The Fresh Connection – APICS Mid Atlantic District Student Challenge 2017
Win $5500 in travel expenses for 5 to the TFC / APICS Global Student Challenge scheduled to be held in San Antonio, TX during the APICS International Conference October 15-17, 2017
The Fresh Connection (TFC) is a web based value chain management learning simulation built around integrated business functions. Participants make strategic and tactical decisions in the value chain of TFC, a virtual producer of fruit juices. Preliminary rounds are played over the Internet.
Participants are full time students from business schools, colleges and universities.
The Challenge TFC, a virtual producer of fruit juices, is delivering to retail channels. Since the company is suffering severe losses, a new management team has been hired with the following four roles:
· VP Purchasing
· VP Operations
· VP Sales
· VP Supply Chain
This team’s assignment is to make the company profitable again by realizing the highest possible Return on Investment (ROI). Team members do this by making strategic and tactical decisions and optimizations along their end-to-end supply chain network.
How to Take the Challenge? In order to participate, your school will form one (or more) team(s) of 4 students who will assume the roles listed above. Each team will select a Faculty (or Parent Chapter) Adviser to support them along the journey. For MAD’s Preliminary Rounds (3 online sessions on November 3, 10 & 17, 2016), schools may fund as many teams as they desire for a registration fee of $100 per team. Graduate and Undergraduate teams will compete in the same single category. The following prerequisites apply:
· All teams must be endorsed by the school
· Teams consist of 4 full time students
· Each team member must have an APICS membership ID number
APICS Student membership is free. Apply online at this link: http://www.apics.org/about/apics-membership/categories-of-membership#
Get Acquainted With TFC: YouTube has several videos on past TFC competitions. The most informative clips are these:
· Intro Movie: The Fresh Connection, 2:45 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfjgOumLqiM
· TFC Briefing by the Strategy Director, 6:53 mins, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ICHtLlFAY
MAD’s TFC Challenge Structure: The District will have one “mulligan” round for familiarization with the simulation followed by 3 Preliminary Rounds scored based on ROI and weighted progressively at 20, 30 and 50 percent of the combined score. The five teams with the highest weighted combined ROI score after the third round will advance to the District Finals. District’s TFC Final rounds are also played remotely. Written and oral reports will be prepared on Friday evening, February 24, 2017 at the District Meeting hotel.
As in the past, District teams will prepare both a 3-page written report plus a 10-minute oral PPT presentation. District judges will use the ISCC rubric for papers and presentation skills. MAD scoring will be weighted at 40% ROI, 30% paper and 30% presentation. MAD’s winning team receives an expense-paid ($5500 cap) trip for 5 to the TFC/APICS Global Student Challenge in San Antonio, TX, at the APICS 2017 International Conference. You will not receive any cash. MAD transfers $5500 to the APICS Foundation, which reimburses upon receipt of expense reports with attached receipts.
TFC 2016 Logistics:
Top 5 teams advance to
District Finals
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Winning team advances
to the International level
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2017.MAD.TFCbrochure