Capsim Challenge Gives Students an Edge In Job Interviews

Post by Capsim
November 21, 2016

The winners and finalists of the 2016 Capsim Fall Challenge will have a clear edge at their next job interview. Their competitive business performance is proof they have the skills employers want – like problem solving, critical analysis and the ability to perform under pressure.

Hoang Nghiem, from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, won the Capstone Challenge. Aleksandr Fominykh, from Brigham Young University Idaho, won the Foundation Challenge.

Hoang said the Challenge was “a great chance to compete with students all over the world. It helped me challenge myself – and improve my resume!” Aleksandr said using the simulation in class had provided a practical understanding of financial statements – “prior to that, I absolutely did not understand the meanings and interconnections of business terminology.”

Teams at more than 400 universities from over 30 countries competed in the Challenge, all attempting to run the world’s top simulated company.

“Winning the Challenge is an incredible achievement, given the intensity of the competition globally,” according to Capsim Managing Director Reda Chafai. “Most students take a whole semester to complete their business simulation for the first time. In the Challenge, all rounds are completed in ten days. Those who make the finals face eight solid hours of focused decision making. They make corporate decisions on new product offerings, marketing, pricing, forecasting and finances with hourly deadlines. There’s very little time to analyze the competition and the pressure is intense!

“It still amazes me to see how students execute their strategies with such accuracy and precision. They demonstrate they have what it takes to deliver in a fast-paced corporate environment. It’s particularly tough for students from Asia who have to compete in the finals through the middle of the night.”

More than 10,000 teams of students have competed in Capsim Challenges since 2003. That represents tens of thousands of individual students from universities all over the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Russia, Australasia and the Middle East. Finalists in the current Challenge came from Thailand, India, Turkey, Mexico and the United States.

Winners enter the Capsim Challenge Hall of Fame and receive a $400 American Express voucher for a dinner or victory party.

Finalist results for Capsim’s Fall 2016 Capstone® Challenge:

Rank Participants School Professor Score
1 Hoang Nghiem University of Massachusetts Chris Papenhausen 624
2 Ricky Tsang York University David Weitzner 606
Abhimanyu Ganguly
Ashish Tipnis
3 Utpal Das Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Dharam Pal 577
Krishnaraj Mahadevan
Subhash Chandra Pepakayala
4 Phitchya Phanpermpoon Mahidol University Bhakorn Makarananda 573
Jasmattie Singh
5 Marsha Grant Webster University John Jinkner 547
Sara Lockett-Payne
Nichcha Kanuenghet
6 Pimnipa Vatanavoraluk Thammasat University Nopadol Rompho 537
Yada Raweesuppaisan

Finalist results for Capsim’s Fall 2016 Foundation® Challenge:

Rank Student School Professor Score
1 Aleksandr Fominykh Brigham Young University – Idaho Annalee Strub 750
2 Jordan Matheney University of Texas at Dallas Larry Chasteen 689
3 Mertcan Kaptanoglu Sabanci University Betul Gemalmaz 625
4 Drew Mowrey University of Texas at Arlington Dwight Long 573
Alejandro Jimenez
5 Alfonso Enrique Perez Mena Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) Julio Borja 570
Jorge Delgado
6 Nathanael Hackworth Bowling Green State University James Zeigler 553
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