UM Business Students Make ‘Global Top 100’ in International Business Computer Simulation

From left: Jennifer Kyser, Kathy Dunning, Garrett Wolf, Meghan McCollum

Three University of Mobile students made the right decisions as co-managers of Shnikees Kicks international sports footwear company, earning them a ranking in the Global Top 100 companies in the world.

“I am so proud of them,” said Kathy Dunning, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Accounting at the University of Mobile.

The honor is real, but the company is not. Shnikees Kicks is a company created as part of “The Business Strategy Game,” a computer simulation that involves 3,247 teams from 226 colleges and universities worldwide. College students are given criteria for a fictional 10-year-old company, then make strategic decisions for the organization that theoretically take the company through the next 10 years. At the University of Mobile, students in the capstone course “Business Policy” participate in the simulation while analyzing businesses and putting their own strategic ideas to the test.

During the week of Nov. 12-18, Shnikees Kicks was ranked 12th best worldwide in Earnings Per Share, with $21.70 EPS, and was ranked 8th in stock price for their company at $499.67 per share. Other criteria judged are return on average equity and overall game-to-date score.

“Our students get to see not only how they measure up in their peer group in class, but also how they measure up in the world,” Dunning said.

Co-managers and UM students Garret Wolf of Saraland, Meghan McCollum of Mobile and Jennifer Kyser of Robertsdale make up the leadership of Shnikees Kicks. During the first two weeks, the company did “really, really badly,” Wolf said. Then the management team hit its stride, with Wolf serving as CEO and making decisions to expand the company, while Kyser and McCollum monitored the firm’s progress and collaborated on analysis and reports.

Wolf said his passion for the game mirrors his passion for his ultimate real-world goal: to be a CEO and “run the whole thing.”

His strategy has been to maximize profits.

“One of the things I concentrated on a lot was to make sure to put a lot of money into employees, into the person who is doing a lot of the work. They are working more efficiently, more effectively. Because they are being treated well, they are actually earning me more money,” Wolf said.

The company started with factories in North America and Asia, and has now expanded into Europe and Latin America.

The students said the simulation has real-world implications.

“It’s giving me an idea of how to make a real-world decision. One small decision has a huge effect on so many things in the business world,” Kyser said. After graduation, the UM student government association president plans eventually to open a coffee shop in her hometown of Robertsdale.

McCollum said the simulation “really gives you an idea of what the business world is like. It’s real-world decisions that you’ll have to make one day.”

As co-manager of Tiny Town children’s boutique in Mobile, McCollum is already familiar with the realities of the business world. She plans to continue managing the store when she graduates.

Wolf said he believes that God has placed in his heart a desire to be a leader for this generation, and a gift to do well with numbers.

“No matter what kind of leadership position I will be placed in throughout my life, I can always use what I learned in the business field at the University of Mobile. With a business degree, you just can’t go wrong,” Wolf said.