Bond students suit-up for Kiev international finals

A team of Bond University business students will battle it out at the international finals of the Global Management Challenge in Kiev after winning the National Finals on Saturday night.   

Armed with suits and business plans, Alexander Robertson, Casey Schneeberger, Connie Xu, Breanna Lee and Paul Kelly will go head-to-head with teams from around the world in the hopes of securing the coveted championship title.

The Global Management Challenge consists of a Strategic Management Simulation, in which each team runs a company with the objective of finishing with the highest company share price on the simulated stock exchange.

This is the third time Bondies have represented Australia in the competition, having travelled to Romania and Russia to compete in the past.

Bachelor of Commerce student Alexander Robertson said the team is currently preparing their business model and cost functions, two key elements to preparing for the two-round final.

“We are thrilled to have won the national title. This is the third time Bond has won and gives us a competitive advantage because we can draw on the experience of the past teams,” said Alexander.

“At the international final we will be challenging teams from over 40 different countries who are all just as competitive.

“Our aim is to improve our international placing by focusing on our preparation, in particular the business model elements,” he explained.
 
“The business skills learnt in the competition are fantastic; however the opportunity to network with other international teams is unparalleled.  It’s not every day you get to talk to a room of business students from around the world,” he said. 

Head of the Bond School of Business, Professor Keitha Dunstan said this win is a testament to the hardwork and preparation the students put into the competition thus far.

“We are extremely proud of all the students involved, this is a great testament to the talents of our Bond Business students,” said Professor Dunstan. 

“The Global Management Challenge is an ideal forum for our students to practice and implement the skills they are taught through our curriculum and we’re confident this will help them in the competition arena.”

The team will compete in Kiev, Ukraine from 16 – 20 April, 2012. This year the Global Management Challenge celebrates its 32nd year with over 480,000 students and business executives participating.

The competition involves global companies including Accenture, Allianz, Cadbury, Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, IBM, Procter & Gamble and more.