Consulting the Next Fletcher Business?

"We want to show that an upcoming company can still be a formidable business entity despite being faced with the challenges of the financial crunch. We want to let the judges know that there are opportunities to be explored despite the adversities being faced," Team AUT said.

Team AUT comprised of Michael Teoh, Dominic Mehling, Pam Fairburne and Lucy Harris. The team was presented with a company case, which needed them to consult on the matters of business growth and competitive strategy in a slowing economy. The competition was held on the 1^st of September 2008 at Massey Albany on the North Shore.

Troake Limited, a 100% New Zealand owned company operating in the residential and property development sectors, became the client for Team AUT to consult on their vision to grow into a multinational company, the next "Fletcher Group". The company has been labelled as an "Upcoming business powerhouse" due to their aggressive growth since 1991 as a family business and their support towards Corporate Social Responsibility which earned them the Gold status in the Enviromark New Zealand Awards.

Faced with challenges of declining demands for housing refurbishments and development, Troake is now exploring for rooms to expand nationally to achieve their dream of becoming New Zealand's next construction conglomerate.

With their proposal centred around "Sustainability and Growth" in the national market, Team AUT presented a constructive business plan for Troake to survive the current slowdown in the housing market by directing their sales in the refurbishment and interior upgrades market, reason being, buyers are more likely to hold on to their properties at economic downturns and selling them later for a higher price when the economy recovers.

Meanwhile, the team also proposed that Troake set up their operations at Hamilton, with the region being labelled as both logistically close for the company to organise the flow of its human and material resources between Auckland and Hamilton, and how the region is rapidly being developed as the next business centre for the country.

The presence of both the Managing Director and the General Manager of Troake, coupled with two Senior Business Manager from Deloitte and an academic, added more realism to the case, as teams were directly interacting and convincing the panel of judges who owned stakes in the business to favour their respective proposals.

"We were praised for having a well-rounded strategy and again, like every round, they were impressed with AUT's standards of presentation and analysis," said Michael Teoh.

University of Otago won the 1^st Round of the Deloitte National Grand Finals Championship League Week. The competition is supported by Deloitte, the National Business Review and the Student Development Society.