Transcript Presentation2 - Study in Malaysia @ Alserag International

Narita Group
Interpretive Simulation
What is the way you use to solve your Problems ??
Expert Advise
Read a Book
Attend a Traditional Training
Trial and Error
Traditional Methods Pros and cons
Method
Risk
Cost
Effectiveness Time
Expert Advise
Low
Very High
Medium
High
Traditional Training
High
Medium
Medium
Low
Read A Book
Very High
Low
Low
Very High
Trial and Error
Very High
Very High
Low
Very High
NOW
It’s SIMULATION Time
About Business Simulations
A training methodology designed to take participants
beyond the typical classroom environment and into a
simulated business situation.
A real-world classroom where participants go through
simulations of actual business events and learn by doing not
simply by learning theory. By creating real-world simulated
scenarios, participants are able to see the immediate result
of decisions and actions, thus creating a learning
environment based on actual experience.
Business simulations transform people through experiential
learning which create positive business change and generate
real business profit for clients.
Simulations methodology
Simulations Benefits
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Risk to Business is reduced as the simulation Give
the trainees the opportunity to take decisions and
test this decision impacts without any effect on the
Business
Save money the simulation protect the Business
from losing money through Providing safe
environment to try al the new ideas and Projects
Training addresses a wide range of Technical and
Behavioral Competencies in a unique way Provide
the trainee with all the needed information and
Techniques through a Unforgettable Experience
Support in measuring the training Impact on the
performance level in both technical and behavioral
Aspects
About Interpretive
Interpretive Simulations offers realistic business experiences
Interpretive simulations compliment the concepts taught in marketing, strategy and
management classes.
– Founded in 1986
– Arose out of industry consulting
– Authors come from leading academic institutions
– 12 simulations for classes in Management, Marketing and Strategy
– Over 50,000 students each year use our simulations
– Used by over 500 schools around the world each year
– A variety of our simulations are available in multiple languages
Our Partners
Pearson Education
Interpretive Simulations has an exclusive partnership with Pearson US and
Pearson Canada.
PriSim (corporate training and consulting)
PriSim teaches decision-makers about business, strategy, finance, and
leadership.
Fast Track Project Management (Taiwan)
FTPM is a management consulting firm providing business solutions and
customized training services to leading organizations in Taiwan, China, and
the United States
Academic Success Partners
Business Success Partners
Simulation Training
Management Simulation
The Business
Essentials
Simulation
The Business
Simulation in
Retailing
Marketing Simulation
The Human
Resource
Management
Simulation
An Integrated
Delivering
The Marketing
Marketing
Marketing
Value
Principles
Management
… with Market
Simulation
Experience…with
Share
PharmaSim
Strategy Simulation
Business
Strategy
in a Global
Environment
Introduction
to Airline
The Strategy
Simulation
with a Focus on
China
The
Marketing
Strategy
Simulation
The Strategic
Management
Simulation
The International
Marketing
Simulation
Management Simulations
he Business
Essentials
Simulation
The Business
Simulation in
Retailing
The Human
Resource
Management
Simulation
BizCafe
Overview
With BizCafe, students experience the importance of the
fundamentals of business by running a small, college-town
coffee shop. As students progress through BizCafe, they will
encounter the real world problems of managing personnel,
marketing their product, and managing cash flow in the easyto-understand context of a local coffee shop. Students learn
business terminology and how to interpret business
information as they develop an understanding of the key
functional areas of a business at a basic level. BizCafe is an
excellent complement to traditional teaching methods,
allowing students to apply business concepts in a dynamic,
integrative environment.
Objectives
BizCafe is primarily designed for classes in business
fundamentals. To that end, the simulation should help your
students understand:
• How to manage staffing and operation of a service
business (hiring, firing, budgeting)
• How to calculate their break-even involving multiple
factors
• How to read basic financial statements
• The impact of marketing and promotion on the business
• The importance of customer satisfaction
BizCafe
The Case
Groups of 2-4 students receive $25,000 from a local entrepreneur to startup a coffee shop near a university in a good downtown location. They must
hire servers, decide on a marketing plan, and purchase materials and
equipment to make their shop a success. Challenges include keeping
customers and employees happy, ordering the right amount of coffee and
cups to meet demand, and attracting customers to their shop. Students
learn the difference between cash-based and accrual accounting and must
manage their cash flow and payroll accordingly
• RES ULTS AND DIS
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CUSSIONS Renovation
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Insurance
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Staff Training Problem Employee
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Baked Goods Coffee Roaster
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Internet Café
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Advertising
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Green Upgrade
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Live Entertainment
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Unwanted Sexual Advance
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Expansion Opportunity
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New Supplier
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Irate Customer
Overview
Entrepreneur is designed for classes in entrepreneurship,
introduction to small business management, and retailing.
