Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. A raging forest fire wipes out three towns in the British Columbia interior. A propane plant explosion forces evacuation of a densely populated section of Toronto for an indefinite period.
In all these situations, its imperative to restore the flow of goods, services and materials to a normal level as soon as possible afterwards, so that people can get on with their lives and the affected areas can start rebuilding. Such matters are the concern of the materials and operations management professional, and excellence in writing about a disaster-recovery scenario could win a worthy applicant one years free tuition to the Business Administration - Materials and Operations Management program at Conestoga College in Kitchener.
Program alumnus Tim Kingsbury is sponsoring this novel approach to finding the best and brightest young minds for this growing and increasingly vital career field.
Heres how the contest works. Applicants to the Conestoga program are encouraged to submit no later than March 31, 2009 an original essay of 600-1,000 words on the topic, Effectively managing a supply chain is critical to the coordination and delivery of disaster relief.
Supporting evidence, with proper references, must form part of the essay submission. Judging entries on the basis of creativity, originality and substance will be a panel composed of Conestoga faculty in the area, industry leaders and a representative of the Canadian Red Cross.
Finalists who actually enrol in the first-year of the three-year Materials and Operations Management program at Conestoga will be eligible for prize selection, which will be announced on September 11, 2009. First prize is free tuition for the first year of study, estimated at $2,300. Second prize is a laptop computer, estimated at $1,200.
Information about the contest is available by visiting this website: www.conestogac.on.ca/essaycompetition.
Business Administration - Materials and Operations Management is a three-year advanced diploma program designed to prepare participants for a professional career in operations management. Graduates of this program will find career opportunities in the public, industrial, retail/wholesale, service and private sectors of the economy. Further, graduates can progress to leadership roles as business professionals in areas such as purchasing/procurement, resource planning and control, inventory management, supply chain management, logistics, warehousing and distribution.
Partnerships with professional associations, including APICS (The Association for Operations Management), PMAC (Purchasing Management Association of Canada) and SCL Canada (Supply Chain and Logos tics Association of Canada) afford students in the program the opportunity to network with professionals and work towards recognized professional designations while at school.
Contact: Stephen Thomson, 519-748-5220, ext. 3895, sthomson@conestogac.on.ca