Business Simulation

Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 26, 1999
STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN THE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGIATE BUSINESS POLICY GAME COMPETITION William D. Biggs, Beaver College Michelle Duffy, U.S. Navy David Leposa, Chrysler Credit Corporation Andrew Milne, Vital Solutions International, Inc. Eleanor Schwartz, Bell Atlantic ABSTRACT This condensed paper provides comments from four students who represented Beaver College in the 1998 International Collegiate Business Policy Game Competition (ICBPGC). The full paper, available from the first author, provides the references; information about the competition and the simulation to provide a context for the students’ remarks; as well as biographical data for the students and
It incorporates lessons learned in accounting, finance, economics, marketing, and management. It really was the first time that I saw these fields tied together. Now that I have graduated from college and entered the “real” world, I realize how many important lessons I learned from competing in the simulation. One lesson is foremost in my mind - working with others. Even though we got along well, we eventually annoyed each other with our personal habits. We found ways to get through our problems and disagreements and it paid off in the end. There were other lessons from the simulation that I find extremely useful in my career. I know that I can work under extremely tight deadlines. Another invaluable tool is public speaking. We had to present the results of our decisions and pitch our plans for the future to a panel of professionals. Business writing is an unspoken requirement in my job. I make purchases from vendors on behalf of the US Navy. Frequently, I have to justify, in writing, why I chose a certain vendor. These justifications have to be to the point. I certainly learned how to do this by helping to write a business plan and an annual report. The policy
Pulling all those things together made the simulation seem even that more real. The experience of competing in the intensive phase of the competition was one I will never forget. It is hard for me to sit here now and put everything that went through my mind at the time into words. At the same time it was exciting, aggravating, depressing, and fun. I felt all these different emotions all at once while competing in San Jose. It seemed like there was never a moment to rest. There was always a decision to make, a new strategy to develop, a crisis to face, a report to write, a presentation to prepare for. It was constant competition from the moment we met the other teams at the opening dinner. Andrew Milne – Chief Operations Officer The logical first topic of my comments is teamwork. The ICBPGC is an extremely complex simulation containing vast amounts of data and information. A team must be able to allocate this information among its members and process it effectively to make decisions for the future. During the Internet phase of the competition, the other teams were just a name on the reports that we received. In the second phase in San Jose we had the benefit of meeting our competitors. This gave us an insight into the other teams and how they presented themselves. Being together with your competitors for three days, teams cannot help