Finalist students aim to be best in the business

The two teams from Hull, who will compete at IBM headquarters in London tomorrow, will be judged on the strategic decisions they make in a simulated business context.

The competition offers students the opportunity to gain experience dealing with real world business issues by working as a board of directors of simulated companies.

The teams, which have fought off competition from nine other teams in each semi-final, will be competing against universities from Bristol, London, Dundee and Bangor.

More than 300 teams entered the competition which started in October.

Dr Amanda Gregory, associate dean, learning and teaching at Hull University Business School, said: “The Universities Business Challenge is a highly prestigious contest attracting a large number of participants from a wide range of UK universities.

“Success in the competition requires excellent business acumen and to have two teams from Hull University Business School in the final is tremendous.”

Team leader Thomas Brown, in his final year of his accounting and financial management degree, said: “I mainly entered the competition in order to boost my CV and my CV-worthy skills.

“With many large graduate-hiring companies being linked to the event, such as IBM and RBS, the competition is a great way of getting myself known.

“Besides, no matter how far we get in the competition, all of our skills will improve.”

He said his skills had developed beyond his expectation during the different stages of the challenge: “This includes team-working, analysis skills, persuasion and communication, and, most importantly, leadership. However, this is only naming a few of many. Working in groups deciding on multiple scenarios and differing time limits puts a lot of responsibility on everybody in the group.”

The Universities Business Challenge Worldwide is supported by the UK’s leading universities and graduate employers.