Our Simulations and Industries

Non-industry Specific

Managing Business Today 1
This simulation was designed for management of a manufacturing operation, to create an understanding of how they can influence the financial performance of their company.

Managing Business Today 2
This simulation is similar to the above, with the difference being that it is designed to be run over a much shorter period, ideally two days in duration.

Managing Business Today 3
This simulation is similar to managing business today, but has been custom designed for a fmcg client and includes additional complexities, such as producing various variants of products.

Running Business Today
This simulation was designed for non-management staff to create an understanding of the daily business activities and issues of a manufacturing operation.

Finance for Non-Financial Mangers
Designed for all levels of management to improve their contribution to the financial performance of the business as well as achieve individual goals. The program takes the mystery out of finance and helps managers to understand the many inter-relationships that exist within a business and to identify and evaluate the many trade-offs involved. Finance for Non-Financial Managers enables managers to discover how they personally can influence the performance of the business through their everyday activities and decisions they make. This understanding helps managers transcend traditional notions about functional barriers and ultimately leads to improved decision making and problem solving, and therefore improved company performance.

Professional Services Today
This simulation has two similar but distinct applications. The one is an application for the staff of a professional skills organization, and the other an application for the staff of a Head Office of a large organization. Professional Services Today enables managers to discover how they personally can influence the performance of the business through their everyday activities and decisions they make. This understanding helps managers transcend traditional notions about functional barriers and ultimately leads to improved decision making and problem solving, and therefore improved company performance.

Depot Operations Today
Is a simulation designed for the carbonated soft drink industry and it focusses on a decentralised warehousing and distribution. Decisions need to be made around strategic people resourcing, S.H.E.Q, the balance between excellent customer service and optimal investment in delivery capacity. Teams need to deal with the logistics involved with receiving products in bulk, and splitting these per customer as well as the management of returnable containers. This simulation needs updating and currency calibration.

Finance 4 Channel/Account Managers
This simulation represented the Business Acumen module of a South African company involved in soft drinks and beer. Teams play the role of a regional sales manager and have to manage not only the resources of product, trade spend, activation, merchandising, shelf space, and also the human resource of their sales teams. Successful businesses would need to install coolers and manage returnable containers as well as managing the customers TSP (tailored service package). Teams then to experience financial consequences of all of these decisions.

Owner Driver Today
The simulation allows teams of owner-drivers to discover (and therefore believe) the very real consequences of right and wrong decisions and practices in running their vehicles. During the simulation, owner drivers deal with issues such as contract fees, load planning, trip sheets, traffic control, owner drawings, paying expenses, etc. At the end of each business cycle teams complete their own financial statements and analyse the consequences of their decisions.

Profit Story / Trade Maths
The simulation gives the delegates an understanding of the critical aspects in the success of their customer’s business, and how they as Sales people can have a positive impact on the customer’s business success. The simulation involves teams of delegates “managing an average sized outlet” in competition with the other teams in the room.  The outlet stocks 5 different product categories, Bakery, Dairy, Take Home, Immediate Consumption, and Competitor Immediate Consumption.  The teams manage their businesses by following a realistic business process which includes, stock ordering, pricing, paying expenses, collecting money, and negotiating with the owner regarding equipment and placement in the outlet of that equipment.

Sales Reality Modelling
A unique method of training people in human and technical skills, through recreating a blend of workplace realities and allowing delegates to experience, evaluate and deal with those realities in a simulated, competitive but always realistic way. Teams of 3-4 people are given a variety of REAL workplace stimuli which they have to analyse and prepare for a sales call. They make this sales call using role play with an in-company subject matter expert (e.g. A REAL Sales Manager or customer), and are scored on various dimensions of selling, which may range from interpersonal skills, through technical selling abilities to product knowledge.

Consumer Marketing Today
This simulation was designed for management staff of a FMCG business, and deals with issues such as supply chain management seeking potential growth areas, product positioning and marketing.

Distribution Business Today
This simulation was designed for non-management staff to improve their contribution to the performance of a distribution centre. It focuses on the distribution issues in a FMCG manufacturing business, such as customer service, stock levels and mix. Delegates experience a bigger picture of a value chain and the cross-functional inter dependencies that exist as well as many other key learning outcomes.

Business Acumen Today (simplified FST)
Participants gain a greater understanding of their real business and an appreciation of how their individual efforts contribute towards the overall success of their organization. The Business Acumen Today simulation allows various strategic and operational business decisions, such as how big an operation they want to manage, which customer segments to target, their desired product mix, optimal procurement, how many employees should be hired/trained, and what margin they need to achieve to cover costs.  Also, Working Capital management, Cash Flow and more customer understanding and accurate forecasting, are key learnings.

