Students Among Top Performers in Worldwide Business Game

Published 10.27.2014

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Continuing a tradition of excellence, a team of Pennsylvania College of Technology business students cracked the Top 10 in an international business-simulation game, while another entered the Top 100 in two categories among competitors from colleges and universities around the world.

The Business Strategy Game is a total enterprise activity, through which each team manages a virtual athletic footwear company competing in a global marketplace. All participating teams are ranked weekly in four categories: overall game-to-date score, earnings per share, return on average equity and stock price.

There were close to 3,900 teams from 240 colleges and universities competing the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5, when the Penn College teams first cracked the Top 100, and nearly 4,400 teams from 266 colleges participating the following week.



The students are enrolled in the college’s Business Policy and Strategy course, a capstone class taught by Chip D. Baumgardner, associate professor of business administration/management.

The team of Nathaniel P. Hetherington, of Danville, Joseph F. Palombo, of Danville; Brett M. Wheeland, of Montoursville – all students in business administration: management concentration – and Reighanna A. Mellott, of Williamsport, an accounting student, was ranked ninth, worldwide, in the Average Return on Equity category with a 43.5-percent return during the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5.

The team of William J. Burns II, of Muncy, who is majoring in accounting; Alyssa D. Lee, of Roaring Branch, who is majoring in business administration: management concentration; and Heather N. Mowery, of Bloomsburg, who is majoring in business administration: management information systems concentration, made the Top 100 in two categories: They ranked 60th for the best overall game-to-date score, worldwide, for the week of Oct. 6-14. In the previous week, the team was tied for 99th in that category, and tied for 53rd in Average Return on Equity with a 31.2-percent return.

Through the Business Strategy Game, students manage every functional area of their virtual business: corporate social responsibility and citizenship, sales forecasting, plant capacity and location, production operations, global distribution, marketing, human resources, and finance and cash flow.

The challenge is to craft and execute a competitive strategy that results in a respected brand image, keeps the company in contention for global market leadership and produces good financial performance.

Penn College student teams have consistently done well in the game, which is used not only in undergraduate capstone classes but also in graduate classes and as a corporate-level training tool. Over the past nine years, eight Penn College teams have made the rankings.

To learn more about business administration majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505.

For more about the college, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.