Second-semester senior undergraduate students in the Division of Business at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) participate in a semester-long organizational simulation called the Business Strategy Game (BSG) as part of their senior-level business capstone course.

Class BSG participants are divided into management teams of two, three, or four students and charged with managing a company that produces and sells globally athletic footwear. In a single class, six to 12 different teams form to create and market a product.

Each company competes to attract and sell athletic shoes to B2B customers and consumers. During the competition, each team oversees production operations, plant upgrades, expanding and reducing production capacity, shipping and inventory management, pricing and marketing, distribution, business financing, and employee compensation and training.

Also, each management team is responsible for assessing market conditions, forecasting and responding to the actions of their competitors, developing and executing long-term business strategies, forecasting sales volumes, and operating in a socially and ethically responsible manner. A week of the game represented a one-year span of business with considerations, and strategical decisions applied towards return on equity, earning per share, stock prices, credit rating, and image ratings.

The Business Simulation Game provides students a better understanding of the highly competitive global economy and provides an excellent opportunity to experience what is involved in managing a company.

This year, five student teams competed in BSG and during the last session of the Senior Capstone Course the teams shared with the group their final presentations. Winning team members Jayson Purdy and Thomas Svetlick titled their company DK Footwear.  In addition to achieving the highest course score, in one year of play the team ranked in the top 100 globally.

William Haeberle is a lecturer in the Division of Business at IUPUC and facilitates the course. Haeberle explains BSG is played globally and is extremely competitive. DK Footwear missed a single private label bid in a Europe/Africa forecast; resulting in a pricing error of approximately one to two percent.

According to Haeberle, "The perspective: about 53,000 students participate in BSG a year. Estimating that 25 percent are in summer courses and the average team size is three students. Three = 53,000 X .25 = 13,250 summer students / 3 = 4,417 company/management teams in summer. A global top 100 = 100 / 4,417 = top 2.26% of companies globally. A 30th placing = 30 / 4,417 = top 0.68% globally." 

Jayson Purdy is from Osgood, Indiana and commuted to IUPUC while working as a landscaper and for an event center. Through hard work and an inner drive towards success, Purdy completed his education at IUPUC in four years with an undergraduate degree in management. He attributes his educational success to his parents and his faith.

Thomas Svetlick is a Columbus resident and after beginning his undergraduate studies at another university, he enrolled at IUPUC as a non-traditional sophomore and continued his education at IUPUC through completion.

Svetlick works as a production manager for NTN Driveshaft, Inc. and says that his degree completion will enhance his career options. Svetlick credits his academic success to a supportive family and the inspiration of his toddler son. He graduated this year with an undergraduate degree in management and marketing.

Purdy and Svetlick explain that business courses at IUPUC teaches students best business practices. The team credits their success to team collaboration, understanding, mapping strategies for success, and the learned knowledge that success is optimized when you watch your competition. Unanimously they agreed that although IUPUC is a small campus, students earn a quality education and a Big Ten degree!

For more information about the Division of Business at IUPUC, please call 812.348.7273 or visit www.iupuc.edu/business.