Distributor Business Today
This is a board-based, computer assisted simulation designed to provide business insights to your employees. This simulation enables managers and employees to discover how they personally can influence the performance of the business through their everyday activities and decisions. This simulation was designed for Participants are assigned teams, which manage their own company, and compete with other teams for market share and to produce the best company results. Following a realistic business process participants make all the decisions which they would typically confront during business operations, such as; deciding on the quantity of stock orders, making marketing decisions, planning and pricing, sales strategies, collecting money and paying expenses. Teams run a number of business cycles during which financial statements are completed and various analyses are undertaken.

Integrated Risk Management
“What is our marketing risk if we implement this policy?” Delegates during the Strategic Risk Management Today simulation evaluate the probability and consequences of various risks. In an ever more demanding and volatile business environment, there is increased accountability for prudent management of resources, and this increasingly requires that line management is able to integrate sound risk management techniques into their financial, marketing, human-resource and supply chain decision-making.

Introduction to Finance (1 day MBT)
This simulation was designed for delegates to get a better understanding of the operations and key issues involved in running a manufacturing/selling/distribution business. The simulation exposes learners to the financial consequences of their workplace decisions in today’s competitive marketplace, and introduces them to the financial statements of your company.

Managing Credit Risk
“What level of financial loss can our business afford to be exposed to?”
During the Managing Credit Risk Todaysimulation delegates evaluate the probability and consequences of various risks.

Delegates during the Managing Credit Risk Todaysimulation evaluating the probability and consequences of various risks. In an ever more chaotic business environment there is increased accountability for prudent management of resources, and this increasingly requires that line management is able to integrate sound risk management techniques into their financial, marketing, human-resource and supply chain decision-making.

Customer Service Today
This program was designed for all staff of an agricultural co-operative business to enable them to understand how customer service impacts directly on the bottom-line. The program utilizes stimulus driven learning technology. It allows staff to understand the impact that customer service has on the business as a whole, and how their direct service actions impact on the bottom line.

Running a Successful Business Today
Designed to give delegates an understanding of the operations and key issues involved in running a small or medium size business. The experience exposes learners to the financial realities of operating a small business in today’s highly competitive market, and introduces them to the actions necessary to ensure the success of a small business.

Materials Management Today
A board-based business simulation, designed for management staff, which focuses on the materials management aspect of business. The simulation gives participants a broad view of the critical determinants in the successful management of materials supply chain in any business. The simulation involves teams of participants “running their own business” in competition with other teams in the room. Each team manages their own business by following a credible business process, and makes a number of decisions involved in the operation of their business, such as analysing different commodities and suppliers, assessing supplier risk and supplier reliability,  negotiating with suppliers, sourcing materials, producing products, selling to and supplying customers.

Retail Business Today
A board-based simulation which enables managers and staff to improve their contribution to the financial performance of the business as well as achieve individual goals. The program takes the mystery out of finance and helps employees to understand the many inter-relationships that exist within a business and to identify and evaluate the many trade-offs involved. The simulation involves teams of participants who manage their own generic retail company, and compete with other teams for market share. Following a realistic business process, participants make all the decisions involved in their operations, such as investing in market research, ordering stock for the forthcoming season, deciding on staff levels, managing debtors and creditors, investing in new stores, deciding on sales promotions, determining pricing, and deciding on clearance sales. Teams run a number of business cycles, and after each cycle they draft and analyse the financial records of their business.

The Finance of Sales Today
A one or two day board-based business simulation designed for sales people. The simulation gives participants a deep level of understanding of the critical determinants in the success of your business, and how they as the sales force can contribute to this success. Why teach finance to sales people? Their job is to sell and we therefore need to train sales skills. Until they develop a deep understanding of and belief in the consequences of pricing versus volume and of why selling the right mix is crucial, their skill in selling may well be misdirected or underutilised.

Today’s Entrepreneur
this simulation was designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and anyone who requires exposure to the critical issues involved in operating a successful small business. The simulation focuses on business plans, marketing, record keeping, staff mix and staff time, and using financial statements as management tools.

Bearings Distribution Today
This simulation allowed teams to manage a range of industrial products – (eg. bearings, sprockets, chains) in a highly competitive environment. The learning was centered on the maximization of net sales (volume, mix, discount) and expense management (eg. Staff, travel, stock obsolescence) all the while managing superior customer service.