINESS OPERATIONS RESEARCH EVENTS

The 2025-2026 topic for each career category is for participants to collaborate with a local business or organization to seek and incorporate customer feedback into the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and overall business strategies. Using the research findings, participants will develop a CSR strategy to achieve internal/external results.

This means understanding what customers value, what concerns them, and how their opinions can inform a company's CSR actions and practices. Some examples may include:

• ‍Environmental Initiatives: Customers can provide insights into which environmental issues they prioritize, such as reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, or promoting sustainable practices.‍

• Social Impact Programs: Customer feedback can help companies identify social issues they are passionate about, such as poverty reduction, education, or community development.‍

• Ethical Sourcing and Manufacturing: Customers can provide feedback on a company's sourcing practices, labor standards, and manufacturing processes.‍

• Diversity and Inclusion: Customer perspectives can inform a company's efforts to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace and customer base.

FINANCIAL CONSULTING (FCE)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of a financial consultant who specializes in advising small business owners and entrepreneurs. A potential new client, a local artist who sells paintings, prints, sculptures, etc., has recently turned their passion into a successful online business. The potential new client has scheduled a meeting with you to discuss strategies for managing their rapid growth.

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM PROFESSIONAL SELLING (HTPS)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of director of sales for a company specializing in social media influencer partnership strategy. The vice president of marketing for a local convention and visitors bureau has scheduled a meeting with you to discuss using your services to create an influencer program to drive brand awareness, increase hotel occupancy and create authentic visitor engagement.

PROFESSIONAL SELLING (PSE)

For 2025-2026, you will assume the role of a sales representative for a company that specializes in subscription-based employee training and development platforms. A local non-profit executive director has scheduled a meeting with you to explore how your platform can help upskill their staff, improve customer service, and increase employee retention. The executive director is particularly interested in solutions that are cost-effective, easy to implement, and tailored to the unique challenges of the non-profit industry.

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