Columbus, IN – A team of three IUPUC business students placed first and was named a Grand Champion team in the international Business Strategy Game. Three other IUPUC teams placed in the top half of their divisions in the competition.
The Business Strategy Game is an online exercise where class members are divided into teams and assigned the task of running an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against companies managed by other class members. Company operations parallel those of actual athletic footwear companies. Just as in the real-world, companies compete in a global market arena, selling branded and private-label athletic footwear in four geographic regions — Europe-Africa, North America , Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
Company co-managers must make decisions relating to plant operations, distribution and warehouse operations, work force compensation, online sales at the company’s web site, sales and marketing, and finance. The challenge is to craft and execute a competitive strategy that results in a respected brand image, keeps your company in contention for global market leadership, and produces good financial performance as measured by earnings per share, return on investment, stock price appreciation, and credit rating.
A total of 394 teams, divided into 33 divisions, participated in the 2009 competition.
The Master of Business Administration team of Chris Gilmore, Darryl Oster and Jon Sharp placed first in their division and was named a Grand Champion team. They also had the highest stock price of any team in the competition.
Master of Business Administration team members Shanila Bhatty and Matthew Collier placed third. The undergraduate business team of Matthew Alcorn, Kristiane Foga and Anthony Sylvia placed fourth. Undergraduate business team members Leslie Beyers, Brum Ogden and Stephanie Servies placed sixth.
“This is as close to the real world as a simulation can be,” said Thomas Clerkin, assistant professor of business at IUPUC. “We use this as a way to see if our students really understand how to plan and execute a winning strategy and if they understand the function of a business. It shows us if they can integrate their knowledge and act in the role of general manager.
“Most of them never realized how integrated a business must be to be successful.
Any change you make can ripple through the rest of the business.”
Clerkin has coached IUPUC teams in the Business Strategy Game since 2005. Five IUPUC teams have been named Grand Champion teams since 2005. Clerkin is a five-time inductee into the BSG Hall of Fame as a Master Professor.
For more information about IUPUC Division of Business, visit www.iupuc.edu/business. For more information about the Business Strategy Game, visit www.bsg-online.com.