Mercyhurst students achieve top global honors in Business Strategy Game
Four Mercyhurst University students have joined the ranks of the world’s leading virtual business owners.
Through the global Business Strategy Game (BSG), marketed by McGraw Hill Education, teams of students in Dr. Kris Gossett’s capstone class on business policy and strategy shepherd their own virtual shoe companies through a complex simulation, squaring off against each other and thousands of other teams from around the world.
BSG is a powerful hands-on exercise that gives students valuable practice in using core concepts and analytical tools they have learned in the classroom to craft winning strategies.
The Mercyhurst team of seniors Ben Berdine, Hayden Cox, Bridget Krihwan, and Phillip Strube recently took top honors for their company, Everest Kicks.
“Their team achieved a perfect score and is tied for first place overall out of almost 4,500 teams from 240 global colleges and universities,” said Gossett, who is an associate professor of management in Mercyhurst’s School of Business and Applied Business. “There are a total of 44 groups across the globe that have achieved a perfect score on the simulation this past week, and it's awesome to see Mercyhurst University business students on the list of the highest achievers.”
He noted that many of the schools in the top tier are larger than Mercyhurst and equipped to field more teams and more student participants. Among other institutions earning a perfect score are the University of Alabama, University of North Carolina, and Texas A&M University. Among the international winners are Universidad de Lima in Peru and Universidad Panamericana in Mexico.
Like in the real world, the students’ companies compete in a global market arena, selling branded and private-label athletic footwear in four geographic regions—North America, Europe-Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Each company’s performance is measured on criteria like brand image, earnings per share, return on equity investment, and stock price appreciation.
Gossett introduced the BSG to his capstone classes in 2022. “It brought the critical thinking piece to the capstone that I was looking for,” he said.
Another takeaway is the need for students to work as a team while bringing their diverse perspectives to bear. “Obviously, an econ major is going to have a different perspective than a marketing major,” Gossett said.
For team member Ben Berdine, “The main thing about the simulation was finding what works and what doesn’t. Early on, we found a good strategy and stuck to it. But, if things needed a change, we would collaborate and change it. Our group had great teamwork throughout, which really boosted our confidence and success.”
Lastly, Gossett said, the win is a resume builder for the students. “The Business Strategy Game is well known and highly regarded,” Gossett said. “It wouldn’t be unusual if any of these students were interviewed by someone who had participated in it at one time.”
PHOTO: (L-R) Students Ben Berdine, Phillip Strube, Hayden Cox, and Bridget Krihwan are joined by Dr. Kris Gossett as they celebrate top honors in the Business Strategy Game.