Students learn about the issues that face a start-up business and
how to manage the difficult first 3 years of a business. They will
learn about basic management issues, operations, marketing, and
finance in the context of a retail clothing store. Decisions include
product line, pricing, advertising, sales, promotion, staffing, and
inventory management
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
Objectives
The main objective of Entrepreneur is to expose students to the
variety of issues of starting and operating a new venture. Student
teams will function as a “real-life” company competing in a
dynamic and evolving industry. With direct-competitive play,
students' stores all compete with each other, their decisions
affecting each other.
Entrepreneur is designed with the following goals for your
students:
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To teach staffing and operations management for a small retail
business.
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To help students read basic financial statements.
•
To demonstrate the impact of advertising and promotion.
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To illustrate the importance of good business practices.
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To help students develop logical and rational decision-making
skills and to consider the multidimensional aspects of these
decisions.
•
To provide students with the opportunity to interact within an
organizational teamwork.
•
To improve the student’s communication, leadership, and
interpersonal skills.
Entrepreneur
The Case
Groups of 2-4 students take the role of running the
operations of a specialty retail clothing store for 12
quarters. The new management team will choose a
location and name for their store and then begin to
manage the on-going operations. As the simulation
progresses,
ethical,
environmental,
and
management dilemmas will challenge students and
stimulate class discussions. As students continue in
Entrepreneur, they will appreciate the importance
of accounting information provided by key
financial statements (income statement, balance
sheet, cash and inventory analysis), in addition to
environmental reporting (including sales, pricing,
and promotion reports).
Entrepreneur
The case
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that occur one per period, thus challenging students to consider a variety of issues related
to running a business. These incidents cover the following topics (and corresponding
functional areas):
Security Devices (operations) Students have the opportunity to select a security system for
the store.
A Ethical Dilemma (ethics) A local school offical wants a kickback for bringing business to
the store.
The Pushy Employee (human resources) An employee receives a cash incentive from a
vendor to push their clothing line.
Bait and Switch or Customary Practice? (marketing) Students need to decide if they want to
use the same tactics as their competitor.
Purchasing Policies (operations, strategy) Students are given the opportunity to diversify
their product line.
The Problem Employee (human resources, ethics) One of the employees may be
shoplifting.
Cooperative Advertising (marketing) A wholesaler offers to pay a portion of all advertising
expenses that feature their product.
Community Support (social responsibility) Local community causes ask for support from
the store.
Political Cause (community relations) Senator Boasting seeks a donation.
Homecoming Festivities (marketing) The local college wants support for their homecoming
activities.
The New Store (operations, planning, strategy) Students decide whether or not to expand
to an additional location.
HR Management
Overview
The Management Simulation is a competitive simulation
where students take on the role of Human Resource
Director for a growing organization. It offers students
valuable experience with decisions that affect
compensation, turnover, productivity, diversity, morale,
quality, accident rate, grievances, fringe benefits,
absenteeism, and budget utilization. Students will make
the connection between HR principles and how those play
out in business.
HR Management
Objectives
The main objective of HR Management is to simulate the
operation of a human resource department within a
budget and market constraints. The students must not
only make informed decisions but they must react to the
outcomes of their decisions.
HR Management is designed to help your students
understand:
• Overall HR Strategy: What do they want to attempt to
accomplish with their given budget?
• HR Operating Decisions: wages, hiring, training,
benefits, etc.
• Financial: Management of the HR Department budget,
creating and maintaining
• How to manage behavioral elements they encounter
in the incidents (see above)
HR Management
The Case
Groups of 3-5 students take the role of a newly-appointed
Human Resource Director of a 500 person company. The
company has been growing rapidly and the human resource
department and its functions have not kept pace with this
growth. The Chief Executive Officer has instructed the HR
Director to get the human resource department organized,
build a strong HR function, and "get the company
moving.“
"incidents" (mini-cases) that occur one per period, thus
challenging students to consider a variety of issues related to
running an HR department. Each of the incidents has an
outcome that will affect the student's performance in the
simulation
HR Management
The Case
The incidents cover the following topics (and corresponding functional
areas):
•
Job Analysis (operations) Many employees are confused regarding their
job duties.
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Job Design (operations) Possible solutions may capture the energy and
creativity of the workforce.
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Recruiting for temporary positions (operations) Product (or service) staff
must be augmented to meet next quarter's production.
•
Selection of employees (affirmative action) Students must hire one of
three applicants for a Level 3 supervisor position.
•
Performance appraisal (morale) The CEO requests recommendation for
a system of performance appraisal for all supervisors and managers.
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Sexual harassment policy (ethics) Does the sexual harassment policy
that has been in effect for several years need to be updated?
•
Compensation planning (morale) Select compensation plans for further
study by your team.
•
Self-managed work teams (operations) The CEO has asked for a
recommendation concerning the use of self-managed work teams.
HR Management
The Case
The incidents cover the following topics (and corresponding
functional areas):
•
Employee health, assistance and wellness (social
responsibility) Several proposals have been suggested to
improve the health and well-being of employees.
•
Safety issues (OSHA, operations, morale) The CEO is
concerned that the firm may have some safety violations
and wants to remedy this.
