TWO female finance managers from Sears Menswear have beaten off

competition from more than 150 teams in industry to win the 1991

Institute of Directors/Lotus Business Challenge.

Karen Foster, a retail accountant with Fosters Menswear, and Julie

Lees, finance manager with the Your Price chain, were the only

all-female team among the eight finalists which included British Steel,

BP Oil and Royal Insurance.

Based in Solihull, the two women nearly didn't make the final -- held

in London -- due to pressure of work. Not rating their chances, they

were ''staggered and delighted'' to come out on top.

The challenge tests participants' management skills with

computer-simulated business scenarios. It encourages teams to use

computer modelling tools to aid forecasting and strategic decision

making.

In the preliminary rounds, teams have to assess three investment

opportunities for a fictitious venture capital company and then manage

the business they had chosen. The eight teams with the highest return on

their investment met in the final.

The winning team received #3000 worth of Lotus business software.