SWU Business students at top of competition
Southern Wesleyan University students Claudio Sanches, Katie Stilwell and Raphael Fernandes are placing towards the top in a “virtual business” competition.
According to John Frazier, business professor at SWU, their overall score ties them for first place with 21other teams from around the globe. There are currently more than 5,562 teams competing from more than 325 colleges and universities globally.
Sanches is a junior from Sao Paolo, Brazil, majoring in Business Administration; Stillwell is a senior from Pickens majoring in Social Sciences and minoring in Business; and Fernandes is a senior from Sao Paulo, Brazil, majoring in Business Administration.
The Business Strategy Game is a simulation that requires students to operate an athletic footwear company that produces and markets both branded and private-label footwear. Companies compete in a global market arena, selling in four geographic regions — Europe-Africa, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
“The game is as close as we can get to running a real business for a 10-year period in the span of 15 weeks,” said Frazier, adding that students must assess market conditions, determine how to respond to competitors’ actions, forge a long-term direction and strategy for their company, and forecast upcoming sales volumes.
Students are scored on four performance variables: overall score, earnings per share, return on equity and stock price.