A Case for Business
In the spirit of partnership and collaboration, the Moraga Chamber of Commerce and Saint Mary’s College of California have organized a business case competition for students in the Business Administration Strategy Class (BUSAD 140), where they will develop a 10-year business plan for the Rheem Theatre. The goal is to capitalize on the theater’s potential to become an entertainment and community oriented space that will enhance the Moraga area.
As part of the BUSAD curriculum in Professor Marco Aponte-Moreno’s class, five student teams will conduct thorough research, competitive and benchmarking analysis, including industry trends, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, revenue and expenditure forecasting, key market and financial factors, among others. Professor Aponte-Moreno said, "This is a unique opportunity. Not only our students are able to work on a real case, but they have the chance to make a clear impact on the community."
Indeed, the students’ work has the potential of making a real difference in the town of Moraga. The Rheem has been an iconic fixture in Moraga since 1957 and has experienced both times of great prosperity and hardship. Recently, the Moraga Community Foundation assumed leadership of this community asset and will look forward to the creativity of recommendations from the students. Although The Rheem shut down temporarily last spring, it reopened in June with the world premiere of Incredibles 2. All shows during the first weekend were sold out, with 2,200 tickets purchased. This marked a comeback for the theater. However, independent movie houses like the Rheem face unprecedented competition from innovations in the industry, including IMAX, 3-D, and other technological advancements. Similarly, high-end food options, reclining seats, and other unique offerings are luring movie goers back to large theaters. Although the Rheem lacks these modern amenities, BUSAD 140 students may make these suggestions and other recommendations for renovations, promotions or programming.
Associate Dean, Larisa Genin, has been working with the town representatives since the idea of the case study was conceived. She has also spearheaded other case study competitions with companies, like Target Corp. in BUSAD 124, last year. “Case study competitions are a great opportunity to showcase student innovations and give students unique opportunity to work on real world projects. We appreciate the generosity of the Moraga Chamber of Commerce to provide scholarship money to our students,” said Genin. The winning teams, ranked first through third place, will be awarded scholarship prizes that will go toward payment of each student’s tuition.
Students, faculty, and Moraga residents will be invited to the Case Study Competition on Thursday, November 29 to see innovative, professional presentations to a panel of a panel of judges comprised of senior executives and industry leaders. “An added benefit to our students is the opportunity to network with local business executives who will serve as judges,” said BUSAD Program Director, Mary Alice McNeil. McNeil is working with Moraga representatives to coordinate logistics and can answer questions about the program. Stay tuned for details on the venue, participants, and judges, as we get closer to the date. We look forward to a fantastic event!