How's this for a unique and special way to reinforce understanding of cost to make (CTM) versus cost to buy (CTB), with a nice twist of Dutch and Business Management collaboration?!

By Saakshi Daryani, St. Dominic High School, Sint Maarten

While many parts of the world associate December as the celebration of Christmas, in Netherlands there is a Dutch festival called Sinterklaas which takes place on 5th December. As per the traditional night of the Sinterklaas celebration, which is called pakjesavond (gift evening), the DP 1 students at along with their Dutch, Business Management, and CAS teachers facilitate the gift exchanges and the collaboration that takes place in order to enhance the student learning experience.

Each student/teacher buys a gift for the person they picked in a random and anonymous way (like a "Secret Santa") and in typical Dutch style, gifts must be bought within a pre-set limit or budget. The crafted gift has to be accompanied by a poem about the person the surprise is intended for. The wrapping is preferably a handmade and creative work of art in which the actual gift is hidden.

For the Business Management part of this task, students were asked to be mindful of their actions in choosing the materials (sustainably and ethically sourced) to be used for wrapping their gift. The BM students were also asked to do a short presentation about the cost to make (CTM) versus the cost to buy (CTB) regarding the materials used for the packaging as well as a conclusion about the option which is most cost efficient. It was a challenging task for the students but a rewarding one indeed.

Check it out some of their work (attached) as they exceeded all the expectations set by their teachers.

Download a sample of the students' work here.

Many thanks to Saakshi Daryani and her students for sharing this excellent teaching idea and their experience with the InThinking Business Management community!