Trip enhances marketing nous
AGROUP of third year students spent a week at the University of Bucharest representing Edge Hill in an international competition and boosting their career prospects.
Thanks to help from the University’s Student Opportunity Fund, six students from Edge Hill’s Business School were given the chance to go to Romania and work with 115 students from 10 European countries on marketing simulation exercise, Markstrat 2018.
Markstrat is a simulation game that lets players take control of a virtual corporation, making decisions in marketing, finance, research and development areas.
It helps students put their classroom learning into practice in a safe, but realistic and highly competitive environment, enhancing their understanding of how theory relates to practice.
It is played competitively with teams eagerly waiting to see whether their latest round of decisions have managed to outperform their competitors.
The students worked in teams of five, each team comprising students from five different European countries.
Although the official language of the event is English, this put intercultural communication at the heart of the exercise as both differences in language and culture surfaced as the teams began to compete under pressure.
As part of their task, Edge Hill students, in their separate teams, were required to develop marketing strategies, analyse market research reports, make operational and strategic decisions, write reports and deliver group presentations.
The students who took part were Kayleigh Glynn, Charlotte McKeown, Isatu Manka, Paige Stevens, Rachel Sargent and Ryan Johnson.
Fiona Syson, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Marketing, who joined the students on their trip, said: “It was a joy to see the Edge Hill students transform from nervous and unsure on day one to confident and assured team members by day five.
“They blossomed over the week as their confidence in both the simulation and grew.
“It is one of those experiences that will differentiate our students from other candidates in a competitive jobs market. “Plus they had a great time too!” The Student Opportunity Fund ensures that costs are not a barrier to students making the most of their experience at Edge Hill, and it made this trip possible by paying for the students’ travel and accommodation costs. cross-cultural communication