Foundation Challenge Computer Business Simulation for business & management training

This page provides resources to allow you to evaluate the Foundation Challenge simulation. It allows you to download copies of the documentation, sample printouts and an evaluation copy of the simulation.

FOUNDATION CHALLENGE addresses the issues facing the management of non-profit organisations such as charities, universities, schools & colleges etc. Participants are faced with having to obtain and distribute funds so as to provide the greatest benefit. This will involve them funding and resourcing several initiatives that benefit several groups of people. The foundation's purpose is to support and encourage the entrepreneurial, wealth creation sections of the economy through supporting and managing several initiatives. These are encouraging pupils to take up a career in industry, encouraging minorities to start their own business, providing training and consultancy support for small businesses and, possibly, providing incubator units for business start-ups.

DURATION: Approximately one day (although they can be run, in an accelerated manner, in half a day).

TARGET AUDIENCE: The simulation is designed to be used by trainees, junior management to middle management, functional specialists and supervisors. Or, abbreviated or with additional tasks, with senior management.

METHOD: After a short briefing the training group is divided into several teams of four or five participants. These teams consider the problem facing them and then make a series of decisions that are fed, by the tutor, into a microcomputer that simulates their effect. The results are returned for the team to analyse before making their next decisions. This decision-making cycle is repeated for at least six periods. At the end of the simulation phase the teams reunite to discuss and compare results.

AVAILABILITY: This simulation is available off-the-shelf and a comprehensive Trainer's Pack is provided allowing trainers with little or no experience with simulations to run the simulations.

KEY LEARNING

The simulation involves running a complete not-for-profit organisation with decisions covering marketing the foundation to its beneficiaries and to sources of funds (corporate sponsorship and government), resourcing the initiatives (in terms of advisers and administration) and considering the implications of extending the range of initiatives to include constructing incubator units for business startups.

During the simulation, participants will be concerned with creating an organisation that supports and encourages entrepreneurial activity (the foundation's aims) and must decide how this can be measured. They will develop an understanding of purpose, how this is influenced by the decisions and how the objectives and measures interact.

Participants without management experience may be especially challenged by the need to deal with ambiguity and make decisions without perfect information and, where, some information is provided as qualitative comments about the business.

The simulation introduces participants to financial fundamentals (costing, income statement, cash flow and financial measures of effectiveness and efficiency) and the management of financial resources (the foundation's endowment and the flows of funds from the corporate sector, the government and, possibly, from the beneficiaries. (The Classic version of the simulation allows for teams to decide to construct incubator units and receive rental income from these. The Progressive and Compleat version of the simulation allows the participants to make a charge for the other initiatives.

Optionally, using the work sheets provided, participants can test their understanding by, manually, preparing the financial reports.

Reflecting the fact that the Foundation must obtain a steam of outside funds and to fulfill its purpose make sure that beneficiaries are aware of the Foundation and it initiatives, the participants must expend effort to market the Foundation.

Optionally, using the tutor's audit, the trainer running the simulation can provide market research to help teams identify the responses of the markets to their decisions.

Although only providing four types of initiatives (school conferences, minority events, training courses and business consultancy), each of these differ in terms of type of beneficiary, the numbers who might benefit and costs and resourcing needs. Thus participants must decide and monitor continuously how these contribute to purpose.

With decisions covering changing hiring and firing staff (marketing, advisers and administration staff) participants must forecast needs and match this to staff levels. This must take into account the uncertainties of the impact of marketing effort, actions of beneficiaries and the dynamics of changing needs. Additionally, participants must handle staff turnover and, in the case of the advisers (the people who deliver the initiatives), morale.

With participants working in small teams, they have the opportunity to share experience and knowledge, present and promote different viewpoints, and develop their people skills.

Optionally, at the end of the simulation, teams can be asked for make a formal presentation for the Foundation's board covering objectives, strategies, process, the future (of the simulated foundation) and learning.

Documentation is provided separately for the UK and US Versions MS Word format and comprises:

A Participants' Manual that provides, for the participants. a description of the simulation, a description of their task and how to use the software.

The Decision Forms are the forms used to communicate a team's decisions to the trainer.

Using the Simulator provides, for the trainer (and computer support staff), information about installing the simulation and the use of the software.

Running the Simulation provides, for the trainer, information about running the simulation.

Briefing is a MS Power Point briefing explaining the simulation to the participants. (You may find it useful if you review this before reading the briefs.)

	UK Versions	US Versions
Participants' Manual
Background Notes
Decision Forms
Using the Simulator
Running the Simulation
Briefing

This is provided to allow you to download an evaluation version of the Foundation Challenge simulation. Before you do this you must have two blank formatted floppy discs available (labeled Disc 1 and Disc 2). Also be advised that the Cab files will take some time to down load.

The table below shows the files to download, their description, size and the floppy disc to save to. Once all files are downloaded, place Disc 1 in your floppy drive. Click Start and then Run and enter A:\setup.exe. The program will then install.

If, instead of installing from the Web, you are installing from the CD-ROM version of this resource you can install directly by clicking setup.exe and opening the file.

File	Description	Size	Disc
setup.exe	Installation Program	137 Kbytes	1
Setup.lst	Installation Data	5 Kbytes	1
Found1.cab	Simulator Files (1)	1,283 Kbytes	1
Found2.cab	Simulator Files (2)	1,020 Kbytes	2

Most recent update: 05/09/08
Hall Marketing, Studio 11, Colman's Wharf, 45 Morris Road, London E14 6PA, ENGLAND
Phone & Fax +44 (0)20 7537 2982 E-mail jeremyhall@simulations.co.uk