Observations Upon The Business Strategy Game
Team Hermes Global performance; Tips; and Analytics
Team Hermes Global
Team Hermes Global in University of Nevada, Reno, College of Business, EMBA 781 course Strategic Management for Executives, Spring 2026
Competitive participation in the The Business Strategy Game is a capstone project for our Executive MBA program at UNR.🏆 BSG Industry First Place
Hermes Global finished in first-place as the overall best-performing company in its BSG athletic footwear industry.
Global Top 100
Global Top 100 performance achievements:- Year 20: 06-Apr-26 through 12-Apr-26, amongst 5,424 teams participating this week:
64th on $734.75 Stock Price, and 83rd on $28.97 EPS. - Year 19: 30-Mar-26 through 05-Apr-26, amongst 5,081 teams participating this week:
40th on 66.3% Return on Average Equity (ROE), 81st on $603.64 Stock Price, and 83rd on $24.13 EPS. - Year 18: 23-Mar-26 through 29-Mar-26, amongst 5,197 teams participating this week:
16th on $726.32 Stock Price, 38th on 69.4% Return on Average Equity (ROE), and 44th on $27.83 EPS. - Year 17: 16-Mar-26 through 22-Mar-26, amongst 3,870 teams participating this week:
4th on $765.66 Stock Price, 11th on $27.83 EPS, and 93rd on 48.9% Return on Average Equity (ROE). - Year 16: 9-Mar-26 through 15-Mar-26, amongst 4,454 teams participating this week:
16th on $617.20 Stock Price, 26th on $22.41 EPS, and tied for 87th on 47.8% Return on Average Equity (ROE). - Year 15: 2-Mar-26 through 8-Mar-26, amongst 5,053 teams participating this week:
82nd on $497.57 Stock Price, 83rd on 50.6% Return on Average Equity (ROE), and tied for 99th on 108.5 Overall Game-To-Date Score. - Year 13: 16-Feb-26 through 22-Feb-26, amongst 3,640 teams participating this week:
Tied for the 42nd on 52.2% Return on Average Equity (ROE)
Running Key Metrics for Team Hermes Global
Share Price (Years 10–16)
| Year Ending | EPS (earnings per share) | ROE (return on equity) | Stock Price | Credit Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 20 | $28.97 | 49.7% | $734.75 | A+ |
| Year 19 | $24.13 | 66.3% | $603.64 | A- |
| Year 18 | $26.87 | 69.4% | $726.32 | A- |
| Year 17 | $27.83 | 48.9% | $765.66 | A |
| Year 16 | $22.41 | 47.8% | $617.20 | A- |
| Year 15 | $17.61 | 50.6% | $497.57 | A |
| Year 14 | $10.34 | 41.1% | $269.10 | B+ |
| Year 13 | $10.06 | 52.2% | $272.34 | B– |
| Year 12 | $5.42 | 34.8% | $128.31 | B– |
| Year 11 | $3.82 | 30.9% | $93.86 | A |
| Year 10 | $2.00 | 20.0% | $30.00 | B |
Capstone Considerations
Capstone Considerations
Integration
This capstone project integrates learnings from across multiple courses by synthesizing concepts, applying those under competitive pressure, critiquing periodic outcomes, and iteratively improving decisions across repeated rounds. Overall, the capstone functions as a repeated decision cycle: critique assumptions, forecast, decide, observe results, diagnose shocks and other drivers, and improve the next round.
Strategy and Competitive Dynamics
Course work in strategy is operationalized through continuous competitor interaction. Pricing, capacity, channel mix, and positioning decisions create commitments that trigger rival responses, making basic game theory practical rather than abstract. The simulation exposes how advantage is built or eroded through coherent choices over time.
Finance and Value Creation
Finance and accounting concepts are reinforced through the direct linkage between decisions and shareholder outcomes. EPS, ROE, and stock price reflect integrated performance, while credit rating and interest burden constrain strategic flexibility. DuPont-style decomposition is useful for diagnosing whether ROE is driven by margin, asset efficiency, or leverage, and for identifying when strong results are accompanied by rising risk.
Marketing, Channels, and Demand
Marketing and sales learning is reinforced through the economics of demand creation and channel tradeoffs. Internet, wholesale, and retail outlets each change margin structure, volume reliability, and competitive exposure. Brand-building levers, including image rating and celebrity appeal, influence price sensitivity and demand stability, shaping the sustainability of financial results.
Operations, Quality, and Execution Discipline
Operations learning is reinforced through capacity planning, cost control, and quality choices that affect both performance and variance. Practices associated with TQM and Six Sigma map to reducing defects, stabilizing outcomes, and protecting brand perception, which in turn supports demand and profitability across rounds.
Analytics, Modeling, and Decision Governance
Analytics-oriented work is reinforced through modeling and forecasting and model discipline. Teams benefit from a transparent, auditable model that ties assumptions to outcomes, supports scenario and sensitivity analysis, and enables faster learning cycles. Optional tooling, such as charts, Python-based checks, or lightweight automation, is valuable when paired with controls, such as versioning, baselines, and QA of key formulas.