UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 34, Page 6
June 11, 1992
Judging the Perdues and Iacoccas of tomorrow

     Take a deep breath," a helper mom told them at the door. We could
hear their whispers and then a collective intake of air as each team
of diminutive would-be entrepreneurs marched into the room.
     We were the judges.
     It was our job to decide how effective they were at telling us,
in 2 minutes, how they solved a marketing and distribution problem
that would have stumped Lee Iacocca.
     Yes, I was a judge in the ME* (Meaningful Economics) competition.
For those of you who don't understand what that means, I'll explain.
     Each year, the University's Center for Economic Education,
Director Jim O'Neill and Assistant Director Bonnie Meszaros offer
every school district in the state the chance to send teams
representing their third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders to the
University of Delaware to spend the day testing their knowledge of the
principles of economics.
     The competition is divided into three categories: a written test,
the creation and manufacture of a product and the solution of a
business problem. This year, 204 students across the state competed.
     I was one of four to judge the problem-solving contest, which
called on us to assess the performances of 120 fourth and sixth
graders.
     This was the problem they had 20 minutes to solve:

                          ***

     You own a company that only manufactures shoulder pads for
fashion apparel. Clothing designers no longer use shoulder pads in
their fashions, so you have a warehouse full of useless shoulder pads.
You not only want to sell the shoulder pads on hand but you want to
continue to produce them, so you need an alternative use for your
shoulder pads. Design a product that requires shoulder pads as one of
its major production resources so you can continue in business.

                          ***

     They had to create the product and an advertising campaign.
     These are some of the suggestions that they offered:
     "Portable Pockets,"-for people who want to carry things but have
no pockets on their clothes.
     "Narly Knees," knee pads.
     "Beautiful Bibs."
     "Puff Man," "The doll that plays basketball and football."
     "Body Rest," cushions for body parts.
     "The Speaker Silencer." It goes over your woofers and tweeters so
no one hears your music but you.
     "The Extension Bib," for people who get food all over them.
     "Puppy Pads." "If your puppy gets hurt, I'll tell you what to do,
use a Puppy Pad. They're good for cats, too."
     "The Wonderful Wallet," "The Oven-Mate," "Back Strappers" to
protect back packers, "Shoe Pads" to cushion your feet, "The Hand
Healer," "Shoulder Pad Quilts" made entirely of shoulder pads, "Car
Pals"-pads for seat belts and "The Bye, Bye Baby Blocker"-body pads
for babies who bang into things.
     My personal favorite had to be the "Brother Blocker." Pads for
sisters to protect themselves against brother attacks. The kids
rapped, acted, sang and gave demonstrations. There were 1-800 numbers,
special offers and discounts.
     And when it was over, when all 120 had sung their last jingle, we
were all able to rest a little more peacefully knowing that we now
have proof that American ingenuity is alive and well and living in the
hearts and minds of the future.
                                        -Barbara Garrison