The MERMC 2021 Singapore Final scheduled on 24 September 2021 welcomes the top teams of MonsoonSIM players representing various esteemed educational institutions all over Singapore, among them Ngee Ann Polytechnic, SUSS, Singapore Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Kaplan.
True to the comprehensive MonsoonSIM business simulation platform and the various application and relevance of business across many fields of work and expertise, these participating students come from all disciplines of higher learning institutions. Among these disciplines include Accounting, Business Administration Management, Information Systems, Biomedical Engineering, IT, Finance and Management, Supply Chain Management, Civil Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Business Studies, Business Analytics and more.
e-MERMC 2021 is proudly brought to all universities by MonsoonSIM, the provider of the MonsoonSIM Enterprise Simulation and Gaming Platform, and the host of this year’s MERMC, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). As the 7th annual inter-varsity competition hosted by Monsoon Academy and its partners, the MonsoonSIM Enterprise Resource Management Competition (MERMC) 2021 is open to all interested and talented students from every institute across Singapore. With high levels of excitement, energy and passion, students from all discipline of higher learning institutions will compete in fun and exciting simulation games and gain further exposure towards the concept of Enterprise Resource Management (ERM).
When asked in an interview on how the participating students feel in joining the Singapore MERMC Grand Final 2021, the answers were all positive and in anticipation for the competition itself. Some stated a mix of excitement and nervousness for the event, others explained, “It’s very fun and challenging. We find it an interesting activity to partake in.”
There is also quite a range of experience amongst the MonsoonSIM players, where some have been playing since last year and others that have been playing for the past few months, stating, “It was fun and taught my team and I how we should manage our money properly and have a detailed plan.”
“I just started playing MonsoonSIM this year when it was introduced in my business management course. I have yet to play 10 games since then, but I really enjoy playing it. I have learnt the basic on how a company operates and how the different departments of a company affect and generate revenue for the company.” A MonsoonSIM player elaborates.
“I’ve been playing for 1-2 months. It provides a subtle insight to operating a business, and is good for beginners and those who want to start a business.” Another MonsoonSIM player explains.
Throughout the competition, players will learn more about how to run a successful business with limited resources, what concepts are involved in managing a large business, how to adapt in changing business environments, what an ERP system is and how it helps the business, and other important concepts and lessons. Players will learn simultaneously on how to run a large virtual enterprise and battle it out for the highest profit and selected KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Through this MERMC 2021 event, MonsoonSIM hopes to promote the concept of experiential learning and the virtual learning strategy via the inspiring business simulation and ERP gamification education platform. MonsoonSIM strives to expose the Y generation to education by gamification and incubate future ERP talents. This is the platform to encourage graduating students to embrace the business process learning and motivate learners and bright students such that they can confidently assimilate with the expectations of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
“One of the biggest challenges we think we’ll face is having the courage to implement changes that my team has theorized because it would either improve our game results or have a negative impact instead.” One of the participating teams mentioned. Other challenges for the Singapore MERMC Grand Finals that participating students said they’ll be keeping an eye out for include a stable internet connection given the online nature of this year’s competition, finding out the best plan configuration of the game and figuring out the best strategy to use.
The champion team of the MERMC Singapore Final stands to win 1,000 SGD, followed by the First Runner Up team with 600 SGD, and the Second Runner Up team with 400 SGD. All the participants of this competition will also receive a certificate of participation to commemorate their entrepreneurial skills and efforts with their team. Furthermore, for the top 5 teams from the local polytechnics in the Grand Final, students who are Singaporeans or Singapore PR will be given the conditional offer to a SUSS full-time degree program. With such attractive and fruitful prizes for the top teams, this certainly motivates and encourages the participating students to perform to the best of their abilities!
However, besides winning, most participating students have other expectations and things that they hope to achieve by participating in MERMC 2021. These include having fun with their team, gaining experience and building their portfolio, developing a deeper knowledge on what affects the operations of a company and reach an understanding on how other people come up with a different solution to the same game.
“I hope to gain a memorable experience and knowledge that could help me better understand the operations of a company, and the major factors and methods to improve a company’s revenue.” A MonsoonSIM player says.