This month San Diego State’s Master of Business Administration competition team won first place at the 47th International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition in Long Beach.

The team competed against 24 other teams and two international teams. Although this is not the first win for SDSU, it is the first in many years. The champion MBA team is made of graduate students from the business administration program.

The award included first place overall along with best strategic business plan and best annual report.

The 10-week computerized simulation competition started at each team’s home campus and a three-day conference was held where questions and strategies were challenged. The competition is based on strategizing, applying and integrating theories from the teams’ business courses. They have to manage all aspects of their simulated corporation and economies, which are judged in various areas.

Faculty adviser Carol Venable coached the team for this year’s competition.

“This victory demonstrates that we are capable and competent,” Venable said about the MBA team and the business administration program at SDSU.

The SDSU MBA competition team came out on top for this year’s competition because of the high return their simulation accumulated. In the simulated investment part of the competition, the SDSU team made almost $40,000, and the next closest team only made $19,000. The victory has not only been beneficial to students for practice, but also for the SDSU business administration program because of the recognition that it may receive for taking home the gold.

There will not be changes to the program, however students will have more motivation to keep practicing in the competitions. After this year’s victory, participants from the SDSU program plan to return to the competition next year and defend their title.