About JA :: What's New
|
Thailand Students Shine at FedEx Express/Junior Achievement Regional International Trade Challenge |
||
|
For Immediate Release:
THAILAND STUDENTS SHINE AT
Forty-six Students from Eight Asian Markets Show Strong Understanding in International Trade and Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship Singapore — A pair of teenagers from Thailand scooped the top prize in the FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (ITC) regional finals, a three-day competition designed to educate and build entrepreneurship and business skills in young people from Asia-Pacific. The students, Anchisa Pongmanaruth and Natharee Krabuantat, beat twenty-three other teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand with an outstanding and innovative business idea in response to this year's challenge which was to develop a market entry strategy for exporting vuvuzelas, a horn, to South Africa. The team from Thailand came up with 'Vuvuseika', an environmentally friendly vuvuzela made from bamboo that can produce sounds of different musical notes with adjustable volume, targeting tourists and sports fans in South Africa. The second place went to the team from Malaysia, Thiruvinothini
Thiruvenggadarr and Sofea A. Ghani. They created a vuvuzela travel kit for
tourists in South Africa. Named 'Avontuur', which means adventure in Dutch, the
vuvuzela is a musical instrument that also functions as a telescope. Jointly organized by FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world's largest express transportation company, and U.S.-based JA Worldwide®, the world's largest organisation dedicated to preparing youths for the working world, the ITC was launched in 2007 and is supported by a US$1.2million grant from FedEx Express over a four-year period involving major markets in the Asia Pacific region. "At FedEx, we recognise that entrepreneurship and businesses are important economic growth drivers. The International Trade Challenge is part of FedEx commitment to inspire young people to become next-generation entrepreneurs by developing their entrepreneurial spirit, imparting business knowledge and transferable life skills," said David L. Cunningham, Jr., president, FedEx Express Asia Pacific. This year, forty-six students between 16 - 19 years of age from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand were selected to represent their markets at the regional finals in Singapore after competing at the local challenge in their respective home markets. The panel of judges comprising successful entrepreneurs and esteemed business leaders evaluated the teams on their business acumen, concept and presentation. The students were measured on their thoroughness, creativity and professionalism in developing and executing their business entry strategy. "We are very impressed with the quality of the market entry strategies presented this year. The finalists displayed tremendous ingenuity, creativity, teamwork and communication skills. We hope that this experience will help these students prepare for the challenges of the business world in the future," said Clifton Chua, Managing Director, FedEx Express Singapore. Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide, added, "These students epitomize how the next generation of business leaders will collaborate to solve problems and create value for their organizations. JA Worldwide is proud to partner with FedEx to create access for students to experiences like the ITC where they can apply entrepreneurial thought and action." Now in its fourth year, the ITC has provided more than 4300 students in Asia Pacific a firsthand experience of world trade; enhanced their knowledge of product distribution, promotion, and sales; and developed traits of competition, teamwork, risk-taking, and self-confidence. FedEx employees volunteered as mentors or to help students understand the concept of international trade and guide them in the development of their plans. About FedEx Express About FedEx About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement) # # #
|
||

NEWS RELEASE