•
Exempt employees (operations, morale, ethics) A review of
Level 2 positions indicates that some are eligible for
overtime pay, while others are not.
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References: How much do I say? (ethics, social
responsibility) A former employee has applied for a position
at another company in the community.
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The "Harassment versus Lying" dilemma (ethics) An
employee accuses her supervisor of sexual harassment
while her supervisor claims the employee lied on her job
application.
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The staff decision (affirmative action) Two employees are up
for promotion but both have issues that may impact their
job performance.
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Wage negotiations (operations, morale) The union
representing Level 1 employees begins negotiation for next
year's contract.
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Collective bargaining (operations, morale) The CEO has
requested recommendations for the upcoming union
Overview
StratSim Management
Strategic management is at the core of all decisions made in
StratSimManagement. Students start by conducting environmental
analysis before articulating the vision and mission of the organization.
They must manage short- and long-term objectives, making integrated
decisions that impact all areas of the business. Teams compete directly
against each other with the results being dependent upon how the
competitors interact, what new products are introduced, and how these
products are supported. StratSimManagement is built on the StratSim
methodology used by thousands of students since the mid-1990s. This
version of StratSim (StratSimManagement)--with its focus on strategy and
international business--is an excellent complement to traditional teaching
methods, allowing students to apply strategic planning concepts in a
dynamic, integrative environmen
StratSim Management
Objectives
Much of the complexity of the automobile industry has been simplified
to allow participants to focus their time and energy on strategic issues.
However, we've retained as much realism as possible to make it easier
to quickly understand the overall environment. StratSimManagement
addresses the following issues:
• Developing a business definition and implementing a profitable
long-term business strategy
• Identifying market opportunities and creating product/service
offerings to satisfy them
• Analyzing competitors and understanding their strategic intent
• Creating the corporate infrastructure necessary to sustain growth
• Allocating scarce resources among products, functions, and other
investment alternatives
• Exploring the options of marketing and sourcing internationally
(optional)
StratSim Management
The Case
Groups of 3-6 students are put in the role of a management team
that takes over one of five companies competing in the domestic
automobile industry. Some companies are positioned as high-end
niche producers while others are more value and volume driven.
Each company begins the simulation with three vehicles and then
must decide how best to improve their performance and potentially
enter new market segments that offer opportunities for growth.
Optionally, students may source from or enter into international
regions.
Overview
StratSimChina
StratSimChina is a strategy simulation game based on the
automobile industry that provides participants an opportunity to
experience strategy in the high-growth/high-competition market of
China. Managing a business in this environment requires careful
attention to investment, cash flow, and rapidly changing market
conditions. Students will start by conducting environmental
analysis before articulating the vision and mission of the
organization. They must manage short- and long-term objectives,
making integrated decisions that impact all areas of the business.
Teams compete directly against each other with the results being
dependent upon how the competitors interact, what new products
are introduced, and how these products are supported.
StratSimChina is built on the StratSim methodology used by
thousands of students since the mid-1990s.
In addition to the simulation, StratSimChina also includes an article
by Juan Antonio Fernandez, author of China CEO, as well as five
supplemental cases all focusing on various issues related to doing
business in China. Thus, in one package, students receive a wealth
of information about China ranging from background information
to specific business school cases, plus the opportunity to
experience managing a company competing in a high-growth
market such as China through the StratSim simulation.
This unique version of StratSim is an excellent complement to
traditional teaching methods, allowing students to apply marketing
concepts in a dynamic, integrative environment.
Objectives
StratSimChina
Much of the complexity of the automobile industry has been
simplified to allow participants to focus their time and energy on
strategic issues. However, we've retained as much realism as
possible to make it easier to quickly understand the overall
environment. At its core, StratSimChina is a simulation about
strategy formulation for a company doing business in China. Along
those lines, students will be challenge to:
• Develop a business definition and implement a profitable
long-term business strategy in a rapidly developing and highly
competitive industry environment
• Identify market opportunities and create product/service
offerings to satisfy them through new product offerings or
upgrades to existing product lines
• Develop the corporate infrastructure necessary to sustain
growth
• Allocate scarce resources among products, functions, and
other investment alternatives
StratSimChina
The case
Student teams play the role of a management team competing in
the Chinese automobile industry. They are one of six firms per
industry, each company having a unique position and product
offering. Some companies are positioned as high-end producers,
while others are more value and volume driven. Each company
begins the simulation with two vehicles and then must decide how
best to improve their performance and potentially enter new
market segments that offer opportunities for growth. Revenues are
generated through the sales of cars and trucks to automobile
dealers in the StratSim world. Additional revenues are possible
through direct sales to fleet buyers. To read the full copy of the
case for the simulation.
StratSim Management
The Case
As an added resource, StratSimChina comes with five supplemental cases and
articles in the Student manual that address the following topics:
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Tips for doing business in China, specifically the role of “guanxi” in business
and government relationships
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Learning about the personal and leadership dimensions within a
multinational enterprise, the role of a country manager, the role of
partnerships in global strategy, and the multi-dimensional challenges facing
the executive who is charged with making global strategy happen.
