Politécnicos Triumph in International Financial Challenge

To excel among 131 participating teams, students from ESCA Tepepan went above and beyond by preparing financial calculations and exercises in advance

Rocío Castañeda

The outstanding financial management skills demonstrated by students from the Escuela Superior de Comercio y Administración (ESCA), Tepepan Unit, led them to secure second place overall and first in their group at the 2024 International Labsag Challenge. Their success was marked by their ability to handle various aspects of a company's financial structure, including planning, projections, and quarterly reports.

Zadkiel Ramírez Peña and Arath Yael Ceja Mayes Soto, students of the Public Accounting program at this academic unit of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), participated in the Financial Management Simulator Simdef. This challenge was organized by the British company Michelsen Labsag, a leader in business simulation and training. The competition saw the participation of representatives from higher education institutions in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Peru.

Zadkiel Ramírez explained that the challenge involves making decisions to foster a company's growth through the best financial strategies. These decisions take into account aspects such as assets, liabilities, capital, sales forecasts, machinery capacity, and plant capacity.

The competition, conducted in a virtual format, consisted of eight trimesters, each with its evaluations and summaries aimed at achieving the best share price for the company. The cumulative results of these reports positioned the Politécnicos among the top performers out of 131 participating teams.

With the guidance and experience of Professor Efraín Ávila Montes de Oca, the ESCA Tepepan team entered this challenge to solidify the knowledge acquired in the classroom and apply it to a real-world scenario. This was part of the "Business Simulator" course, which allowed the entire group to engage fully and make the most of this tool.

To ensure their strong performance in this international competition, the Politécnico students went the extra mile by developing financial calculations and exercises in advance. "This recognition is a source of pride and evidence of the high educational level at IPN," commented Zadkiel Ramírez and Arath Ceja, both graduates of the Centro de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos (CECyT) 13 "Ricardo Flores Magón."

They attributed their success in this challenge to their discipline, focus on their knowledge, and commitment to their alma mater.

Public Accounting: Key to National Development

Public accounting has a significant impact on the country's economic activities; it is a versatile, broad, and necessary career for managing, guiding, and projecting the financial statements of companies, corporations, and government entities.

The students encouraged their fellow Politécnicos to participate in such competitions, as they provided an opportunity to see the results of their learning and understand how to apply it. "We are a reflection of our peers who support us and the generations who aspire to join the Politécnico," they concluded.

Gaceta Politécnica #1811. (July 31st, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.