KSBL SiMERGE – 2019 won by Management Science Students
In a dynamic world of academics and business, simulations and case studies have become increasingly popular in the leading business schools of the world for their real-world appeal and excitement based learning. SiMERGE is the only simulation based competition in Karachi, and it also focuses on case studies.
This three-day competition featured participation of around 200 students from top universities of Pakistan and professionals from the industry. Corporate leaders were also invited for guest speaker sessions and to act as judges during the case study competition module. SiMERGE’19 aims at introducing the participants to increasingly complex scenarios which one inevitably faces in a corporate or business setting, preparing them for a multi-faceted approach to strategic decision making.
SiMERGE 2019 was held at KSBL on 12th, 13th and 14th of April. It consisted of two rounds; case study presentation and simulation. The event was based on four major domains of business; Marketing, Human Resources, Supply chain and Finance. Students were provided with a set of case studies and simulation guides at the very beginning of the event and were supposed to refer to it throughout the three-day event.
Under the guidance of faculty members Ms. Jacqueline Ismat and Mr. Khurram Adeel Shaikh the following students from BBA-6, 7 & 8 represented Bahria University, Karachi Campus at SiMERGE 2019:
- Adeel Ahmed
- Bilal Hussain
- Rabeal Daudpota
- Muhammad Hamza Ghazali
- Fatima Aliza
- Ayesha Shoaib
- Mirza Khurram Baig
- Mashal Majeed
- Zeeshan Kazim
- Tayyaba Shaheen
- Rukbaan Jamshedi
- Abdul Ahad
- Aroma Shaikh
- Talha Aslam
- Sohaib Ahmed Shaikh
- Wafa Sehbai
- Sheikh Wajih-ud-din
- Muhammad Faraz
- Ayesha Hafeez
- Maha Imtiaz
Day 1 started off with Breakfast at KSBL cafeteria, followed by an orientation session, after which participants, were assigned with rooms and mentors (known as Buddies), for preparation of cases to participate in the class participation session. The Class Participation session was carried out by Dr. Jawaid Ghani. This session counted a lot in making students understand how to analyze cases like real life scenarios. He provided a hint of every little detail and strategy to look for the best in a case study. Participants were motivated to share their views and participate in the discussion.
The second round consisted of HR simulation. This session was led by Dr. Athar Siddiqui. He briefed with the simulation and then students were asked to play the simulation in their respective discussion rooms. Participants made decisions in this simulation and tried to bring a change in the organization through these decisions. This gave them an insight of how things are managed in organizations. After the session they were de-briefed and told about the strategies and tactics which were supposed to be used in the simulation and how these could help them in real-world scenarios.
Karachi Vynz were the entertainers for the night, and it was amazing. After all the learning and working throughout the day, this was the perfect mood booster. Participants were entertained by Karachi Vynz through their standup comedy and their video session.
Day 2 brought an experience of supply chain. Candidates were shown how a value chain works and how important communication is in a value chain. This learning was transferred through a supply chain simulation session where each team was divided into four core parts of supply chain; retailer, wholesaler, distributor and factory. Participants had to play their roles accordingly to reduce the bullwhip effect and minimize cost. Followed by this was Marketing case study presentation, where candidates were supposed to analyze the case and come to a decision. They had to present their decision to the judges and support it through facts and figures. The night brought fun through a concert of Asim Azhar and the Kashmir band. The rising energies cannot be molded into words.
Day 3, the final day, started off with Finance Simulation where participants had to forecast the sales and make investment decisions on products and R&D. These decisions made them understand how strategies are supposed to be developed to keep the organization’s financial condition well. This session was briefed and de-briefed by Dr. Nadeem Javed, who showed a real picture of how financials operate in the real world. Followed by this was HR case study presentation. This case was another decision-making case which was to be presented to the judges.
Four teams of students (5 students in each team) of the Department of Management Science participated in SiMERGE 2019 and represented Bahria University, Karachi Campus. The winning team from Bahria University, Karachi Campus that included Wafa Sehbai, Sheikh Wajih-ud-din, Muhammad Faraz, Ayesha Hafeez and Maha Imtiaz of BBA 8, was awarded the trophy and a cash prize of PKR 70,000 while participation certificates were distributed to all the participants by the Dean KSBL, Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed, during the closing ceremony that followed the final presentations from all competing teams. Dr. Zeeshan also gave his remarks and shared his valuable thoughts with the participants. The night followed a networking dinner where people from several organizations were invited and students got a chance to build networks with them.
Participants’ Experiences at KSBL SiMERGE 2019
“Having attended and organized multiple inter-university and inter-college events and workshops, SiMERGE remains one of its kind, raising the caliber to another level with totally changing the concept towards academics. KSBL’s efforts are surely the one that could get the leader out of you. 3 Cheers for KSBL’s flagship event SiMERGE.” – Khurram Baig, Bahria University Karachi Campus
“At SiMERGE 19, I discovered how experiential learning can improve retention. I found that true learning takes place at the convergence of the experience provided by the simulated environment, and the discussions initiated by the instructor around it. The debriefs that initiated at the end of every simulation allowed me to acquire much more domain-specific knowledge. It helps me look at a holistic picture by just playing the game. Most joyful experience during the business simulation was getting fully absorbed and committed to the gameplay experience. Its hard to remain motivated in these types of events. But at simerge I got up early in the morning, sleeping late at night. I took little time for lunch, this is one of the few times in my life that I have been so inspired, so motivated. I am even sad that it is finished, I would have liked to enjoy another week! Hence it was a successful marketing campaign that helps students to experience learning at a whole new level.” – M.Hamza Ghazali, Bahria University Karachi Campus
“It was really a good experience where memories were made that will be cherished forever and above all the learning i got will definitely play a vital role in my personal & professional development.. !!! Thank You SIMERGE & its team for mentoring & facilitating us all the way through…” – Adeel Ahmed, Bahria University Karachi Campus
“SiMERGE was an amazing learning experience of my life. I have discovered that how one can learn through detailed analysis of case studies and through simulations. SiMERGE platform made me realize that Traditional way of learning which includes long lectures is not useful anymore.” -Aroma Shaikh, Bahria University Karachi Campus
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