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Considering the issue of product localization and when a product should be
global vs. local.
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Matching internal capabilities against results from an environmental scan
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Making operational decisions relating to city selection in an international
context
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Contrasting the pros and cons of product and geographic market
diversification and consideration of the factors that may constrain a firm’s
strategic options and pace of diversification.
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Illustrate the numerous difficulties of doing business in emerging markets
with a focus on China, despite the enormous potential.
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Emphasize the nuances of maintaining relationships with powerful global
partners while exploring strategic partnerships with smaller players to
expand specific markets.
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Stress the importance of creating a channel strategy in an international
context based on financial analysis as well as qualitative concerns.
Marketing Simulations
An Integrated
Delivering
The Marketing
Marketing
Marketing
Value
Principles
Management
… with Market
Simulation
Experience…with
Share
PharmaSim
The International
Marketing
Simulation
NewShoes
Overview
NewShoes covers marketing concepts at a basic level, focusing on
the roles of price, product, promotion, and place. Perfect for an
introduction to marketing class, it provides an engaging
interactive experience. Students compete against each other,
utilizing the 4Ps in marketing to make their company profitable.
They will be exposed to marketing concepts such as marketing
mix, dealing with different marketing environments, B2B sales,
contract bidding, and using marketing research in a “real-world”
setting.
NewShoes
Objective
The main objective in the development of NewShoes was to
create a simple simulation that allows students to apply
marketing concepts and manipulate marketing variables in a
realistic setting. NewShoes is designed to help your students
understand:
• Marketing mix (price, promotion, product, place)
• Markets with differing responses (foreign markets) and with
different business climates
• Push vs. pull promotional strategy
• Short-run vs. long-run strategies
• Business-to-business sales and contract bidding
• Group decision-making
• Research and its use in making decisions
• Responding to competitors' actions
NewShoes
The Case
Groups of 3-4 students take over management of an athletic
shoe company selling in a home and domestic region. At first,
student teams work toward improving performance in these two
markets, but later have the opportunity to expand sales into a
foreign region and also explore contract bids. When the students
begin in the simulation, their company has shown a loss in its
previous two periods. The company has recently had a
significant drop in sales in the home market and they "replaced"
their marketing department with your students! The students
must analyze their situation and determine how marketing can
encourage new sales. Through new product development,
entering new regions, focus on new promotion and determining
their best price, the students need to turn this company around.
MarketShare
Overview
MarketShare is based on our leading marketing
management simulation PharmaSim, but simplified for use
in a marketing principles or intermediate marketing level
class for undergraduates. Students become a member of the
marketing management team for a pharmaceutical company.
They are exposed to and must wrestle with concepts such as
understanding market segmentation, multiple channels,
intermediaries, and promotional content. They will also
reformulate an existing product, as well as launch a new
product.
Objective
The main objective of MarketShare is to have all of the characteristics
of a case analysis, while also placing the participant into a dynamic,
simulated business environment. It also sticks with issues pertaining to
the 4Ps framework.
MarketShare
MarketShare is designed to help your students understand:
• Marketing Research: the different types of research and what
type is best
• Consumer Behavior: the decision-making process and influences
• Competitor Analysis: differentiating brands, using research to
accomplish this
• Features, Benefits, & Value Proposition: the differences between
these and how to highlight each to sell more product
• Break-Even Analysis: connecting the marketing process to
accounting information
• Gross Margin Analysis: focus on the intersection of pricing and
distribution concepts
• Retail Store Visits: getting a full picture of what buyers see when
making a decision
• Advertising Storyboard: identifying key elements such as the
target audience, the message, budget objectives, ad design, pretesting, choosing media, establishing a schedule, and evaluating
the ad
MarketShare
The Case
Students take the role of a brand management team in the over-thecounter pharmaceutical industry for up to 6 simulated years. Students
can work in teams of 2 to 4 students or individually. As a member of
their marketing management group, students manage the marketing
mix for their products and make product decisions such as,
reformulating their existing brand and launching a new product.
MarketShare is modeled from an OTC brand management perspective,
but the issues raised apply to marketers in any industry. Out of five
competitors in the market, their company is at the bottom in terms of
sales. But management believes their brand should drive future growth
and profitability for the company--so the pressure is on! The task of the
Allround brand management team is to increase market share and
profitability in a competitive and changing environment
MarketShare
The Case
MarketShare also comes with 6 "incidents" (mini-cases) that challenge
students to wrestle with various behavioral elements of their business.
These are:
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Social Media (Advertising) Students choose to create a website with a
blog, a Facebook and Twitter account, or any one of these options
with 5% of the ad budget going towards Google Adwords.
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Targeted Advertising (Advertising, Segmentation) Provides the
students the option to target their consumers based on demographic
data.
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Employee Over-Sharing (Ethics) Dealing with a personnel issue of an
employee's personal blog that talks about your company in a lessthan-flattering manner.
