Future Business Leaders Face Off In Global Simulation Challenge

CHICAGO, Ill., November 20, 2012: Approximately 1800 students from more than 280 universities around the globe competed in the Capsim Challenge in November, with 12 teams qualifying for the 48-hour, high pressure business simulation playoffs this past weekend.

A team comprised of Sonia Apsingekar, Vikalp Babelay, Gaurav Sapra and Viraj Kulkarni from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research won the Capstone^®Business Simulation Challenge and DeMarcus Jones of Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina won the Foundation^® Business Simulation Challenge.

The Challenge pits students who have participated in either Capstone or Foundation business simulation in their university studies to compete with other Capsim alumni to run the world’s top simulated company.

“The Challenge winners have displayed business knowledge and acumen far above their peers, and their successes can now be placed on their resumes for future employers,” said Challenge Coordinator, Brendan Langen. “This is a significant accomplishment when you consider the magnitude of the Challenge.”

According to Foundation winner and student-athlete, DeMarcus Jones, Foundation has helped him understand the entire function of the business. “By being able to control the different aspects of a company, the Foundation Simulation has shown me that they all play some role in the performance of a company.”

Capstone winner Viraj Kulkarni believed the Challenge, and Capstone business simulation, helped prepare he and his teammates for the business world and how successful companies operate. “The simulations are extremely exhaustive covering all aspects of business management. We got an in-depth understanding of decision making process in the real world,” Kulkarni said. “We realized the importance of coordination between different departments in a company – each department is needed to understand the long-term goal of the company.”

Kulkarni said he and his teammates entered the Challenge because “we wanted to compare ourselves with the best in the world and test our business acumen.” Winning was an added bonus: “This competition is extremely prestigious and doing well in it would really add to our MBA education.”

“While many of the finalists are still studying in school, they already have the skills and knowledge to balance a company’s operational, financial and sales goals under a high amount of pressure,” Capsim’s Brendan Langen said. “The Challenge gives business students the opportunity to test their business skills against the world’s best.”

“Most students first participate in Capstone or Foundation over the course of an entire semester, but the Challenge Finals demand a weekend of focused decision-making. The pressure is extremely high for teams to make decisions, so you truly see the highest performers rising to the top.”

The Capstone^® and Foundation^® Business Simulation Challenge is a global online competition held in the spring and fall semester each year. The competitions are open to all students who have used a Capsim business simulation in their university course in the previous 12 months.

Finalist results from Capsim’s Fall 2012 Capstone^® Challenge:

First Place: Sonia Apsingekar, Vikalp Babelay, Gaurav Sapra and Viraj Kulkarni; S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, India; Professors Vasant Sivaraman and Bindu Kulkarni

Second Place: Mars Miao; Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Professor Gerry Shortland-Webb

Third Place: Rajas Nadkarni, Brandon Lobo, Jerry Varghese, Siddhesh Desai, Carl Mascarenhas; Goa Institute of Management, Goa, India; Professors C M Ramesh and Hemant Padhiari

Fourth Place: Quang Huynh; University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA; Professor David Kressler

Fifth Place: Tanner Lambert; Montana State University-Billings, Billings, Montana, USA; Professor Adrian Robertson

Sixth Place: Yin Zhu; University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia; Professor Martina Linnenluecke

Finalist results from Capsim’s Fall 2012 Foundation^® Challenge:

First Place: DeMarcus Jones; Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, North Carolina, USA; Professor Craig Schreiber

Second Place: Andrew Enjalan; Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA; Professor Andrew Cropsey

Third Place: Hunter Hassebrock; Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA; Professor Blaine McCormick

Fourth Place: Emylee Mueller; St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Professor Al Fillenwarth

Fifth Place: Kyle Peacock; Georgia College & State University, Macon, Georgia, USA; Professor Robert Duesing

Sixth Place: Juan Salas, Charles Taylor; Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA; Professor Gary Roberts