WAYS OF USING SIMULATION ...... This page provides links between learning and management training needs and the way computer simulation has been used to address these. So, it links symptoms to solutions in the virtual world of simulation. It allows you to explore the anatomy of simulation use!!

This page provides links between common management development and business training needs and the way they can be addressed by computer simulation. To use click on the phrase that describes your development need and you will be directed to greater information about it and links to suitable simulations and ways of using them. If your need is not listed, do not dispare, we can probably find the solution.

Using on general management courses ......

Using on financial appreciation courses ......

Using on marketing management courses ......

Using for sales courses ......

Using for operations management ......

Using for assessment ......

Using for team building and motivation ......

Using for customer and community relations ......

Using for design & engineering management ......

....... to explore the strategic management of a high technology business.

....... to provide an overview of business for specialists and supervisors.

....... to extend learning half-life.

....... to integrate and reinforce a middle management course and end on a high point.

....... to understand the issues facing the business and the industry as a whole.

....... to appreciate the functional interactions and flows in a business.

....... to run a group of Casinos.

....... to explore finance and the link between it and management in a fun way.

....... to explore the business budgetary control process.

....... to create basic financial understanding.

....... to reinforce and challenge financial understanding.

....... to link marketing strategy to the financial consequences.

....... to provide a suitable end to a introduction to marketing course.

....... to link marketing strategy to the financial consequences.

....... to explore market management in an industrialising nation.

....... to explore the product life cycle, marketing strategy and financial outcomes.

....... to get our sales force to think beyond getting the order

....... to get our business advisers to think how they allocate time to customers.

....... to ensure a negotiation role-play lead to win-win financially viable agreements.

....... to get the sales force to get to know head office support staff.

....... to get the sales force to understand the issues and problems facing the customer.

....... to get regional sales managers to appreciate the need for good forecasting.

....... to get sales managers and directors to run a virtual region

....... to build commercial awareness of people bidding for business

....... to immerse managers in an engineering project.

....... to challenge British manufacturing management.

....... to reinforce and test past learning and identify future needs.

....... to assess high flying managers for senior general management roles.

....... to assess knowledge at the start of a training course.

....... to assess prospective employees.

....... to start a training course with a bang!

....... to provide a fun business focused activity at a business conference.

....... to explore the team working process

....... to provide a business oriented theme to a team working programme.

....... to build cross functional relationships and understanding.

....... to get the sales force to get to know head office support staff.

....... to enthuse children about a career in industry.

....... to help promote a product to successful business people.

....... to enthuse undergraduates students about the company and assess them!

....... to build the relationship with the customers.

....... to provide a business game that lasts two minutes.

....... to provide a link between research and development and commerce and commercial success.

....... to explore the development process and timely & appropriate product development.

A large high technology multinational wanted a simulation for a group of middle managers to explore the issues facing a high technology company (market assessment and segmentation, product development strategy, operations and financial strategy, short life cycles and product obsolecence, etc.). We developed our Technique simulation. However, this is only one of the simulations in our Strategy Series that are designed to explore the strategic issues facing the middle and senior management of different industries.

This is a common need where you wish even relatively junior staff to understand business, appreciate how the functions interact, see the issues relating to marketing the product, forecasting demand and resourcing it and understand some basic finance and measures of business success. Our Challenge Series provide for this with simulations addressing the issues facing different types of business (manufacturing, retail, service, distribution and even the casino industry). These simulations may be used as part of a course, as a stand-alone event or at a company conference.

We forget. So, to protect the expensive and important learning on those management courses, clients use our simulations either as stand-alone events or a simulation run over an extended period in the participants' spare time to refresh learning.

Typically, general management courses - both introductory and for middle management - consist of several sessions each addressing a different business subject and run by a different person. On many occasions we have provided simulations to integrate and reinforce learning at the end of a course. Additionally, the simulation provides an enjoyable memorable highlight!

A large financial institution wanted a simulation for a group of managers to explore the issues facing them in after a major reorganisation. Besides these strategic issues, the client wanted the simulation to be used by a reasonably large number of people in a way that did not take them off the job. We developed our Finesse simulation and this was run as an in-house management contest with decisions being made after work once every two weeks of so. However, in the context of an in-house contest, this is only one of the simulations that can be used in this way.

The client wanted to get into the nitty gritties of business - how sales, production purchasing and finance interact in terms of the flows of materials, money and information. Our UMIX simulation addresses these tactical management issues in more detail than our Challenge Series (although both are appropriate for business appreciation seminars and courses).