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Volume Discount (Pricing) An opportunity to discuss offering highvolume discounts (or not) and what effects it might have.
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Product Tampering (Product, Public Relations) A bottle of Allround is
suspected to have been linked to some poisonings in a metropolitan
area. This is a PR issue but also involves issues of operations and how
that will affect the company.
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Sales Force Management (Sales force) One of Allround's salespeople
wants to redefine her sales territory so that the workload is more
even. The salesperson with the adjoining territory (who is doing
better than she is) does not agree. Students must decide how to
manage this situation.
Overview
PharmaSim
PharmaSim is designed for Marketing and Brand Management
classes and is based on the packaged goods industry. PharmaSim
drives home the 4Ps of marketing. This simulation covers
segmentation and position, resource allocation across brands,
integrated marketing communications, and multiple channels with
intermediaries. Students learn how to motivate consumers and
channel partners, measuring their progress through marketing
research. Each simulated environment will develop uniquely
depending on the choices each student team makes and the reaction
of their competition. This helps to illustrate the impact a competitor
may have on an entire industry.
Objectives
The purpose of PharmaSim is to use the strengths of both the case
and simulation methodologies to bring about the most effective
learning experience. The simulation has all the characteristics of case
analysis while also placing the students into a dynamic business
environment. PharmaSim focuses on the following framework:
PharmaSim
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Situation analysis and the 5Cs
competitors, collaborators, company)
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STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning)
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Marketing Mix/ 4Ps (product, price, promotion, place)
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Integrated marketing decision-making and analysis
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Managing the buyer purchase process:
(context,
customers,
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Awareness: advertising and consumer promotion
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Intention to Buy: product characteristics and MSRP,
meeting the need of the consumer
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In-Store Attractiveness: sales force and promotion
decisions
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Purchase: attention to price and maintaining quality
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Usage/Satisfaction: meeting the needs of the consumer
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Repurchase: maintaining high satisfaction rates
PharmaSim
The Case
Students can compete in groups of 2-4 students or
individually and run through up to 10 simulated years. They
take the role of a brand management team for the OTC
division of a pharmaceutical company. Each student (or team)
competes against the same environment, made up of four
competitors,each with a different marketing strategy and
portfolio of brands. Their product is currently the market
share leader in the OTC cold and allergy remedy market-though not the leader in terms of sales. In the past three
periods, the industry has seen several product introductions
as well as major increases in advertising and promotional
expenditures. The senior management team is concerned that
this increased competitive activity will lead to declining
market share and profitability. The task of the brand
management team is to maintain long-term profitability and
market share in an increasingly competitive and changing
environment. With extensive marketing research studies and
a solid strategy, the brand management team will make
decisions in areas of product choice, distribution, promotion,
and
pricing.
PharmaSim
The Case
PharmaSim also comes with 10 "incidents" (mini-cases) that
challenge students to wrestle with various behavioral elements
of their business. These include:
• Social Media (advertising) Students choose to create a website
with a blog, a Facebook and Twitter account, or any one of
these options with 5% of the ad budget going toward Google
Adwords
• Quality Assurance (product) An Allround product is within six
months of expiration; students must decide what to do with
the product and consider how that will affect their bottom line
and/or distributor/customer relationships or perception.
• Cannibalization (product) Taking 3 specific line extension
examples, students must decide which line extension would
provide the least amount of cannibalization to their current
brand.
• Social Media Problem (advertising, ethics) How does a
company deal with negative comments on its social media
pages? This is a Public Relations exercise and students must
wrestle with how these decisions affect the company's image
and bottom line.
• Detailing Changes (sales force) Students get the chance to look
more closely into their relationship with their detailers. This
provides a more in-depth look behind the numbers of indirect
sales force
PharmaSim
The Case
PharmaSim also comes with 10 "incidents" (mini-cases)
that challenge students to wrestle with various behavioral
elements of their business. These include:
• Price Discrimination (pricing) One of the large drug
store chains is unhappy with their price discounts and
wants to receive an additional discount. Students must
determine if offering an additional price discount will
affect their relationship with other customers.
• Product Tampering (product, public relations) Allround
is suspected to have been linked to several poisonings
in a metropolitan area. This is a PR issue but also
involves issues of operations and how that will affect
the company.
• Special Promotion (promotion) Students can provide
specific details about the type of special promotions
they would like to do for Allround. Each has its
advantages but they serve different strategic
objectives.
• Sales Force Management (sales force) One of Allround's
salespeople wants to redefine her sales territory so that
the workload is more even. The salesperson with the
adjoining territory (who is doing better than she is)
does not agree. Students must decide how to manage
this situation.
Overview
CountryManager explores the modes of market entry, segmentation,
and targeting, and the 4Ps in an international context. This simulation
provides valuable experience for marketing students who wish to
explore the launch of a product into a new country.
We now have two scenarios available for two different regions, Latin
America or Asia:
Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.
Asia: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, and Thailand.
