Two London Metropolitan University student teams took part in the University Business Challenge and finished in 13th and 18th place.
Date: 17 March 2017
Students from the Guildhall School of Business and Law took part in the University Business Challenge finals and both teams finished in the top 20 teams.
The first team, made up of students Judit Gondolbeu, Ruben Aragon, Rogelio Fernandez and Diana Vargas, International Business Management BSc students were being mentored by Hemakshi Chokshi, course leader for International Business Management.
Accounting and Finance BA students Anisa Malik, Hamdi Ahmed, Paula Zasowska and Mohammed Alian made up the second team who were mentored by Harindher Dehsi, senior lecturer in Human Resource Management MA.
For this year’s challenge, the students had to create an online business and make a profit to raise money for a school in Africa. The first team, who ended in 13th place, created a photoshoot which was held in the Moorgate Hub. The second team, who ended in 18th place, discussed the needs of the school in Africa and how individual contributions can make a difference and raised over £200.
Held at the University of Edinburgh on 3 March, London Met were up against teams from the University of Sheffield, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Liverpool, Glasgow University, the University of Dundee and Sheffield Hallam. The competition is only open to students from a UK university and they develop businesses to tackle worldwide isses.
Student Judit Gondolbeu said: “Participating in the UBC was exactly what I needed to improve my leadership and communication skills. Sometimes it is difficult for students to show employers that you have these skills because you have to provide real life examples and in most cases, students lack experience.
“The UBC has given me the opportunity to gain experience, build on my confidence for future job interviews and apply the knowledge that I gained during my course.
“The best thing of participating in the UBC is that you get the opportunity to work together with very talented students that also want to get the best out of their experience at London Met,” she continued.
Rogelio Fernandez, a student on the same team as Judit, said: “All the team worked as a whole group, sharing all the knowledge that we have learned in London Met.”
“The Challenge is a true learning experience for all those who enter. It helps students to improve their decision-making skills, develop their team-working abilities and increase their knowledge in key business areas such as marketing, finance and production. The UBC is a unique event designed to develop employability skills and stimulate enterprise and entrepreneurship. Participating students demonstrate the skills employers are looking for,” said mentor and London Met lecturer, Hemakshi Chokshi.
Harindher Dehsi said: “It is great to see students using their own initiative, motivation and commitment to drive their project forward so successively.”
The UBC is the world’s longest established and leading undergraduate simulation-based competition designed to develop employability and enterprise skills. Supported by the UK’s leading universities and graduate employers, over 25,000 students have benefitted from taking part in the UBC Worldwide Challenge since 1998.
