Breaking news: Over 20,000 students have now used The Strategy Experience simulation at many of the Europe’s leading universities.
The Brief:
The authors of Europe’s leading corporate strategy text book ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy’, Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, having previously worked with LD, approached the Learning Dynamics author team with the challenge to create a rigorous and engaging strategy simulation to accompany the textbooks ‘Exploring Strategy’ and ‘Fundamentals of Strategy’.
The simulation had to bring together the theory and practice of strategy-making in a realistic environment of a dynamics organisation and industry.
Target Users:
Educators wanting to integrate a realistic, engaging strategy simulation within their course at undergraduate or master’s level.
Or for self-study by undergraduate and post-graduate students at universities throughout the regions in which the textbook is distributed.
Solution & Method:
Create an on-line simulation based on a realistic global marketing services company with a range of strategic dilemmas facing the organisation.
Either individually or in teams, this simulation enables students to set and implement strategy and see the impact of their decisions on financial and non-financial measures of performance of the simulated company.
Desired learning outcomes:
Students gain knowledge and insights relevant to their strategic studies. The simulation enables students to work though the three key phases of the strategy process:
- Understanding the strategic position
- Evaluating strategic choices
- Strategy in Action
Result:
The strategy Experience simulation design enables instructors to integrate it to suit the requirements of their course and assessment.
The Strategy Experience puts students on the board of directors of a global advertising agency and challenges them to make a strategic analysis of the business, put together a business plan and then make decisions on the future strategy of the company – and see the impact of their decisions on financial and non-financial measures of performance of the company.
Results and feedback are automatically processed, so there is no requirement for instructors to input decision data in order for participants’ results to be produced. The simulation is run on-line and is accessible 24/7.
It can be used:
- Within a simulation class group, where students may play individually or in teams
- As a learning resource for individual self-study purposes
- At different levels of the business curriculum and with students of differing levels or work or management experience
- Over a range of time periods – from intensive day-long sessions to an on-going assignment or project over the course of several weeks or months – to suit the needs of individual courses and / or instructors
- As a means or formal or informal assessment, or as a revision tool towards the end of the course prior to exams
To date, over 20,000 students have used The Strategy Experience simulation.