CountryManager
Students will take the role of Country Manager for their company,
specifically marketing their company's toothpaste brand in these
countries. They will encounter international, regional and local
competitors, and through research and strategy, determine the best
course of action to establish a presence in these markets.
CountryManager
Objectives
The objective of CountryManager is for students to experience
international market entry and expansion by playing the role of a
category manager for Allstar brands. CountryManager is designed to
help the instructor introduce students to the experience of market
entry and to wrestle with the issues that arise. During the course of the
simulation, they will explore the following topics:
• Understanding buyer behavior and motivating the buyer:
Where customers shop, what motivates their purchasing
decisions, and their level of brand awareness.
• Segmentation, targeting, and positioning: Select segments to
target and how best to position brands for chosen segments.
• Product decisions: Select global, adapted, or local product and
appropriate product for a specific market, from an existing set of
product offerings.
• Pricing: Set price to meet local market conditions or to maintain
multi-country pricing consistency. Determine the gray market
impact of large across-market price differences and an overall
pricing strategy.
• Advertising and promotion: Use standardized home country ads,
or create new local campaigns (cost, consumer tradeoffs).
Allocate budget across advertising and other promotional
expenditures. Differing ad and promotional objectives across
markets.
• Distribution: In addition to the mode of entry issues raised
above, decisions need to be made about the allocation of sales
force to types of accounts, implying a relative emphasis on
specific channels.
• Financial impact of each decision: Students must manage their
margins and understand the impact of fixed costs and capacity
utilization.
Country Manager
The Case
Students compete either in groups of 2-4 students or individually in this
benchmark simulation. They compete with 4 computerized competitors
(both regional and national competitors). The U.S. market has matured
and Latin America (or Asia--depending upon which region you choose
) has been identified as having the best potential for future growth by
senior management. The toothpaste brand management team must
decide which of six countries is the most attractive for their Allsmile
brand and then how to expand their presence throughout the region.
Students also have the option to source production in one of their
chosen countries. Each country has its own specific advantages and
disadvantages. Through the use of country, market, and consumer
research, students must determine the most suitable market to enter.
Country Manager
The Case
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Country Manager mini-cases were designed to
challenge your student’s critical thinking, problem solving
and analytic skills. Related to the simulation, these incidents
provide topics for in-class discussion, homework, quizzes or
even exam questions that will spur conversations about the
challenges of doing business internationally. These incidents
include:
Currency devaluation effects on transferring local profit to
headquarters in the home currency
Impact of an economic crisis on political stability, and in turn
on product demand and gross margins
How an environmental event such as an earthquake or
tsunami affects business operations and consequently costs
of doing business
Pricing challenges that occur when the costs of exported
goods increase due to uncontrollable events such as
escalating oil prices
Ethical and social responsibility issues when moving
production offshore
Each incident comes with a mini-case and an instructor’s
guide that provides solutions, discussion topics and
suggested readings. Also, an instructor’s Excel file with
solutions accompanies each incident
StratSimMarketing
Overview
Marketing strategy is at the core of all decisions made in
StratSimMarketing. It provides a dynamic learning
environment where customer needs evolve, new products are
introduced, and the economy and context change. Students
must manage short- and long-term objectives by making
integrated marketing decisions that also impact other
functional areas of the business, such as operations and
finance. Teams compete directly against each other, with the
results being dependent upon how the competitors interact,
what new products are introduced, and how these products
are supported. StratSimMarketing is built on the StratSim
methodology used by thousands of students since the mid1990s. StratSimMarketing is an excellent complement to
traditional teaching methods, allowing students to apply
marketing concepts in a dynamic, integrative environment
and to demonstrate how the marketing function impacts
financial performance.
StratSimMarketing
Objectives
Much of the complexity of the automobile industry has been
simplified to allow participants to focus their time and energy
on strategic issues. However, we've retained as much realism
as possible to make it easier to quickly understand the overall
environment. StratSimMarketing addresses the following
issues:
• Learning what it means to have a market-oriented
perspective
• Developing and implementing a profitable long-term
marketing strategy
• Identifying customer needs and creating products to
satisfy them
• Analyzing competitors and understanding their strategic
intent
• Using marketing research tools and techniques as a
source of competitive advantage
• Allocating scarce resources among products, functions,
and other investment alternatives
• Understanding the differences between consumer and
B2B buying processes (optional)
• Negotiating mutually beneficial relationships with other
firms though licensing (optional)
StratSimMarketing
The Case
Groups of 3-6 students are put in the role of a
management team that takes over one of five companies
competing in the domestic automobile industry. Some
companies are positioned as high-end niche producers
while others are more value and volume driven. Each
company begins the simulation with three vehicles and
then must decide how best to improve their firm's
performance and potentially enter new market segments
that offer opportunities for growth.
Strategy Simulations
Business
Strategy
in a Global
Environment
Introduction
to Airline
The Strategy
Simulation
with a Focus on
China
The
Marketing
Strategy
Simulation
The Strategic
Management
Simulation
Overview
Airline requires students to implement their strategy by making a
wide range of decisions in marketing, operations, management,
human resource development, finances, and asset management.
