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Dunbartonshire 2008 Area Board Winners – S.O.S from St Ninian’s High School
Link Teachers: Miss Laurie and Mrs Viswanathan
Business Advisor: Colin Watson
Team Members: Diane Ramsay, Sean Docherty, Sarah Irons, Jemma Smith, Amy Brogan, Aileen Park, Robyn Lewsley, Rachel McManus, Laura Bradley, Sarah Williamson and Laura Jane McConnell
S.O.S. produced ‘survival bags’ – ‘cheer-up’ bags, ‘parents’ survivial bags’ (containing, for example, cheques to make promises to parents) and seasonal variations The company is unique in that all members are fourth year pupils so didn’t have any free periods during which to do the Company Programme.
They came up with their base product – the brown paper bag – as their initial concept and planned to fill it with products all year. After a ‘thought-shower’ they decided on using camouflage as their corporate image – which represented their mission to survive in the cut-throat world of business! They created focus-groups for each age-group and gender in the school to ask them about the products.
Originally having 23 members, some were fired, and some left, leaving them with 11 at the end. Their MD was praised as always maintaining a positive spirit in the face of diversity.
Their theory was that first impressions gain customers and they were pleased that their product line improved with each product.
Their marketing strategy was to produce business adverts, have focus groups, flyers, and always sell with their decorated, camouflage backdrops in place. They also “embarrassed” themselves by creating dramatized adverts.
Their biggest challenge as a company was communications – both with different social groups inside the group and with each other. The team felt they’d learned business skills through doing the Company Programme and that they didn’t have any business knowledge before. They also fell into a natural hierarchy and into their roles.
They would recommend the Programme to other students as it’s "good fun once you get into it and is a great way to meet other people!" The best part of the experience, for them, was selling at trade fairs which they felt improved their interpersonal skills.
The most challenging part was not letting the confident people take charge! They had to learn to find their own roles and have a sense of direction.
If they had to do the programme again, they felt a smaller team would be easier to work with, they would have decided their roles sooner and they would have been more confident! Their business advisor was “lovely” – always offering to help with everything, always smiling. He taught them long-term skills such as how to have thought-showers and how to perform in interviews.
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