Course Objectives
Planning Simulation: Managing Supply and Demand
Course Methodology
This course uses a web based simulation with a graphical interface in which participants enter their strategic decisions. The task for the teams is to manage the sales and operations of an international pharmaceutical company. Key success factors include accurate forecasting and planning, analytical approaches to decision making and good teamwork. Teams will develop and execute strategies for their simulated company operating in different markets with specific customer behavior, cost structures, and currency fluctuations. Teams will compete against each other and focus on cumulative earnings as the winning criteria.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Increase awareness of operating a company from a general management perspective
Recognize the interactions among various companies and external influences in a complex and interrelated environment
Interpret and forecast market situations and market results and translate them into goal oriented decisions
Use fact based analytical decision making techniques by linking the decisions to cash flows and bottom line performance
Utilize teamwork and problem solving methods in a dynamically evolving marketplace
Target Audience
All managers and business professionals who are involved in supporting the planning and strategy of their department or organization, as well as those who are involved in core business or support department management and supervisory roles.
Target Competencies
Strategic decision making
Financial analysis
Business forecasting
Sales and marketing skills
Critical thinking
Production and logistics management
Teamwork
Quality management
Note
This is a highly interactive course using Cesim’s web based business simulation game. Participants will be provided laptops for the duration of the course.
Course Outline
The power of business management simulation
Simulation platform structure
Simulation organization
Flow of operations
Main objective and winning criteria
Decision making fundamentals
Familiarizing teams with the case study
Demand structure
Factors affecting market size
Products and market areas
Sales and marketing decisions
Distribution and delivery priorities
Production decisions
Production salaries
Financing decisions
Projections
Decision checklist
Types of generated report
Achieving the vision through strategy
Surpassing the competition with the strategy pyramid
Planning for victory through determining where to play and how to win
Applying Porter's grand strategies
Guaranteeing results by turning strategy into action
Teamwork: The secret weapon of sustainable strategy execution
Taking the team from formation to full potential performance
Leading a team through clear skies and storms
Eliminating conflict to achieve a common team goal
Product quality
Investing in production and logistics
Maximizing quality to build a lasting customer impression
The PDCA cycle
Supply/demand management by embracing the customer’s perspective
Mastering price elasticity of demand
Elasticity and performance
Forces that shape price elasticity
Managing production and delivery levels for lean operations
Creating a profitable product portfolio
Identifying real profit pools
The 6 steps of product line profitability analysis
Options for under-performing product lines
Marketing and customer care
Creating endless promoters for your brand
The 4 Ps of marketing
An overview of the marketing mix
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
Reaching all your customers through targeted promotion
The role of promotion in marketing
Revealing company customer care secrets
Financial management and driving profitability
Financial management
The definition of accounting
The definition of finance
Making the right financial decisions to lead and grow
Analyzing the key financial statements
The 5 key financial ratios that make or break your business