Quinnipiac’s School of Business shows continued success with the freshman curriculum. Incoming freshmen are required to take SB 101, The Business Environment. In the beginning of the semester students are quickly placed into teams and begin to learn the essentials of business. In addition to in-class learning, students apply the learned business skills with Mike’s Bikes, a computer-based simulated competition where students run their own bike shops. As students increase their knowledge of marketing, management, finance and accounting, they gain more access in the simulation to make different types of business decisions.

Throughout the semester, teams compete within their classes, however, in the end, the team with the highest shareholder value of all sections is the winner. This year, team “Super Duper Cycles” won the competition, ending with a shareholder value of $67.46. The award ceremony was held on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

“It was our first introduction to business. We got to make good impressions, which can help our careers in the future,” Ze Lin, a member of the winning team, said.

Both students and professors see the benefits to having this type of introduction to business. Dr. Anthony Asare, assistant professor of marketing, held a high opinion of the freshman program.

“It helps give them [the freshmen] more practical experience because the coursework simulates the real world, Asare said. “Freshmen are getting exposed to things that they never would have.”
In addition to the benefit the students receive from their experience, Asare believes that the course also gives an advantage to faculty.

“We get to interact with the students more. We get to know them better, and students feel more comfortable talking to professors in smaller groups,” he said.

Mike’s Bikes has been a part of the SB 101 freshman program for eight years. According to Dr. Patrice Luoma, associate professor of management, “the simulation adds the opportunity for students to practice what they are learning in the textbook and through lecture by running the simulated company.”

The School of Business plans to continue to use Mikes Bikes as a part of the SB 101 program. This semester, the program will be coordinated by professor Sean Reid, the assistant professor of finance.