College Park, Md. March 27, 2007 - Teams from top business schools throughout the United States, Europe and Asia competed today in the first-ever Global Supply Chain Competition, a revolutionary real-time simulation developed by researchers at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Competition sponsor Sun Microsystems, Inc., donated prizes and powerful servers to host the Web-based game, in which players competed virtually from their home campuses to manage the most efficient supply chain.

Teams from top business schools throughout the United States, Europe and Asia will compete Tuesday, March 27, 2007 in the first-ever Global Supply Chain Competition, a revolutionary real-time simulation developed by researchers at the Smith School and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Competition sponsor Sun Microsystems Inc. donated prizes and powerful servers to host the Web-based game, in which players will compete virtually, all logging on simultaneously from their home campuses to manage the most efficient supply chain.

There are benefits to a fairly recent supply chain innovation: Rather than leaving small suppliers on their own to obtain financing, influential buyers are stepping up as intermediaries.