Maharishi University MBAs Receive Top Scores in Global Simulation
A team of MBA in Accounting students at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, IA recently finished in the 92nd percentile in an online integrated decision-making simulation that involved 1,125 master’s-degree-level teams worldwide. The top team (named Baldwin Group) reflects the international character of MIU’s student population: John Ortaliza (Philippines), Rithy Um (Cambodia), and Elias Mengistu (Ethiopia).
This is the 12th consecutive time that at least one group of MBA students from MIU have finished in the top tenth percentile since they began participating in the simulation in 2011. Other US universities that finished in the Top 10th percentile in this window of the competition included Brigham Young University, Indiana University, University of Georgia, Drake University, Ohio University and Seton Hall University.
Professor Andrew Bargerstock
“We had five teams that participated in Capstone for three weeks in July 2017. The 5 group class average was better than 60% of participating MBA schools worldwide,” said Professor Andrew Bargerstock, who taught the capstone course. “MBAs are expected to make decisions guided by analysis of quantitative data. We feel that the Capstone Simulation results demonstrate the readiness of our students for job markets now and ultimately for executive leadership positions later.”
MIU’s Baldwin team (within Industry C89781) produced results confirmed by Eric Smith, Manager of Customer Relationship Services, at Capsim Management Simulations in Chicago, Illinois.
In the online Capstone Simulation points are earned through well-defined metrics based on the Balanced Scorecard, a concept developed by Robert Kaplan at Harvard University. It recognizes four perspectives for measuring performance: customer, financial, internal business processes, and learning/growth.
The students must manage both short-term and long-term metrics across eight rounds of decision-making, with each round representing one year. This entails using their knowledge of marketing, finance, operations, human resources, accounting, problem-solving, and data analysis.
Team performance depended on their ability to analyze data and financial statements across eight years of business activities.
While not a real-time competition per se, the ongoing simulation allows MBA teams to compare their performance with all the other MBA teams who have participated in the previous six-month period from the end date of the last round of decisions.
In addition to available concentrations in accounting, SAP-Finance, and sustainable business practice, MBA students at MIU take a variety of general management courses that might include marketing, finance, human resource management, operations management, business law, data modeling, and data mining.
MBA students at Maharishi University come from around the world. Those participating in the simulation are students in the Accounting Professionals Program. They spend eight months on campus taking specialized courses, and then
Students in a business class at MIU
begin their practicum, in which they work as an accountant for up to two years at a U.S. corporation and complete their MBA via distance education.
Approximately 200 students are currently enrolled in various specializations in the MBA program, including those on campus, those in their practicum phase, and in special-purpose corporate MBA programs.
In addition to being accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits universities in the Midwestern region of the U.S., the business program at bachelors, masters and PhD levels at Maharishi University has met the stringent requirements to be accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.