Ashland University MBA Team Places as One of Top Teams in the Country

    ASHLAND, OH, January 14, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Three Ashland University Master of Business Administration (MBA) students scored as one of the top teams in the country as part of the recent Business Strategy Game Simulation conducted across the United States.

The team of Mike Dallas of Mansfield, Ohio; Auburn Juliano of Wooster, Ohio; and Jennifer Webb of Ashland, Ohio, utilized one of the most effective strategies in the simulation and excelled with a first place finish among the more than 100 colleges nationally based on the team's 192 percent return on average equity during the simulation.

"This team's tenacity and strategy for improvement was outstanding," said Dr. Steve Pool, Ashland University MBA professor who teaches the MBA 517 class that uses the game as an online exercise. The simulation is web based at The University of Alabama.

"The Business Strategy Game is an online exercise where class members are divided into teams and assigned the task of running an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition against companies managed by other MBA students," Pool said.

He added that company operations parallel those of actual athletic footwear companies in that company co-managers make 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.

"It was very impressive to witness how Mike, Jen and Auburn synthesized their strategy in a global environment and succeeded with a top ranking nationally through the simulation competition," Pool said. "The challenge is to craft and execute a competitive strategy that results in a respected brand image, keeps your company in contention for global market leadership, and produces good financial performance as measured by earnings per share, return on investment, stock price appreciation, and credit rating. They certainly did all of those things and did them very well."

Pool said all aspects of The Business Strategy Game parallel the functioning of the real-world athletic footwear market, calling for co-managers to think rationally and logically in deciding what to do and make a variety of different business decisions under circumstances that mirror real-world competitive conditions.

"Today, more than one-half of all graduate and undergraduate business degree programs feature a computer-based business simulation," Pool said. "When combined with traditional learning methods, business simulations increase efficiency of learning and help students make the connection between theoretical knowledge and professional challenges they will face in the real business world. As students make actual business decisions the knowledge retention increases exponentially."

All three MBA students were recently inducted into Delta Mu Delta, the business honorary at Ashland University.

Ashland University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program (www.ashland.edu/graduate/mba) is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (www.acbsp.org) and is a part-time course of study designed for working professionals who wish to complete their degree in a two-to-three-year time frame.

Ashland's MBA program is ranked as one of the top MBA programs in Ohio and offers professionals flexible options, hybrid online courses, and the opportunity to study a specialized area; plus, applicants are not required to take the GMAT. MBA courses are offered at five convenient centers across the state: Ashland, Columbus, Massillon, Medina and Westlake, Ohio. Hybrid courses also are available for students who wish to complete credits online.

About Ashland University

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private institution conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.

# # #