Douglas students mean business

No business like shoe business. Sponsor Laura Byrne joins students Eric Faulkner, Sam Peng and Marc Delmendo as they celebrate success over university teams in an international business simulation based on the athletic footwear industry.

When it comes to running athletic footwear companies, Douglas College Business students sprint to success.

Competing against students from colleges and universities in North and Latin America in the online Business Strategy Game, Douglas teams captured first and second place in their respective divisions. The entire two-week event featured students from 237 institutions worldwide, predominately North American universities, competing in 20 divisions called "industries".

Douglas' duo of Sam Peng and Yasin Remtulla won the grand championship in their 11-team industry, defeating teams from institutions such as the University of Guelph and Oklahoma State. The team of Marc Delmendo, Mary Evangelio and Eric Faulkner finished second in their eight-school industry. Four of the students are in Accounting Management, plus Faulkner (Commerce and Business Administration).

"Winning the grand championship is a great feeling. I now have more confidence in applying the knowledge that I've learned from Douglas College. It seems clearer to me that business is the right career for me," says Peng.

"My instructors prepared me well in different aspects such as economic, marketing, operating, accounting and finance. During the competition, I could apply that knowledge to make key decisions."

The simulation placed students in the role of managers making tight-deadline decisions each day for two weeks on everything from production and warehouse operations to budgeting and marketing. The virtual businesses were graded on their stock performance, credit rating, return on equity, investor confidence and company image.

"The simulation gives students a deeper understanding of the relationships between key variables and the trade offs that must be made when running a business," says Faculty sponsor Laura Byrne. "They learn how each of their decisions impact their financial and market positions."

Douglas students also learned they can manage successfully, even while balancing a tight schedule.

"Our students joined this competition knowing they would not earn grades for their work and that they would be competing during their final-exam period. During the competition, the team had to analyze data and make business decisions every working day for two weeks," says Byrne.

"The fact that the students addressed these challenges so successfully given such strenuous deadlines is very impressive. They have done Douglas College proud!"

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