Business Students Compete in Capsim Business Simulation

Two teams of senior students from OBU's Paul Dickinson College of Business recently competed in the national Capsim Business Simulation. The teams upheld OBU's tradition of excellence, scoring in the top 25 percent in the nation.

Capsim is a global leader in business simulation technology and services designed to teach business principles in any learning environment. This year, OBU competed against 3,185 eligible teams representing prestigious institutions including Brigham Young University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Temple University, the University of Notre Dame, Baylor University and Michigan State University, as well as international institutions including Canada's McMaster University, Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and England's Nottingham University.

"The Capsim is one of our assessment tools and an important, external validation of our students' preparation," said Dr. David Houghton, dean of the Paul Dickinson College of Business. "The strong performance of the teams in Dr. Harman's course affirms the high quality of student that we graduate from OBU as well as the high caliber of teaching that occurs by Dr. Harman and the other faculty in the Paul Dickinson College of Business."

Capsim Business Simulations engage participants in a dynamic competition to create a firm that develops, produces and markets five types of electronic sensors that meet the demands of five different market segments. Team members serve in various executive capacities like CEO and CFO.

OBU's Team Digby scored in the 85th percentile. Team members included Jake Buffington, Allissa Harshberger, Matthew Hunter, Hope Mead, Nicolas Scarinzi and Andrew West. Team Andrews scored in the 76th percentile. Team members included Zekarias Cates, Emilee Cook, Alyson Heath, Airick Johnson and Yongping Liu.

The teams were evaluated according to the Balanced Scorecard. It is a strategic assessment tool which can accurately portray a business unit's strategic process. Introduced in 1992, the scorecard has enjoyed a rapid rate of adoption in a variety of industries. Managers are asked to consider their business from four perspectives: the customer, innovation and learning, internal business and financial. The perspectives ensure that a firm considers its actions in light of key stakeholders and a competitive environment.