They Have the Edge! Capsim Challenge Winners Demonstrate Skills Employers Need

How can graduates show they have a strong work ethic, plus problem solving and time management capacity - top skills employers say they need? All finalists in the Capsim Spring Challenge have evidence. They have proved themselves managing a multi-million dollar virtual business, in a competitive global marketplace, under intense pressure.

Pipitthon Laongkaew, from Thammasat University in Thailand, won the 2024 Capstone Spring Challenge. Cami Reece, from Brigham Young University, Idaho, won the 2024 Foundation Spring Challenge. Finalists in each game won through from more than six hundred competitors from fifteen countries, all trying to create market leading virtual enterprises through superior strategy and tactics.

Simulation Challenges Build Experience

Foundation winner Cami Reece said the time pressure of eight simulation rounds in eight hours in the finals, “requires a high level of focus, strategic planning, and efficient decision-making to ensure that every move contributes to a successful outcome.”

She saw those difficulties, however, as: “opportunities to test my time management skills, resilience, and ability to perform under pressure. I was motivated to tackle these challenges head-on and make the most out of the competition, knowing that overcoming such obstacles will only strengthen my skills and determination in the long run.”

In Thailand, Pipitthon Laongkaew faced the same constraints – with the added challenge of working through the night to compete in the finals. He still achieved his goal, “to be, the first world champion of Thammasat University.”

Pipitthon said the simulation: “helps me see a more holistic view of organizational management.” His biggest challenge was, “to analyze and read the minds of your competitors, and use strategies to counter what they do.”

Positive Career Outcomes

Professor Nopadol Rompho, who taught Pipitthon, says he has evidence his students have applied their Capsim experience in their careers.

“Students who have become successful entrepreneurs have come back to give me feedback that their simulation experience gave them valuable lessons,” Professor Rompho said. “They can grab an opportunity, and avoid serious mistakes in their business operations.”

According to Professor Brian D. Rohrs, who has taught several Foundation Challenge finalists at Schmidthorst College of Business, Bowling Green State University: “Students quickly learn that business decisions are not as easy as answering a question in a textbook. There is often no one ‘right’ answer to a business problem or decision. Student teams must respond to competition in the marketplace and synthesize numerous, sometimes competing, elements to make decisions.”

Having “lived through these experiences,” Professor Rohrs said: “During the job interview process, students can draw on their Capsim experience to discuss decision making under uncertainty, data analysis and interpretation, working in teams and more.”

Professor Irene Shaker, of the American University in Cairo, with a student in the Foundation finals, agrees: “Capsim is a great opportunity to apply theoretical concepts we teach in class to an effective, practical decision making process,” Professor Shaker said. “It really helps in bridging the gap between academics and practical decision making.”

Skills Employers Need

Capsim President Reda Chafai said surveys continue to show employers want more than technical skills in new hires. “A new survey of 1,500* international leaders and hiring managers showed it’s interpersonal, more than technical skills, they’re looking for in 2024,” Mr Chafai said. “Tech skills can be taught, but behavioral capabilities such as dedication, teamwork, problem-solving and flexibility make for the most valuable employees.

“This business school cohort mostly began their college lives during a pandemic. They’re ending it in a year of economic uncertainty and a tight jobs market. Their challenges have been enormous, yet they joined this Capsim Challenge, and repeated their in-class simulation two more times, on their own time and under pressure. That’s the resilience that turns grads into sought after employees. They are ready for what’s next.”

Final results for Capsim's Spring 2024 Foundation® Challenge:

Final results for Capsim's Spring 2024 Capstone® Challenge:

About the Capsim Challenge

The bi-annual Capsim Challenge is open to all students who have completed a Capsim Simulation in their course in the last 12 months. The Spring 2024 Challenge attracted students from around the globe including Australia, Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Türkiye and USA.

All past winners are listed in the Capsim Hall of Fame at http://www.capsim.com/events/challenge/#/hof.

*https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/03/no-1-skill-you-need-to-get-hired-right-now-according-to-new-research.html