Chicago, IL April 28, 2014: A team of two business students from BYU–Hawaii outperformed 1760 other students from around the world to reach the finals of the Capsim Business Simulation Global Challenge. The team was one of the 12 teams to qualify for the 48-hour, high pressure business simulation play-offs last weekend.
Time differences meant Kathy Tang and Dixon Wu, students from Hong Kong and majoring in Finance, worked early and late over Saturday and Sunday to meet the deadlines for eight decision-making rounds for their simulated company. Their instructor for the business simulation was Kevin Castle.
According to Wu, the most exciting and nerve-wracking moments of the challenge were when the reports came out at the end of each round. “The reports tell us whether our plan and execution worked or not,” Wu said. “When they did, and we got a brilliant result, it was really motivating!”
Wu said Tang was an excellent teammate. “We always shared our thoughts with each other, and I noticed that by doing so, the quality of our decisions improved. Through this experience, I realized the importance of communication and teamwork.”
Tang acknowledged that learning how to handle business finance would help her prepare for the work force. “The simulation helped me understand how to run a business – especially in the production area. I have learned how to predict well in production and balance the company.”
Business students from 36 countries competed in the Capsim Challenge with the finalist coming from Lebanon, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, India and the United States. All finalists have proven their business skills on a global platform and can use their experience to impress future employers.
“Employers look for proof of business acumen,” said Dan Smith, Capsim President. “According to a recent Guardian newspaper survey, of the top ten skills employers look for in graduate recruits, the number one is ‘business sense.’ The survey showed while only 10% of graduates rated ‘business sense’ highly, 50% of employers said it was a ‘vital skill.’”
Results for Capsim’s Spring 2014 Foundation Challenge:
| Rank | Name(s) | Final Score | University | Instructor |
| 1st | Napat Pongsamart | 781 | Mahidol University | Bhakorn Makarananda |
| 2nd | Donna Weathers | 703 | University of Montana | Shaw Clouse |
| 3rd | Ripken LaMarsh | 699 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | Craig Schreiber |
| 4th | Adam Brill Joanne Vo | 636 | The King's College | Dawn Fotopulos |
| 5th | Hoi Shan Kathy Tang Man Yu Wu | 601 | BYU–Hawaii | Kevin Castle |
| 6th | Joshua Hambrick | 536 | Bob Jones University | Andrew Cropsey |
About the Spring 2014 Capsim ChallengeThe Capsim Challenge is a global online competition held in the spring and fall semester each year designed to test the business smarts of undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. The competitions are open to all students who have used a Capsim business simulation in a recent university course. Each simulation is designed to mimic real-world corporate challenges putting students in realistic decision-making roles as they run a multi-million dollar company. The simulation covers finance, marketing, product development, labor negotiations, and human resources issues. Individuals can play with or without a team (five-person team maximum). The Challenge begins with eight qualifying rounds followed by two days of finals (April 26–27, 2014).
About Capsim Management Simulations, Inc. Capsim is a global leader in business simulation technology and services designed to teach business acumen in any learning environment. Their programs create rich learning experiences that give participants, whether in an academic or corporate setting, the opportunity to practice the skills and build the business acumen that are behind today’s successful companies. More than 100,000 participants at over 500 schools and corporations have built their business acumen through Capsim learning experiences. For more information on Capsim, visit www.capsim.com.