Across the Atlantic Ocean there are channels for participants to swap experiences, and this has contributed to the country’s good results in international finals.
In the 2016 national edition in Brazil, 794 participants competed, distributed among 220 teams, of which only five were managers, the rest were students. Victory in the Brazilian national finals held in February went to a team of three metallurgical engineering students. “We put greater focus on students because the context is in line with the main spirit of competition in Brazil, which is to stimulate practical learning of business management among young people,” explains Marcelo Egéa, organizer of the competition in Brazil. He adds that the head of the winning team has already participated in other editions and, on the whole, the three elements have profiles that complement each other. The hope is, if possible, to repeat Brazil’s last victory in the international finals in 1989. Despite not winning since then, Brazil has been improving in performance.
In the 2015 edition Brazil came third and in 2013 the country came in fourth position. Results that, in Marcelo Egéa’s opinion, are due to the fact that from the very first round participants get support and access to channels to swap experiences and knowledge with more experienced competitors. “We have a very large community of enthusiasts from the Global Management Challenge, the result of its 36 years of history here”, says Marcelo Egéa. Coming in third place in the 2015 world championships also brought more visibility to the contest in Brazil, since “there were companies that looked us up because of this and wanted to support teams”, explains the local organizer.
Brazil was the contest’s first overseas destination when it arrived there in 1981.
The simulator has changed and the competition has evolved, but it remains, in the opinion of Marcelo Egéa, a tool that tests concepts, develops logical reasoning, stimulates decision-making capacity and prepares young people for the job market.
