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2009-10 was a record year for the IBM Universities Business Challenge with more university faculties and students than in any previous year entering to experience the fun, excitment, networking and learning that the competition provides.
"IT IS A TRULY LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE" - Aston University winners 2009-10.
Participating lecturers and students are full of praise for the unique experience that the IBM UBC offers - and we are very pleased to announce that lead sponsor IBM have renewed their support for 2010-11.
What is the IBM Universities Business Challenge?
The IBM UBC offers undergraduates within universities or colleges a unique opportunity to improve their knowledge of the business world, put theory into practice and develop their team-working, leadership and employability skills. The Challenge gives participants the chance to work as management consultants in a series of realistic, simulated companies, making all the critical business decisions that affect the company's performance. Our simulations are varied and challenging - and range from manufacturing to service businesses to ensure a rounded experience. They increasingly attract participants across all faculties from leading universities.
A true learning experience...
The Challenge is a true learning experience for all those who enter. It will help students to improve their decision-making skills, develop their team-working abilities and increase their knowledge in key business areas such as marketing, finance and production. The Challenge is not just for Business Studies students. It covers all faculties. Students from Information Technology, Engineering, Economics, Accounting, Law and a wide range of Arts and Science faculties have gained an invaluable understanding of the business world.
Cash prizes....
Besides the invaluable experience and prestige of progressing through the competition, there are also cash prizes for the first three teams: 1st £1000, 2nd £500 and 3rd £250.
How does the Challenge work?
The Challenge is divided into three phases: Round One - decisions are input via the internet, Round Two - live semi-finals and Round Three - live Grand Final - which makes the IBM UBC a unique experience. Participants in teams of up to five people are challenged with the task of improving the performance of a business. The IBM UBC is a realistic business simulation that provides students with the opportunity to act as a team of management consultants who have taken responsibility for improving the performance of a business. They need to take into account not only the financial performance of the company, but also its responsibilities to its various stakeholders, including its suppliers, its customers and its employees. Undergraduate teams from universities and colleges across the UK compete to achieve maximum profit, acquire new business and enhance customer satisfaction.
IBM UBC starts every October...
The IBM UBC commences in October each year with Round 1 when teams will be given details of the business, its markets and its current financial position. Teams will work as consultants, making the decisions that are vital to the company's success. These decisions are submitted to the UBC team on a weekly basis via the UBC website. Each decision period will represent six months in the life of the company. Along with the results of each trading period's decisions, teams will receive a scenario outlining events and issues outside and inside the company which are likely to impact on its business.
Teams see how they are measuring up....
At the end of each financial year, the balance sheets for all companies will be available to all teams so that they can see how they are measuring up to the competition. For those who want to, there is also the chance to purchase market information. The Challenge will consist of a first round of at least six trading periods for all participants during the first term of the academic year, whichs is run on-line.
Regional one-day semi-finals and Grand Final at IBM UK...
This will be followed by the Round 2 regional one-day live semi-finals at locations which are sponsored by leading employers such as Procter & Gamble, Lloyds TSB, Royal Navy, Citigroup, Serco and Royal Bank of Scotland, with the Round 3 Grand Final sponsored and hosted by the UBC lead sponsor, IBM UK.
Previous winners......
Previous winners have included:
University of Manchester, Anglia Ruskin University, Imperial College, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Durham University, Cambridge University, University of Wales Swansea, Farnborough College of Technology and Sussex University.
Semi-finalists have included teams from:
York, Nottingham, Sheffield-Hallam, St Andrews, Brunel, Exeter, Warwick, Imperial, Lancaster, Sheffield, Oxford, UCL, LSE, Manchester, Reading, Southampton, Plymouth, Loughborough, Portsmouth, Anglia Ruskin, Nottingham Trent, Aberystwyth, Bristol, Trinity All Saints, Bournemouth, Oxford Brookes, Essex, Birmingham, Abertay Dundee, Robert Gordon, Bell College, Regents Business School, University of Central Lancashire, UCL Royal Holloway, City University, De Montford, Hertfordshire.
Click here for the Hall of Fame
| There are cash prizes for the top three teams: |
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