Business Operations ResearchPresentationTeam Event

Finance Operations Research

Research a real local business and write a strategic plan of up to 20 pages, then pitch it as a hired consultant in 15 minutes. No exam. The 2026-27 topic is customer loyalty and repeat engagement.

About this event

Finance Operations Research (event code FOR) is a prepared event for one to three members of the same chapter. You pick a business that provides financial services to commercial and retail customers: a bank, credit union, accounting firm, investment company or insurance company, design and run a research study on it, analyze what you find, and write a strategic plan with a budget. All five Operations Research events share the same rules, topic and evaluation forms; the career category only changes the kind of business you may study. The 2026-27 topic: work with a local business or organization to research what drives customer loyalty and repeat engagement, then propose a plan to strengthen retention through loyalty programs, personalized experiences or relationship-building. The written entry is limited to 20 numbered pages (including any appendix, excluding the title page and table of contents), must follow the required outline (executive summary, introduction, research methods, findings and conclusions, proposed strategic plan, proposed budget, bibliography, appendix) and must include the signed Statement of Assurances. It is scored out of 100 by a judge. Penalty points come off for formatting violations such as extra pages or missing page numbers. ICDC qualifiers upload the entry through DECA's online submission system in the weeks before the conference (DECA posts each year's window on its ICDC page; the 2026 window ran March 25 to April 8) and the chapter advisor must log in to verify it. The presentation is up to 15 minutes including the judge's questions, and every team member must take part. You play hired consultants; the judge plays the owner or manager. The presentation is also scored out of 100, so the total is 200 before penalty points, with written entry and presentation each worth half. No electrical power or internet is provided; you may bring hand-carried visual aids and notes.

What judges score

Business Need, Process and Methodology (15)Key Findings (15)Proposed Strategic Plan (15)Proposed Budget (15)Impact and Measurement (15)Presentation Technique: Organization (5)Presentation Technique: Effectiveness (5)Presentation Technique: Delivery (5)Presentation Technique: Presentation Design (5)Presentation Technique: Overall Impression (5)

What judges score

Executive Summary: clear, concise one to three page summary of the project (10)Introduction: the business, its products or services, purpose, target market and current customer-loyalty strategy (8)Research Methods: description and rationale of the methodologies and the data collection process (8)Research Methods: the selected methods are carried out in a clear, organized and thorough way (8)Findings and Conclusions: findings are interpreted and connected to the study objectives (8)Findings and Conclusions: logical, evidence-based conclusions (8)Proposed Strategic Plan: actionable objectives with a practical rationale (12)Proposed Strategic Plan: strategic activities with realistic timelines (12)Proposed Strategic Plan: metrics or key performance indicators to measure effectiveness (12)Proposed Budget: costs, rationale, financial viability and ROI of the strategies (8)Professional Standards: professional layout, business language and correct grammar (6)

Study resources

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