The 51st Annual International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition was held virtually from April 22 to 24. Five leading students from the University of Houston-Clear Lake College of Business took part in the event.
In this competition, each university team takes over the management of a simulated or virtual manufacturing company that competes in its simulated world against four to five other enterprises controlled by opponent teams. The competition is divided into two divisions— undergraduates and MBAs.
"We were optimistic about it, but we knew we'd be up against teams who had been in this competition for decades," said Troy Voelker, the team's adviser and associate professor of Management.
30 teams involving more than 100 American and Canadian students participated in the February preliminaries before the competition culminated in its April Zoom event. Each student team took on the role of a publicly traded corporation's leaders, made product decisions, and organized marketing, sales, production, and corporate finance activities. They produced a business plan pitch to the board of directors, which was played by the competition judges, for the final event,
"The actual competition was a nerve-wracking but phenomenal experience," said Christopher Stevens, a senior working towards his bachelor of science in management student. "The depth of the requirements for this mirrored real-life work experience. An opportunity like this turned education into real life," he added.
The UHCL's team was led by graduating seniors Sara Arif, Gabriella Medrano, and Sydney Sonnier, who were taking their business capstones at the same time, as well as Elizabeth DeFatta and Stevens.