About Business Horizons

Business Horizons (BH) is a one-of-a-kind, hands-on, action-oriented weeklong summer program for high school students who want to learn about the world of business and what the future holds for them.  Our mission is to promote the value of the free enterprise system through leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurial activities, and personal development opportunities.  BH has enjoyed over 20 successful years of educating young people about economics, the free enterprise system, entrepreneurship, skills they need to be successful in today's workplace, and about opportunities available in the state of Iowa.  BH is a program of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation and partners include the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Bankers Association, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, Simpson College and local Chambers of Commerce across Iowa.
 
About “BH” Week

During Business Horizons, high school students from all across the state of Iowa will be actively engaged in several activities:

• developing a product
• making financial decisions (via a business simulation) about their operations
• creating a marketing plan & a television infomercial
• preparing and delivering a 10-minute formal presentation to investors
• participating in a trade-show

If these five components aren't enough, the students also hear business leaders share their own personal stories about success in marketing, customer service, corporate giving, international business, why Iowa is a good place to live, work and raise a family, character and ethics, etc. 
 
The students are divided into teams or “INDUSTRIES” (12-13/team).  Each Industry is lead by two business executive volunteers (“INDUSTRY ADVISORS”) who spend the entire week facilitating team building activities, discussing the speakers and how their information helps the “Industry” succeed, and guiding them through each of the five components described above. 
 
The Business Simulation

A highlight of BH week is participation in a business simulation from Junior Achievement, called MESE.  The simulation provides the students an opportunity to run a manufacturing business over a 2½ year business cycle, complete with an expansion period and a recession thrown in to make it interesting!  The students make quarterly decisions on price, production, marketing, research and development, and capital investment.
 
Each “Industry” is divided into three (3) companies, all competing for market share.  The simulation is divided into 10 rounds, each simulating a business quarter.  Preceding each round, the students have a newspaper headline posted in their Industry rooms.  The headline gives hints as to the economic twists and turns that may or may not cause the students significant grief!  Of course, during the first few rounds, the students pay no attention to the headlines...but they soon learn that outside economic forces do impact their business!