Transcript Slide 1

Business Strategy Game Simulation
The Business Strategy Game is the most widely played computer simulation in
the strategic management market and is used in business schools all across the
world. The industry's product is athletic footwear and the geographic scope of the
market is global.
Each company in the industry is managed by a team of students/players who
must match their strategic wits against the other company strategic wits against
the other company teams-competition is head-to-head.
The company that players manage has plants to operate, a work force to
compensate, distribution expenses and inventories to control, capital expenditure
decisions to make, marketing and sales campaigns to wage, a website to
operate, sales forecasts to consider, and ups and downs in exchange rates,
interest rates, and the stock market to take into account.
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Decisions
 Operation Decisions
Product Quality and Price
Material Prices
Labour Productivity
Reject Rate
 Plant Decisions
Plant construction, Purchase, Sale, Shutdown
Expansion
Automation Options
 Marketing Decisions
Private Label Markets
Branded Markets
Service Rating
Sales Forecast
Annual Advertising
Number of models
Product Image
Number of Retail Outlets
 Financial Decisions
Financial Strategy
Short-term loans
Bonds
Common Stock
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FlexWear Decision Mistakes
 Operation Decisions
Good service rating: 100 (50 is considered satisfactory) at the beginning
Stock outs and inadequate delivery times drove service rating for 2 years to 0
Steady declining productivity
- Layoffs of workers
- Cutting the costs on salaries
- Insufficient investment in improving production methods and plant upgrades
 Plant Decisions
Opening new plant in North America and investing USD 11 650 000 at Y10
2 Years plan to shift production capabilities to cheaper geographic areas: Asia, Latin America
completed in Y14
- Gradually cutting production
- Layoff personnel in North America and hiring personnel in Asia and Latin America
Shutdown of North American plant at Y14
Failing to arrange financial resources for productivity upgrade investments in the new plant
Selling 1 000 000 capacity units to competitors in Y20 in its efforts to rearrange its financial
resources and getting back its competitiveness.
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Distribution of FlexWear’s retailers by regions
FlexWear Decision Mistakes
6000
5000
US
4000
 Marketing Decisions
Highest number of megastores – 13 in Y11
Asia
3000
Europe
2000
LA
1000
0
Y11 Y12 Y13 Y14 Y15 Y16 Y17 Y18 Y19 Y20
Focusing on private label market
- Didn’t justify the expectations for market leadership because of:
+ Low profit margins
+ Requires lowest prices and satisfactory quality
- Ignoring branded wholesale market and the highest profit margins
+ Inadequate retailers’ service (stock outs, inadequate delivery times)
+ Decreasing the number of retailers
Relying only on megastores for product placement
Decreasing the number of retailers by 12 times – lowest number of outlets in the industry
Entering the Asian and Latin American branded markets by Y19
Increasing retailers by 12 times in Y19
 External Factors
Unfair trade practices
Subsidizing of competitors by the government made company unable to produce at costs lower
than its competitors and forced it to sale its production at a loss.
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FlexWear Strategy Goals Mistakes
 Lack of clear strategic vision for market development according to
its requirements
Private Label Market
Branded Wholesale Market
Internet Market
 Inadequate Production Facilities Investments
North America
Asia and Latin America
 Established Inadequate Key Success Factors
High quality image
Service Level
Productivity
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FlexWear’s Insolvency
 Suspended by “Government” in Y19
 Closing its facilities after 19 years on the market
 Laying off more than 2380 employees
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Thank you for your time
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