Business Strategy Game
Camarillo, Calif., Oct. 4, 2016 — Five CSU Channel Islands (CI) Business graduate students have placed in the top 100 in the “Business Strategy Game,” a demanding game with 1,912 participants from 120 universities around the world.
And it’s much more than a game. “It is not what anyone in their right mind would call a game,” said Master of Business Administration (MBA) student and class champion Jeremy Stacy, 36. “It is a business simulation.”
Stacy was one of five students who competed in the Business Strategy Game while taking a CI class called “Competing in a Global Environment.” The class is taught by Business Lecturer James Hornbuckle, Ph.D., of CI’s Extended University.
The entire class earned a total of 24 Global Top 100 rankings worldwide in various categories, with Stacy coming in 22nd in the Top 100 in the Global Overall Rankings.
“This game requires the students to bring everything that have learned in their MBA studies, finance, accounting, strategy, performance, and organization,” Hornbuckle said. “They have to pull it all together in order to effectively do well in this game.”
The game, which is used in undergraduate and graduate programs around the world, has each team build an athletic footwear company that is globally competitive. Each team has to use spreadsheets, figure global currency rates, and factor in many different variables to come up with a sales strategy.
Stacy believes his winning gambit was putting money and resources into training his virtual employees. It’s something he learned during his career in hospital operations management.
“I sank a lot of resources into training my people very, very well,” Stacy said. “That allowed me to reduce the cost of my shoes. By providing training and incentives, we were able to pay the lowest amount for the quality we achieved.”
Stacy said the game reinforced the business strategy he plans to take with him when he graduates.
“I’ve learned if you train and hire good people and treat them well, a lot of their problems will take care of themselves,” he said.
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.