MARGA Online Competition 2025/2026
The General Management Training for your talents:
Develop tomorrow’s managers today
Management Training for young talents
Leading as a team, making strategic decisions, surviving in international competition
In the MARGA Online Competition, young talents become real entrepreneurs. In the online-based management training, young talents from companies around the world compete directly against each other.
As a team, they take on the management of a virtual company – strategically, operationally and under competitive pressure. They develop market-oriented strategies, make real decisions in all areas of the company and position their products on the market. In doing so, they experience at first hand what entrepreneurial action feels like – with all its consequences. What counts: Market intuition, teamwork, analytical skills and the courage to take risks.
A selection of our customers
How MARGA makes talents strong:
Experience management – instead of just reading about it
Your talents make entrepreneurial decisions as a team and take control of their virtual company – from strategy development to market positioning, from financial planning to production and resource planning. Management knowledge is applied directly and firmly anchored in their minds.
Promoting entrepreneurial thinking & acting
The MARGA business game offers a complex and realistic learning environment in which participants practice a practical case without any real risk. In this way, they develop a deep understanding of entrepreneurial relationships and learn to make decisions based on key business figures.
Strengething teamwork & communication
Being successful in a team means analyzing, discussing and finding compromises together. Participants train communication and conflict resolution skills as well as collaboration – important soft skills for the leadership of tomorrow.
Flexibel & practice-oriented
The entire competition takes place online and can be flexibly integrated into everyday working life with a weekly time commitment of around two hours – ideal for on-the-joblearning and cross-location teams.
Learning with fun factor
The competition provides a real incentive: teams compete internationally with other companies – this increases commitment, ambition and willingness to learn. The four most successful teams compete against each other in an exciting online final.
Full-service for you
You register your talents – we take care of the rest! MARGA manages the entire organization and implementation of the program. Our comprehensive toolbox offers everything you need for successful training – including personal tutoring for each team.
Are you interested in the MARGA Online Competition?
Book a free consultation appointment now. We are always there for you personally and will be happy to advise you.
The MARGA Online Competition at a glance
Especially Trainees, Young Professionals, Future Managers – each team consists of up to six persons.
Market & competition
- Marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion
- Competitive strategies: Cost Leadership, Differentiation, Focus (Niche)
- Portfolio Management: Cash cows, Dogs, Question marks, Stars
Production & Resource planning
- Production planning and capacity management
- Investment planning
- HR management
- Procurement and logistics
- Make-or-buy decisions
Finance
- Internal and external financing, equity and debt financing
- Management of receiveables and accounts payable
Controlling
- Value-based Management
- Financial reports: Balance sheet, Income statement, Cashflow statement, Segment reporting
- Cost accounting: Full costing, Direct costing
- KPIs – Profitability, Liquidity, Financing, Asset structure
- Foreign currency/Hedging
Soft Skills
- Organisation und Interaction in a team
- Team ability
- Self-organisation
- Communication
- Virtual Teamwork
- Project management
Date: The MARGA Online Competition starts each year in November. Next date November 2024 – May 2025
Price: 3,890 € per team; Every fifth team of one company participates free of charge. We also allow a 50 percent discount to universities in terms of the initial professional education.
MARGA offers a full-service package with complete implementation and communication. The program includes kick-off events, live webinars, debriefing sessions, learning videos, Q&A sessions, unlimited tutoring and the online course “Financial Basics”.
What our customers say
MARGA has been an established partner for many customers since 1971. Young professionals have been taking part in the online business game competition for many years with great success across all sectors and around the world.
The MARGA Online Competition is an integral part of our Junior Manager Program – our trainee program for executive talents. MARGA makes entrepreneurial thinking tangible without real risks. The high dedication of our trainees has paid off once more: they are in the live final today.
Ruth Ziegler, Human Resources
Senior Executives and Talent Management,
Robert Bosch GmbH
In addition to professional training, the MARGA Online Competition gives us the opportunity to promote virtual teamwork between our international locations in a targeted manner. Through high self-motivation and efficient teamwork, this year our two teams have reached the finals – we are thrilled!
Claudia Funke
Team lead Human Resources
Develey Senf & Feinkost
Where else can high potentials and young professionals practice to act as real entrepreneurs? We play MARGA with mixed teams in which we combine current with former trainees. Like this we achieve interdisciplinary and self organized groups. It’s amazing how much our teams learned about strategy, business management and market development in such a short time. They will certainly benefit from this experience during their day-to-day business. Above all, they both learned and laughed a lot – what a great combination.
Florian Conradi
Former program manager trainees,
EnBW
Business studies are a substantial supplement for the overall skills of our young professionals. The conveyance of know how by means of a gaming environment is particularly attractive. Our experience shows us that both studies and a competitive environment are a good combination. After the fourth year of participating at the MARGA Online Competition, this year one of our Vinnolit teams came in first – what a great performance!
Dr. Thomas Karcher,
Operations Director,
Vinnolit GmbH & Co.KG
20 Years ago I, myself participated in the MARGA Competition and today I understand why our team was not able to qualify for the next round – that is what I call sustainable learning. Today our OBI trainees participate in the MARGA Online Competition.
Holger Jöhnk
Head of HR Headquarters,
OBI Group Holding
MARGA offers the rare possibility to learn from expensive mistakes at a convenient price.
Finalist Axel Delker
REWE Zentral AG
One team, six people on four different continents and one decision to make – it is just great which possibilities we have today.
Finalist Anna-Lena Schulz
Volkswagen AG
The MARGA business game not only enabled us to expand our theoretical knowledge and subsequently apply it in practice but also to refine our personal competencies. The experiences we gathered during the simulation were invaluable and have prepared us for future professional challenges. MARGA was thus a platform that allowed us to grow beyond ourselves and shine both as individuals and as a team.
Adam Pegan
International Graduate - Production,
SCHOTT Pharma
Procedure
The competition starts at the beginning of November with the kick-off sessions, in which the participants receive an introduction to the program, the software and the Online Course “Financial Basics”. The teams can then familiarize themselves with the software and the market environment in two test rounds.
With the knowledge they have gained about markets and clients, the teams start the main round, which lasts five periods. In addition to a transfer session in the main round, we also offer learning videos and Q&A sessions on specialist topics that the teams encounter in the simulation.
The four best teams in terms of group ranking and cumulative MARGA Value Added reach the final round of the competition, where the teams face a completely new, challenging starting point. The winning team is finally crowned in the grand online live final.
Sounds good, but are you looking for more compact training for your talents?
Our MARGA Management Training Management offers a sophisticated combination of guided online modules as well as individual learning and virtual teamwork in four intensive weeks.
Registration MARGA Online
Competition:
onditions:
- The participation fee per team is 3,890 euros plus VAT.
- Every fifth team of a company participates free of charge.
- Each team consists of up to six people.
