NZ Post delivered the goods in 2007, taking out the first prize in the NZIM Business Challenge game. The company’s team beat Farmers Trading Company, Otago University, Mars Petcare NZ and Glenrannoch Farms in the final of the inaugural competition.
NZ Post’s winning strategy incorporated the use of moderate pricing and marketing, continual investment in infrastructure and aggressively going after lucrative contract market early on in the final. Their consistent performance was enough to hold off the other contenders.
In the first round, more than 160 teams competed over 13-week period with the goal of being crowned the NZIM Business Challenge champions, and earning the bragging rights over other competing teams and companies. The eventual victors also earned themselves international travel for four to Canada, courtesy of one of the Business Challenge development partners Lupo Data Concepts.
The competition, which will run again this year, is aimed at businesses and educational institutions, with team objectives ranging from building financial understanding to team building and negotiation skills.
Teams from around the country will gather together weekly around their business tables to discuss, plan and negotiate strategy and ultimately concise set of decisions for their manufacturing company to carry out. The entire process will be carried out online, with the results determined by sophisticated business simulation.
In 2007, participating companies included AMI Insurance, ANZ National Bank, BP Oil, Deloitte, Duncan Cotterill, Fonterra, ING, NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants, Port of Tauranga, PricewaterhouseCoopers, TelstraClear and ZESPRI International.
For information on the
2008 challenge see
www.businesschallenge.co.nz
