Will these winners be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Blake Ross?

Students battle for supremacy in global business simulation play offs

Chicago, April 28^th, 2014:  More than 1760 business students from 36 countries have competed in the Capsim Spring Challenge with 12 teams – from Lebanon, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, India and the United States – qualifying for the 48 hour playoffs last weekend.

Mike Veigel of the University of North Alabama (United States) won the Capstone® Business Simulation Challenge and Napat Pongsamart of Mahidol University (Thailand) won the Foundation® Business Simulation Challenge.

All finalists have proven their business skills on a global platform and can use their experience to impress future employers or expand their career prospects.

“Employers look for proof of business acumen,” said Dan Smith, Capsim President. “According to a recent Guardian newspaper survey, of the top ten skills employers look for in graduate recruits, the number one is ‘business sense’. The survey showed while only 10% of graduates rated ‘business sense’ highly, 50% of employers said it was a ‘vital skill’.”

Capsim Challenge coordinator Anthony Illuzzi said “any one of our finalists could turn up on the cover of Business Week in a year or two.  The playoffs are an intense, 48 hour, high pressure experience in competitive decision making and each one of these students showed they’ve got what it takes.”

Mike Veigel said he enjoyed the simulation because “I love critical thinking and strategic analysis.  Additionally, I enjoy healthy competition and the chance to work with brilliant minds from around the world, which is exactly what this simulation provided.”  As a Software Development Manager studying for his Executive MBA, Mike said he “walked away from the experience with a much greater appreciation of business complexity.”

Napat Pongsamart said he entered the Challenge to “test my skills and knowledge in business”.  He said the simulation “taught me how to respond to changes in business – and to survive!”

“All of Capsim’s corporate clients tell us the same thing,” Dan Smith said.  “Business acumen – skills like decision making under pressure, understanding the complex relationships between functional areas and the ability to execute a strategy with limited time and resources are top priorities for managers.  Capsim Challenge finalists have demonstrated these – and more – critical management skills.”

Results for Capsim’s Spring 2014 Capstone Challenge:

Results for Capsim’s Spring 2014 Foundation Challenge:

About the Spring 2014 Capsim Challenge
The Capsim Challenge is a global online competition held in the spring and fall semester each year designed to test the business smarts of undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. The competitions are open to all students who have used a Capsim business simulation in a recent university course. Each simulation is designed to mimic real-world corporate challenges putting students in realistic decision-making roles as they run a multi-million dollar company. The simulation covers finance, marketing, product development, labor negotiations, and human resources issues. Individuals can play with or without a team (five-person team maximum). The Challenge begins with eight qualifying rounds followed by two days of finals (April 26 –27, 2014).

Contact:
Anthony Illuzzi, Capsim Management Simulations, Inc.

1.312.477.7200

Anthony.Illuzzi@capsim.com