1st Edition

March 2016

 

ROME BUSINESS GAME 2016

• THE PROJECT The Rome Business Game is a simulation dedicated to the world of business, international markets, marketing and business management. It revolves around core issues in some of today's most important business and economic realities. Participants will have the opportunity to meet experts in the world of business and marketing. They will present their own proposals and innovative solutions while developing and refining a set of soft skills which are often overlooked, yet essential for career success: learning the techniques for proper business management, analysis and insight of business dynamics, team-working and practical problem solving. The Rome Business Game will be held within the International Careers Festival, already with its first edition. It will allow its participants to thrive in a multicultural environment, to work in English and to develop developing extremely useful management and technical skills required to b e successful in a competitive international job market. Business Games were born in the fifties with the dual purpose of providing students interested in a career in business a practice-oriented alternative to a traditional, solely theoretical education while testing their abilities in a realistic environment. Therefore, a business game is both a game in which teams compete in order to achieve a common economic objective and, at the same time, a simulation where different business context and markets are addressed. Major companies and consulting firms operating in the international market and most competitive (e.g. Mercedes-Benz, KPMG, Ernst and Young, Accenture) have shown interest in the business game as a way to evaluate both the theoretical knowledge of top international students and their management and practical skills in a realistic setting. • PARTICIPANTS

There are only 300 available seats for the conference, half of which are reserved for students enrolled in a University based in Italy. The participation of students of ECONOMICS, MARKETING, FINANCE, MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING or BUSINESS ECONOMICS is highly advised. The official language of the conference is English.

• SKILLS ACQUIRED

The simulation believes in the learn by doing method and therefore participants acquire many practical skills throughout the conference such as:

! Accuracy in analysis of complex scenarios both with an intercultural perspective and with the purpose of brand/product placement in a foreign market;

! ability to face crisis situations; ! ability to achieve goals and implement solutions which relate to both the practical

objective and the necessities of the group; ! strategic use of multimedia and visual communication tools;

 

! ability to master the English language and its technical terms for both oral and written communication;

! ability to identify the best communication techniques to be successful when working in team and intervening in complex situations;

! confidence in a multicultural and dynamic environment; ! ability to work in teams and developing shared and practical solutions.

• POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES  

Management or executive positions within successful corporations, analysis and strategic planning, marketing and business communication.

• DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT

Rome Business Game will be held in March 2016. Selected participants will be divided into teams. All participants within their teams will replicate the main roles of a hypothetical promotion and marketing team in relation to the challenge presented to the participants. The event will have a duration of 4 days, including the opening ceremony and the awards ceremony for the "best participants" who distinguished themselves the most during the challenges throughout the previous days. During the simulation, participants will face challenges linked to the presentation of a business project within the event. The presentation will take place on the last day and, if positively evaluated by both the public and the jury of experts it could transform into the beginning of a new reality implemented by partner companies. The goal is to emphasize the perspective of new economy or in other words an economy based on globalization, networking and on the production of services rather than goods. The objective is to offer the hypothetical consumers the idea of "adopting a lifestyle" as opposed to "buying a product".

" Challenges

From a practical point of view, the game will progress as follows: the work days will be divided into a theoretical phase and a practical phase. The first t hree days will be dedicated to the first phase. Through the challenges of problem solving, event planning, marketing, and long-term strategy, the teams will work in groups to design a project which will then be presented via a real representation of a promotional event and promotional campaign, all created by the teams themselves.

" Problem Solving Challenge: the participants will be presented with a case and a problem to solve. According to the research done in previous months, on the missions of the participating companies, on their targets , and on some indicated issues, the groups will be given four hours to develop a solution. The three best projects, chosen by the jury of experts, will then be presented. The team that pro- poses the most appropriate solution will see it realized in the following days.

 

" Medium/long-term Strategy Challenge: Once the type of events to realize are identified, the teams will compete to create a medium to long-term business plan. The goal is to highlight the impact of the campaign in a period of five years, thus indicating how the company/companies could implement the selected project back to the launch campaign and make profit. At the end of the challenge, the three plans considered most likely to succeed will be shortlisted. Just one of them will be awarded as winner.

" Marketing Challenge: With four hours at their disposal, teams will need to identify

and develop a marketing plan including a ten minutes presentation based on their findings from the previous two games. Participants will have a budget to allocate and divide between the promotional campaign and the physical implementation of their event. In addition to the tools made available by the Association (website, blog, social media, etc.), the participants will also benefit from the media production of the participants of the Rome Press Game. Among the three best marketing strategies shortlisted, the jury of experts will select the best one which will be launched as early as that afternoon.

" Event and logistic challenge: Once the teams outline their event and communication strategy, they will compete one last time to define the logistical management of the presentation of the project, which will then be realized the following day. Also in this case, the proposal considered as the most effective will be the one actually created the next day. On the final day of the International Careers Festival, all the teams will be tasked with the physical creation of all the previous challenges, including a conference for the launch of their project. Therefore, there will be an area reserved within the Festival for the Rome Business Game which will be made accessible to both the participants of the orientation fair and the participants of the Rome Model United Nations and the Rome Press Game.

• REQUIREMENTS

Students enrolled in the following programs can apply as participants for the Rome Business Game: • Undergraduate students; • Postgraduate students; • I or II Level Master's students; • Recent graduates (no more than a year after receiving their diploma); • PhD students;

The participation of students of ECONOMICS, FINANCE AND MARKETING, MANAGEMENT ENGI- NEERING and BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION is highly advised. In the case of scholarships, the students enrolled in the previously mentioned faculties will be given precedence.

 

• REGISTRATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

Registration as a participant for Rome Business Game 2016 is open to all students currently enrolled in the last two years of high school, University (Undergraduate, Master's, or PhD), or to recent graduates (no more than one year after graduation). All those interested must create a Festival delle Carriere lnternazionali ID through the dedicated portal. Only for Italian native speakers, an online selection test evaluating the knowledge of the English language is foreseen.

• PREPARATION

All students who will have filled out the application form will have the possibility to follow a series of events, in-depth analyses on international companies, meetings with experts

organized by our volunteer staff. After having completed the application process, participants will access to the didactic material in English containing the guidelines for preparation, such as the Participant's Guide, the Case Studies' Guide, the Simulation's Guide, the Business Plan and the Company Presentation. Participants will also have the possibility to access two preparation videos, again in English, which will help them better understand how a Business Game and the work of an international firm is. Furthermore, they will have the unique possibility to interact with their colleagues and conference

on the online forum.

• SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

For the first edition of the Rome Business Game, Giovani nel Mondo will have 30 scholarships available in order to cover partially, or in full, the conference and accommodation fees (the accommodation will be chosen by the Association). Candidates interested in a scholarship must apply by and no later than the 12th of December 2015. The students w i l l be awarded after a careful analysis and selection by the Research Committee of the Giovani nel Mondo Association.