Kent Round One

Three Kent University teams are through to the prestigious IBM Challenge semi finals!

 These will be held in Citigroup Centre, Canary Wharf on March 2nd and Proctor and Gamble Head Office, Weybridge on March 11th. One of the teams is an all female team of 3rd year Business Administration students, and the other teams is a mixed team of business, history, physics, law and english, the final team consists of  five computer science students.

Good luck to them all and here’s to a Kent team in the finals!

Next year IBM UBC starts team finding in September/October.

The Challenge is divided into three phases:
Round One – weekly business decisions -  input via the internet (first input 2nd November) (nine teams enteres from Kent in 2010/2011)
Round Two – live semi-finals (three Kent teams got through March 2011)
Round Three – live Grand Final
Kent has signs up for nine teams (team size 5) who will be challenged with the task of improving the performance of an IBM UBC  realistic business simulation. Each team acts as a team of management consultants who have taken responsibility for improving the performance of a business, all done on line and information sheets submitted every Tuesday for five weeks. 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.
If you would like the opportuntiy to be involed in this competition, send your email with your name and names of any potential team members to  t.s.crowther@kent.ac.uk
Each year we  run an information event in Ocotber in the Bulb on the Canterbury Campus.
This is an opportunity to ask us any questions, and to find out about our advice surgeries we’ll be running to support our IBM teams.
The IBM Universities Business Challenge offers undergraduates a unique opportunity to improve their knowledge of the business world, put theory into practice and develop their team-working and leadership skills.
The competition gives you the chance to work as a management consultant in a realistic, fictional company, making all the critical business decisions that affect the company’s performance. The competition also enhances employability skills and provides an important extra item for inclusion on CVs.
The Universities Business Challenge is not just for those on business studies courses. Students in information technology, engineering, law, mathematics, accounting, and from a wide array of arts and sciences have all gained a valuable understanding of the business world through this competition.
Key benefits include

• A valuable learning experience.
• Develops leadership and team management skills.
• Adds something significant to your CV.
• Enhances commercial awareness.
• Increases graduate employability prospects.

Cash prizes of £1,000, £500 and £250 are also awarded to first, second and third place teams respectively. For more information, please contact us or visit the IBM website at www.uk.ubcworldwide.com