Game: Venture Strategy, Strategy and Business Policy, or Conscious Capitalism
This deep dive into business management is a substantial step up on the Chocolate and
Business and Strategy simulations. It will reinforce the concepts, principles, tools, and
ways of thinking introduced in the previous simulations but with greater depth and
cross functional integration. Additional differentiators are the need to: 1) develop a
viable business plan with tactical details; 2) pitch the plan to outside investors to raise
needed capital; 3) execute the plan even while being challenged by live competitors and
surprising customers; and 4) report to investors on the plan’s execution and outcomes,
including taking responsibility for same. If possible, learners will work on a team where
interpersonal, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills will be required, and
developed.
Furthermore, learners will be assessed on their situational awareness. Business leaders
need strong situational awareness to make well-reasoned decisions. Specifically,
learners will be tested on their:
- Knowledge of the firm’s operations, market, and competition
- Integration skills – knowledge of all functions
- Ability to use of the tools of management to draw important conclusions
- Awareness of the firm’s strengths and weaknesses
- Ability to anticipate competitor moves and one’s own position in the future
This assessment will enable the learner to understand how well prepared they are to
manage a business and what skills they need to become better-informed leaders.
Like the Career Readiness Report, the Situational Awareness Assessment can be fed into
an AI Career Adviser for a special personal development plan on how to improve and
take advantage one’s situational awareness.
As a result of this training in business management, funding, and situational awareness,
learners will essentially complete a Compact MBA. They should develop sufficient
breadth and depth to take on leadership responsibilities within a department, and
potentially across departments.
Duration:
Working on a team
In-person – 3 consecutive days, 8 hours per day – 24 hours in total
Online – 4 weekend days, 6 hours per day – 24 hours in total
Working alone
A learner could tackle this program entirely on their own.
Online – 5 weekend days, 6 hours per day – 30 hours in total
Start date: April 8. There will be a short introduction to the simulation of choice at 7:30
am, New York time. Then players will work on a team or on their own to complete the
work over the next three or four weeks.
Check in: April 15. There will be a one-hour check in to review progress, problems,
questions, and plans regarding the business’ development, starting at 7:30 am, New
York time. After the check-in (about 8:30 am), we will review the work expected for the
venture capital fair, business plan, tactical plan, financial projections, and investment
negotiations. Candidates should have completed the first three quarters of play by this
time.
Venture Capital Fair: April 22. There will be a 15-minute presentation by the player(s)
regarding the firm’s business plan and financial request followed by 15 minutes of
negotiations regarding a potential investment. Finally, there will be 15 minutes of
feedback on the proposal, presentation, and negotiations. The VC Fair will start at 7:30
am, New York time. Candidates will be expected to wrap up their fourth quarter of plays
on April 15.
Situational Awareness Assessment: The situational awareness assessment will be
administered at the end of the 5 th quarter of play. The date and time will be determined
the learner and when they are about to submit quarter 5 decisions. The assessment will
take 40 minutes to complete. They will receive their report at the start of quarter 6
along with career recommendations from the AI Coach.
Wrap up: April 29. The learner will conduct a 15-minute, comprehensive review of their
firm’s performance during the last three quarters of play, including lessons learned. The
review will start at 7:30 am, New York time. Candidates should have completed the last
two quarters of the simulation by this time.