Students of the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno took part in the competition on strategic management of the company - Global Management Challenge

Global Management Challenge is the world largest competition in strategic management of the company for middle and chief managers. In 2009 the project GMC-Belarus opened up possibilities of innovative business-training not only to company managers, but also to students of Belarusian universities (project GMC-Student). At these competitions students of Belarusian universities are given an excellent opportunity to acquire practical skills of business management by taking part in business-processes modeling on the managerial trainer Global Management Challenge.

The Global Management Challenge competition was founded in Portugal in 1980 and at the moment it is being held in 30 countries. More than 400 000 of middle and chief managers have already taken part in it. Teams of managers from all over the world get control of virtual companies and compete with each other for the leadership in global markets in the conditions close to real. Annually more than 30 000 of participants all over the world struggle for the title of the best managerial team. Participants and partners of the competition in different countries of the world are the leading national and international corporations, financial institutes and state institutions. The organizers of this event in 2011 have become a non-governmental organization “Center for junior enterprise support and development”, Youth Department of Minsk City Executive Committee and the UNO Department of Public Information in Belarus. Twenty seven student teams represented 11 Belarusian universities in the competition.

Yanka Kupala State University was represented by the students of the Faculty of Economics and Management: Evgeny Karch (4 year), Alexandra Pozharskaya (4 year), Alexandr Shishko (4 year), Svetlana Abramovich (3 year) and Galina Ivanova (3 year). Participation of our university team in this competition became possible thanks to the initiative and financial support of Tchon Li, dean of the faculty. The students express their special gratitude to the dean for the provided opportunity to become participants of the competitions on strategic management. The students also thank Vitalij Strok, professor of the Commercial Activity and International Economic Relations Department of the Faculty of Economics and Management for the help in preparation for the competition. As a result of a distance stage (semifinal) the team managed a virtual company in the conditions of crisis during 5 virtual quarters. In spite of the severest economic conditions, the team managed to gain a 10 % capitalization growth in their company and as a result took premier place in their group.

The national final of student teams took place in March, 13 in Minsk. Each team had to take five decisions in the development of their company; one hour was given for taking one decision.

Grodno team contested in the conditions of the severest competition with seven teams of the leading iniversities of the country: Presidential Academy of Administration of Republic of Belarus, Belarusian State University, Belarusian State Economic University, Belarusian National Technological University, Institute of Business and Management Technologies of BSU.

The team of Belarusian State University has become the smartest team among the students in strategic management of the company.