Simulation Walk Through Seeing how a simulation could work on your course

The Distribution Challenge This simulation is one of a family of simulations to help develop business acumen, financial knowledge and how a company functions. It involves several teams of four or five people running their own company in direct competition over a day.

The Day Initial briefing (15 minutes) Prepare to run the company (75 minutes) Run the companies for six simulated years (6 hours) Compare and discuss (45 minutes)

The Briefing The group as a whole are briefed about the simulation from customisable slides.

Break into teams The group is split into two to eight teams of four or five people each to run their own company in separate breakout rooms. And, prepare and familiarise using the written brief What should our strategy be? What are our success criteria? How should we organise?

Preparing the Simulator Now (while the teams are start working) or earlier, the trainer can get ready by: –Enabling the full version –Setting up the group –Choosing version –Entering number of teams

Participants’ Manual Consisting of: –Description of the Task –Business Information –What Decisions are made –What Results are produced –Four Quarters’ History But short (8 pages)

Can anyone write? Make Decisions Teams write their decisions on a form and submit this to the trainer. Decision Explanations Decision cover whole business but limited number Name to identify

Just before the deadline for decision submission the trainer initialises the process by: –Choose Enter Decisions & Simulate from Main Menu –Review Period Advice –Decide Printing (normally print after simulation) –Get to Decision Entry Menu The Decision Cycle

Decision Entry Enter Team Name (Period 1 only) Enter Decisions in a Template Simulator Comments on Illegal, Unusual and Sophistic Decisions. Print Decisions to return to Team Return to Decision Options Menu to enter other teams or simulate. Fast and Right

Simulation and Results Simulation takes seconds and the results are automatically printed thus: Team Results –Preliminary Results –Full Company Results –Business Research Results for the Trainer –Tutor’s Audit –Team Commentary

Preliminary Results Let’s work on this

Full Results These reports are produced automatically Is this what we expected?

Business Research A copy of this is produced for each team thus: Revenue Research News Flashes Key Results Yes, Yes, Yes!

Tutor’s Audit This allows the trainer to compare, contrast and analyse team decisions and results. The Tutor’s Audit consists of: –A Standard Audit (automatically printed) –A General Audit (ad-hoc information) –A Review Summary (for the ending discussion) Who to coach and challenge?

Team Commentaries This group of reports replicates some of the Tutor’s Audit but on an individual team basis. Additionally, it includes textual comments on a team’s strengths and weaknesses. As for the Tutor’s Audit there is a group of Standard reports that are automatically printed to record progress plus several reports that are accessed on an ad hoc basis. NADS needs looking at.

Reconciliations These reports are to help the trainer answer questions authoritatively and quickly by detailing how operating and financial results were calculated. How were Additional Expenses calculated?

Continue for several years Lets not worry Are we on plan? Do we have a plan?

Prepare for Review Teams prepare a short presentation about Objectives, Strategies, Process, the Future and the Future. The Trainer prepares using the Tutor’s Audit Review Summary to identify where teams are strong and weak (finding strengths and weaknesses for all teams and (optionally) chooses a winner. After 6 or so years

The Review This ensures that the learning is embedded and transferred to work by: –Teams each making a short presentation. –The trainer discussing issues and using the Summary Review

Master Menu The Master Menu allows you to perform less routine tasks.

Documentation Besides the customisable documents already discussed –Briefing Slides –Participants’ Manual –Decision Form –Work Sheets You can download –Background Notes –Reporting Pack –Using the Simulator –Running the Simulation

Overview The simulator was designed taking into account running simulations over two thousand times and this ensures easy, robust and speedy use. The extensive use of the simulation coupled with it’s Tutor Support system ensures that it delivers learning reliably. Help and advice is always available ((from Distribution Challenge can be easily and inexpensively customised further. Distribution Challenge is one of a series of simulations covering all industries.

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