During the 2007-08 academic year, students in the Capstone Seminar in Strategic Management competed in the Business Strategy Game, an on-line simulation that allows students to run an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against companies managed by other class members. In the simulation, students made decisions relating to plant operations, distribution and warehouse operations, work force compensation, online sales at the company’s web site, sales and marketing, and finance.  The companies compete globally selling branded and private-label athletic footwear in four geographic regions — Europe-Africa, North America , Asia-Pacific, and Latin America 

In each semester, 10 student groups competed against each other; however, the competition and rankings actually extended beyond the LHUP campus.  The BSG simulation is used by colleges and universities worldwide.  Each week, global performance rankings were reported, and a few LHUP groups earned places in the top 100 rankings as follows:

• Earnings Per Share - Their EPS of $12.42 was the 88th best EPS performance of the week, worldwide! (Week of 28-Apr-08) Group members: Erin Knisely, Ryan Murphy, Brian Hoff, Natalie Follmer
• Stock Price - Their Stock Price of $236.22 was the 78th best Stock Price performance of the week, worldwide! (Week of 28-Apr-08) Group members: Erin Knisely, Ryan Murphy, Brian Hoff, Natalie Follmer
• Overall Game-To-Date Score - Their Overall Score of 106.5 tied for the 75th best Overall Score performance of the week, worldwide! (Week of 19-Nov-07) Group members: Thomas Keiffer, Jessica Knauff, Jonathan Olsen, Michael Montecalvo, Nicholas Brakebill
• Overall Game-To-Date Score - Their Overall Score of 107.0 tied for the 85th best Overall Score performance of the week, worldwide!  (Week of 12-Nov-07) Group members: Thomas Keiffer, Jessica Knauff, Jonathan Olsen, Michael Montecalvo, Nicholas Brakebill

The Business Strategy Game provides an excellent learning opportunity for students to practice decision-making skills and view first-hand how strategy development requires integrating all functional areas into a comprehensive plan that supports the overall mission and goals of the organization.