Additionally, they will encounter a series of real-life real-time
environmental incidents that include diversification, hiring practices,
safety issues, distribution channels, and more. A unique aspect of
Airline is its service context, which is very applicable to issues in
today's economy.
Airline
Airline
Objectives
Overall, Airline provides an environment for students to see how
their strategy turns out. To that end, the simulation has multiple key
objectives:
•
Learn to formulate their overall strategy: through corporate
positioning, routes to pursue, fleet acquisitions, potential entry
into cargo business.
•
Understand the importance of marketing: establish the price of
tickets, advertising, promotion, number of salespersons,
promotional fares in each market served, type of cabin (food)
service, and market research studies.
•
Utilize operations management: through the scheduling of
aircraft and number of trips in each market, maintenance level,
fuel forecasting/pricing, quality programs budget.
•
Manage human resources: through wages paid, bonus or other
incentive plans, training and development.
•
Manage the financial components: through the leasing or
purchase of new aircraft, capital acquisition through equity or
borrowed funds (short- or long-term loans), cash management
through the issuing of CDs, dividends.
•
Asset management: equipment acquisition and disposal. Firms
may choose between seven different configurations and sizes of
aircraft (actual manufacturer's specifications are given).
Airline
The Case
Groups of 2-5 students in up to 12 teams are put in the role of a
management team that takes over a regional airline with three
planes. The company currently operates in multiple cities but has
the option of expanding into new markets, including international
and resort routes. Groups must decide how best to position their
airline and develop an operational plan to support that strategy.
Airline
The Case
Incidents
he Airline simulation also comes with 14 "incidents"
(mini-cases) that challenge students to wrestle with
various behavioral elements of their business. These
include:
•
Press Release or Not?
•
Channels of Distribution
•
Competitor's Safety Problem: an ethical issue
•
Diversification--Auto Rental
•
Dual Designate
•
The Charter Trip
•
Hire Competitors' Employees
•
Hiring Decision
•
Purchasing Policies
•
Advertising Campaign
•
Air Ambulance Service
•
Flight for Congressman
•
Kickback Problem
•
Diversification Planning
Corporation
Overview
Corporation provides students the opportunity to run a multi-national
corporation overseeing three strategic business units in a dynamic and
engaging environment. They set the course for the company in areas
such as pricing policy, product/service quality, cost of leadership, as
well as the major functional areas of marketing, operations, and
finance. Twelve mini-cases (incidents) provide added discussion in
social, ethical, operational and environmental business issues that
relate to the corporation. Students are responsible for setting
measurable goals and objectives that are aligned with the vision and
mission of the organization. Corporation is an excellent complement
to traditional teaching methods, allowing students to apply business
concepts in a dynamic, integrative environment.
Objectives
Corporation
Overall, Corporation provides an environment for students to see how
their strategy turns out. To that end, the simulation has multiple key
objectives for students:
•
To learn how to operate in the global environment.
•
To allow students with different backgrounds and training to
make business decisions after considering the multidimensional
aspects of each decision.
•
To provide the opportunity for participant interaction in an
organizational teamwork.
•
To allow the player to practice his/her leadership and
interpersonal communication skills.
•
To aid in developing logical and rational decision-making skills.
•
To demonstrate the importance of management information
tools.
•
To introduce the student to the various environmental, ethical,
and social responsibility problems that may occur in a firm and
to show the consequences of their decisions.
Corporation
The Case
Corporation is a multiple business unit simulation based on a company
that provides products and services in the information systems industry.
This industry is typical of many post-industrial age businesses in that it
operates without traditional production functions. The simulation focuses
on operating one or more strategic business units or divisions that can be
bought and sold on the open market or swapped in privately negotiated
deals. Operations decisions are made for each SBU, as well as for corporate
resource acquisition and deployment, each period. Each decision may be
accompanied by a management incident that focuses on various
stakeholders of the firm. It was originally designed for a major U.S.
company to train middle managers about strategic decision-making in a
multi-unit corporation.
Corporation
The Case
Incidents
•
Corporation comes with 12 incidents that challenge
students to wrestle with various behavioral elements of
their business. These include:
•
Product and Service Standardization
•
Ethical Policies for Overseas Operations
•
Selling Excess Capacity Offshore
•
New Advertising Campaign
•
New Business Tactics
•
Outsourcing Parts/Supply Chain Policy
•
Social Responsibility
•
New Product Introduction
•
Excess Inventory
•
Overseas Assignment Policy
•
Employee Stock Program
•
Political Activity
•
These incidents all have outcomes that affect the team's
performance. They make great discussion topics in addition
to covering important aspects of managing a business.
StratSimMarketing
Objectives
Marketing strategy is at the core of all decisions made in StratSimMarketing.
It provides a dynamic learning environment where customer needs evolve,
new products are introduced, and the economy and context change.
