Graduate students in the School of Business at St. Bonaventure University were among the top performers in a worldwide business simulation competition involving more than 4,500 teams from 236 colleges and universities.

 

Teams of St. Bonaventure students ranked in the top 1 to 3 percent in various categories among all competitors in The Business Strategy Game, an online exercise where teams of students are assigned the task of running an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against other student teams.

 

“This business simulation is a part of St. Bonaventure’s MBA 649 capstone course, Business Policy, and students compete by running their own company in a global footwear industry,” said the course instructor, Dr. Konrad Jamro, associate professor of management. “Each week they make business decisions related to production, distribution, workforce, marketing, sales, finance and corporate social responsibility.”

 

The challenge is to craft and execute a competitive strategy that results in a respected brand image, keeps the company in contention for global market leadership, and produces good financial performance as measured by earnings per share, return on investment, stock price appreciation and credit rating.

 

Teams at St. Bonaventure consistently achieved top performances in the weeks-long business simulation that took place this spring semester, Jamro said. The Shoe Company, composed of students Thomas Grilli, Daniel Manion, Charles Randall and Kathy Williams, excelled in terms of earnings per share and stock price, while students comprising the Sneaker Company team, Kevin Balkin, Josh Metz and Nick Slattery, have been high achievers on return on equity, placing in either the top 1 or 2 percent among teams worldwide.

 

In addition, students Madison Callan, Siena DeAngelo, Hayley McIntyre and Madison Mundenar, who comprise the BonniesWLax Company team, scored in the top 3 percent in overall performance and the top 2 percent in return on equity in the first couple of weeks of the simulation.

 

Dr. Todd Palmer, associate professor and chair of the Department of Management at St. Bonaventure, praised the success of the SBU teams.

 

“The fact that our students achieved such great performances and visibility is just another example of the strength of a St. Bonaventure business education,” Palmer said. “These results reflect excellent education provided by the School of Business faculty.”

 

 

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 college rankings edition.