The client (a major training provider) was contracted to run a series of course for the managers of a group of Casinos. Because of their experience with our Service Challenge simulation, they came to us to create a custom simulation. Using the Service Challenge as the basis for the new simulation, we developed the Casino Challenge in a few days. (Having developed more than fifty simulations over the last thirty year we have the capability of producing a simulation to fit any need in a remarkably short time.)

The client wanted a session on finance on a general management course that did not consist of boring lectures. The solution was to run two simulations (Product Launch and Financial Analysis) with a short introduction between the two and some pre-reading.

The client wanted a break in the middle of a financial appreciation course. A break where the participants could explore, practically, forecasting, creating a budgetary plan and then implementing it. All was done in half a day using our Operations Simulation.

Many finance trainers use our simulations as a theme on financial appreciation courses and our Challenge Series of simulations provide an ideal solution. Besides conventionally presenting Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow, there are optional reports that look at the busines on a cost, profit and investment center basis. Aditionally, there are work sheets that parallel the computer generated results that can be used for the participants to manually create basic financial reports.

Because of their nature and our design philosophy¹, all our simulations have a financial thread and so can be used to reinforce and challenge financial understanding. (¹When we design a simulation we attempt to include basic finance - that is to say financial ideas that a knowledge of which will benefit the average manager.)

A major course provider, having used one of our simulations for several years, wanted a new simulation that emphasised all elements of the marketing mix (price, promotion, product, 'place and research) and how these influenced business success. We developed SMART for them - a day and a half strategy simulation.

The need was a session on a marketing strategy course that covered finance and the impact of marketing strategy on it. We provided a simulation (Market Strategy) that involved creating a marketing plan involving all elements of the marketing mix and how these impacted long and short-term profitability, growth and financial risk.

The client need a simulation that addressed some of the issues associated with FMCG markets in an industrialising nation that was to be used in an international management contest in the Arabian Gulf. We developed INTEX that involved participants in widening product range, adding locally manufactured products to the current imported range, and replacing expatriate managers with locals.

Regularly, as part of sales and marketing courses, trainers have required a short simulation to provide a break from formal teaching and reinforce learning in a practical manner. Our Concepts Series have several simulations that address this need. One of which is the Product Launch simulation that lasts just two hours and involves participants launching a new product, building sales and then fighting off (computer generated) competition. Provided the team is not bankrupted, it is possible to make a cumulative profit of a million before the product reaches the end of its life cycle.

Commonly, either as stand alone activities, on sales training courses or at sales conferences, there is the need to get sales people to think beyond the order - about the impact on profitability and on the rest of the business. Three of our simulations in the Concepts Series (Product Launch, Sales Calls & Sales Mix) provide for this. Additionally, on two occasions we have developed special simulations to make sales people and agents to think about the effect of their actions on the supply chain.

The key resource that sales people manage is their time. Besides our Sales Calls simulation that involves participants deciding calling frequency and then seeing the results in terms of revenue, profit and return on a customer basis, we have just developed a new simulation (Business Focus) where participants allocate their time to different product groups, growing sales to existing customers, prospecting for new customers and researching the market.

In the real world it is generally accepted that a successful negotiation will result in a financially sound win-win agreement. Unfortunately, the role-play sales negotiation often degenerates into an attempt to win at the other party's expense and to ensure this the "financials" are invented. We have found that providing both parties with their own financial planning model not only can the financial consequences of the negotiation can be realistic but, almost always, the negotiation leads to a win-win situation.

Sales forces spend most of their time away from the office using phone and e-mail to keep in touch. They have to rely on head office (the sales office, the factory, distribution etc) to service their customers. On many occasions at sales and business conferences we have provided a simulation to enable mixed groups to get to know each other.

The client wished its sales force to understand the problems and issues faced by their customers and so better provide solutions. Although we did not have a simulation that exactly matched their needs one of our Challenge Series met most of their needs. Within a few days we had recalibrated the simulation, added additional decisions and reports, piloted the simulation and trained the client staff to run it and and they had started the roll out across the USA.

We were asked by a major training provider to provide a simulation that was to be used to give the regional sales managers and directors of a major computer company an overview of forecasting and the impact that it had on operations and costs.

Here the need is to challenge sales managers and directors ability of manage a complete sales region - hiring, deploying and developing sales people and measuring sales and financial performance. Our SMITE simulation provides for this - but be warned it is a tough two days.

