We are excited to announce that two Salford Business School students, who were chosen as our Business Entrepreneurial Simulation Project’s (BESP) industry champions, have advanced onto the international Best-strategy Invitational (BSI) competition.
The prestigious BSI competition, which is running from 12-23 May 2025, will see third year BSc Business Management students and the school’s ‘industry champions,’ Khor Yoong En and S’ng Yi Ling, join forces on their entrepreneurial talents to tackle the competitive business simulation competition.
The BSI is a global competition aimed at highlighting outstanding strategic thinking and business leadership in students. Of the thousands of students eligible for the competition, the chosen industry champions compete against the best of the best, using the critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills that they have developed through the Level 6 BESP module that they had previously completed here at the University.
The students were chosen as industry champions after showing exemplary prowess through their successful business strategies in the BESP. This is a module that immerses students in authentic business situations, where they must sell two core products whilst managing constant changes within a competitive and uncertain environment.
The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) module was completed in partnership with Sentral College (Penang, Malaysia), creating a competitive virtual industry landscape that encourages students to think critically across a range of areas such as product design, marketing, HR (human resources) and finance. Students progressively analysed their business strategies, adapting and upgrading them to suit whichever challenges the simulation created.
Now taking part in the BSI global final, the students are furthering their skills through another set of similar business simulations against industry champions from around the world. The competition not only strengthens student’s CVs, but it also inspires their confidence, resilience and communication skills.
One of the students, Khor Yoong En, commented: “Receiving recognition as a leader in the industry is truly a great privilege. The simulation has deepened my grasp of business operations and highlighted each department’s role in achieving overall success. This achievement has genuinely elevated my confidence and motivated me to set even greater goals in my career.”
The business school’s partnership with Sentral College has been running for almost a decade, creating strong ties between students from across the globe. The content is delivered to students by their Tutor, Albert Khoo, from Sentral College whilst being supported by a Salford Module Leader, who provides the material, assessments and further online support. The BSI is also taking place online, allowing the students the opportunity for international collaboration and learning, without the costs attached.
Dr Jonathan Owens, Salford Business School’s lead of the module, said: “It is an extremely prestigious competition and is very competitive. To even make it into the BSI is an incredible achievement itself, and the students should be extremely proud of their hard work.
“They have proved their entrepreneurial and business skills week by week, as they successfully adapted their business strategies to whatever challenges were presented. This module and the forthcoming involvement in the BSI event has greatly enhanced the students’ entrepreneurial, business and employability skills. These skills will support them progressing to be the next generation of business leaders.”