Dan Smith and Jason Ely, Coastal Carolina University MBA students, placed 26th worldwide in their category of "Business Strategy Game," an international online simulation competition for business students. During the week of Monday, March 9 through Sunday, March 15, a total of 3,510 teams from 221 different colleges and universities participated in the simulation worldwide.

Smith and Ely, both from Myrtle Beach, competed against teams in a business simulation in which the students were assigned the task of running an athletic footwear company in head-to-head competition. Their return on average equity placed their company on the top 100 ranking.

"This outstanding performance by our MBA students against domestic and international business programs is recognition of the increasing quality and the work of our faculty and students in the Wall College of Business programs," said Henry Lowenstein, dean of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration.

The Coastal Carolina University team competed against students from institutions with well-respected MBA programs such as the University of Florida, the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga, the University of Alabama and the University of Southern California.

"This competition is a way for our MBA students to experience the complexity of decision making that occurs in global firms," said Darla Domke-Damonte, assistant dean of international programs, who teaches the strategic and international issues course. "Coastal Carolina University's student teams have placed well in this competition since it was instituted as a part of our MBA programs, with last fall's winning team awarded Grand Champion in the Global Best Strategy Invitational that pitted the team in a special challenge against teams from around the world."