Students must manage short- and long-term objectives by making integrated
marketing decisions that also impact other functional areas of the business,
such as operations and finance. Teams compete directly against each other,
with the results being dependent upon how the competitors interact, what
new products are introduced, and how these products are
supported. StratSimMarketing is built on the StratSim methodology used by
thousands of students since the mid-1990s. StratSimMarketing is an
excellent complement to traditional teaching methods, allowing students to
apply marketing concepts in a dynamic, integrative environment and to
demonstrate how the marketing function impacts financial performance.
StratSimMarketing
Objectives
Much of the complexity of the automobile industry has been
simplified to allow participants to focus their time and
energy on strategic issues. However, we've retained as much
realism as possible to make it easier to quickly understand
the overall environment. StratSimMarketing addresses the
following issues:
Learning what it means to have a market-oriented
perspective
Developing and implementing a profitable long-term
marketing strategy
Identifying customer needs and creating products to satisfy
them
Analyzing competitors and understanding their strategic
intent
Using marketing research tools and techniques as a source
of competitive advantage
Allocating scarce resources among products, functions, and
other investment alternatives
Understanding the differences between consumer and B2B
buying processes (optional)
Negotiating mutually beneficial relationships with other
firms though licensing (optional)
StratSimMarketing
The Case
Groups of 3-6 students are put in the role of a
management team that takes over one of five
companies competing in the domestic
automobile industry. Some companies are
positioned as high-end niche producers while
others are more value and volume driven. Each
company begins the simulation with three
vehicles and then must decide how best to
improve their firm's performance and
potentially enter new market segments that
offer opportunities for growth.
StratSimManagement
Overview
Strategic management is at the core of all decisions made in
StratSimManagement. Students start by conducting
environmental analysis before articulating the vision and
mission of the organization. They must manage short- and
long-term objectives, making integrated decisions that
impact all areas of the business. Teams compete directly
against each other with the results being dependent upon
how the competitors interact, what new products are
introduced, and how these products are supported.
StratSimManagement is built on the StratSim methodology
used by thousands of students since the mid-1990s. This
version of StratSim (StratSimManagement)--with its focus
on strategy and international business--is an excellent
complement to traditional teaching methods, allowing
students to apply strategic planning concepts in a dynamic,
integrative environment.
StratSimManagement
Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Much of the complexity of the automobile
industry has been simplified to allow
participants to focus their time and energy on
strategic issues. However, we've retained as
much realism as possible to make it easier to
quickly understand the overall environment.
StratSimManagement addresses the following
issues:
Developing a business definition and
implementing a profitable long-term business
strategy
Identifying market opportunities and creating
product/service offerings to satisfy them
Analyzing competitors and understanding their
strategic intent
Creating the corporate infrastructure necessary
to sustain growth
Allocating scarce resources among products,
functions, and other investment alternatives
Exploring the options of marketing and sourcing
internationally (optional)
StratSimManagement
The Case
•
Groups of 3-6 students are put in the role of
a management team that takes over one of
five companies competing in the domestic
automobile industry. Some companies are
positioned as high-end niche producers while
others are more value and volume driven.
Each company begins the simulation with
three vehicles and then must decide how
best to improve their performance and
potentially enter new market segments that
offer opportunities for growth. Optionally,
students may source from or enter into
international regions.
StratSimChina
Overview
StratSimChina is a strategy simulation game based on the
automobile industry that provides participants an
opportunity to experience strategy in the high-growth/highcompetition market of China. Managing a business in this
environment requires careful attention to investment, cash
flow, and rapidly changing market conditions. Students will
start by conducting environmental analysis before
articulating the vision and mission of the organization. They
must manage short- and long-term objectives, making
integrated decisions that impact all areas of the business.
Teams compete directly against each other with the results
being dependent upon how the competitors interact, what
new products are introduced, and how these products are
supported. StratSimChina is built on the StratSim
methodology used by thousands of students since the mid1990s.
StratSimChina
Objectives
• Much of the complexity of the automobile industry
has been simplified to allow participants to focus
their time and energy on strategic issues. However,
we've retained as much realism as possible to
make it easier to quickly understand the overall
environment. At its core, StratSimChina is a
simulation about strategy formulation for a
company doing business in China. Along those
lines, students will be challenge to:
• Develop a business definition and implement a
profitable long-term business strategy in a rapidly
developing and highly competitive industry
environment
• Identify market opportunities and create
product/service offerings to satisfy them through
new product offerings or upgrades to existing
product lines
• Develop the corporate infrastructure necessary to
sustain growth
• Allocate scarce resources among products,
functions, and other investment alternatives
StratSimChina
The case
Student teams play the role of a management team
competing in the Chinese automobile industry. They are
one of six firms per industry, each company having a
unique position and product offering. Some companies are
positioned as high-end producers, while others are more
value and volume driven. Each company begins the
simulation with two vehicles and then must decide how
best to improve their performance and potentially enter
new market segments that offer opportunities for growth.
Revenues are generated through the sales of cars and
trucks to automobile dealers in the StratSim world.
Additional revenues are possible through direct sales to
fleet buyers. To read the full copy of the case for the
simulation