The client wished all the people involved in a project from initiation to completion to be involved in a week long practical activity. Starting at project definition the Protest simulation took participants through negotiation with the client, project planning and budgeting to the stage by stage implementation. Uniquely, to replicate the problems of management, the implementation phases were run in real time.

A major manufacturing industry magazine wished to challenge the business acumen of its readers. We developed and ran our Teamskill simulation. Following the success of this, other magazines in the group repeated the activity with a contest for industrial buyers and a contest for engineering managers.

Following a series of short seminars and distance learning activities, the trainer ran a simulation as a stand alone seminar to reinforce and test the financial, marketing, team working etc. sections of the training programme. Also, the activity was used to raise issues about future training needs.

Since our earliest days in the 1970s, our simulations have been used as part of assessment & development centres. Here they provide a simulated business environment that must be managed and where the assessees can be seen doing a real job.

The trainer running an "Advanced Finance for non-financial managers" was faced with the problems that the delegates had a wide range of knowledge and he needed a way of assessing this so he could adjust course content, identify the participants that would need remedial help and those he could rely on to help the others. During the first half day of the course, he used our Finanacial Analysis simulation to assess starting knowledge and revue past knowledge.

A common use is where the trainer uses a short simulation (such as one from our Concepts Series) early on in the course to enthuse the delegates and to build relationships.

Regularly we are asked to provide a conference business game to provide a competitive activity. We can run such business games for any number of teams and in any location (although we prefer exotic, sunny locations and this is often reflected in our prices).

We wanted to create a simulation that replicated the objectives of team working exercises such as desert survival. To do this we developed the Sales Mix simulation. Here, each participant is given a role (with authroties and responsibilities). Initially, the simulation does not emphasise these and, as a result, the team works as a warm, fuzzy group. However, then the simulation identifies and highlights where individuals are missing their targets. Usually, this leads to conflict but, the decisions were chosen so that, for individuals to meet their targets, they have to collaborate.

The trainer wanted to compliment outdoor team building activities with a simulation that addressed the business issues facing the his client's organisation. The simulation was spread through the course at times where it was not appropriate to work outdoors.

The client ran a contest for managers that involved them running a simulated business where decisions were made in the participant's spare time (after work). The nature of the simulation meant that each team required people from several functions. Besides having fun and learning about business, the teams felt that a major benefit was the fact that they were able to build cross functional relationships.

Each year we are involved with a sixth-form conference designed to persuade students to take up a career in industry (rather than the professions or other no-wealth generating activities). The simulation is spread over a day and a half interspersed with other sessions that explore careers in industry. The simulation is a slightly simplified version of our Executive Challenge simulation and all the work done processing the decisions is done by students. (I just choose the winner and get the plaudits!!)

Several of our simulations have been used by Benson & Hedges in the Arabian Gulf to promote their cigarette as the one for successful business people. Not only were the simulations were used as part of a fun contest but was seen by the participants and others as a very useful learning activity. Note worthy is the fact that each year the contest was run it obtained some eleven thousand centimeters of editorial coverage.

The client ran a series of seminars for undergradates just before they completed the degree course. The graduates (from engineering and design courses) met with senior managers, attended sessions describing the company and played a business game. Sitting in with each team was a person from the company to mentor them and observe!

The client had us develop a special simulation for use at their customers' trade body's conference. It addressed the issues faced by the customers and provided an enjoyable part of the conference. In doing so it helped developed the relationship.

When we were first asked the provide a two minute business game for use on a stand at an exhibition our first response was impossible. However, it was too much of a challenge to resist and we developed Executive Ladders. Modelled on snakes and ladders, the game involved moving up a board on the screen responding to opportunities to bid for new business and rebid for existing business.

The client (a large training provider) was contracted to run a series of course for the research and development managers of a large multi-national. The course director came to us and we took our Management Challenge simulation and added a series of decisions that simulated the effect of R & D on product performance, quality, warrantee and operating costs. This provided the links that showed how R & D helped in the marketplace and improved manufacturing performance. The resulting simulation was RESERVE.

The client (a major bank) asked us to develop a simulation that linked the design process to market needs. As a result we developed a simulation that included decisions affecting not just product design but also improving the product development process (addressing issues such as developing reusability for a product group, improving the capability of developing complex products, improving the general product development process, general capability improvement, improving the reliability of the development and, where several teams of designers are involved, improving inter-team communication). A simplification is available as our Design Management simulation (one of the Concepts Series).

The client (a major engineering design company) wanted to develop it's management's understanding of the commercial aspects of searching for business and then take them through a stage-gate process. With the overall objective of winning profitable business. In response we developed the Prospector Simulation.