*** This is an Online Business Simulation Exercise delivered through our VirtualAC Platform.***
The Participant is asked to assume the role of an Administrative Assistant who has been called in to replace am employee who has suddenly been taken ill. The Participant is required to deal with a number of important issues such as the organisation of an international conference, the co-ordination of a selection interview schedule and various other general administrative matters. The Participant is required to act decisively, prioritise and display good planning and organising ability.
The Participant assumes the role of a Graduate Trainee in the Customer Service Department of a publishing company, Ingham Ink Publishing House. They have been given the task of planning and organising a customer survey regarding one of their magazines that is losing readers. The challenge is to co-ordinate the design, content and production of the survey as well as the members of staff involved in the project. The Participants manager has asked to see a schedule, demonstrating their ability to gather all the relevant information, as the results of the survey are to be included in the anniversary issue of the magazine.
The Participant is asked to assume the role of a marketing executive in an FMCG company. Their challenge is to meet a launch date for a new product to respond to a competitor initiative. The task involves developing a plan to co-ordinate the activities of production, technical support, warehousing and distribution and sales, together with all the necessary external agencies.
The Participant assumes the role of a Project Manager who is responsible for managing a company-wide, computer systems upgrade at DataPro Ltd, a medium sized data processing company. Their challenge is to produce a project plan, to schedule the necessary tasks for the initial requirements stage through to final installation. A focus on efficiency is sought. The successful Participant will complete all tasks to time, budget and within regulatory constraints.
The Participant plays the part of an external Consultant asked to conduct a benchmark analysis of competitive standing in the marketplace for Seagrooves, a watch manufacturer. The Participant is presented with a range of numerical and textual data, including financial performance, market share, staff headcount, budget expenditure profiles, market locations and much more. Participants do not need any knowledge of benchmarking procedures in order to do this Exercise.
As a HR Officer in Bel-Smith Ltd, a pharmaceutical company, the Participant is required to analyse the results of an Employee Survey and Training Needs Analysis which have recently been conducted by an outside consultancy. In addition the Participant is provided with a report by the consultants recommending certain courses of action based on the results. The Participant is required to analyse all documentation and give a presentation on the suitability of the recommendations made, along with their own conclusions.
The Participant is required to act as a partner of Chemical Solutions Ltd, a small software house specialising in the design and installation of information systems for the chemical industry. The Company has been invited to tender for a number of contracts, but does not have the resources to undertake all of them. The task is to analyse the enclosed information, to prepare and deliver a presentation to the Management Committee on which contract option(s) to tender for.
This is a dual task exercise that has a focus on creativity. Task 1 requires the Participant to generate ideas to meet the needs of the brief. Task 2 provides more detailed information for the Participant to analyse and then recommend which ideas to pursue.
The Participant assumes the role of a Marketing Executive in a UK Nationwide Energy company, EnerGenius. They are responsible for developing ideas for an advertising campaign for a new range of renewable energy products. The Participant is provided with the information regarding their Company, competitor activity, internal stakeholders, consumer preferences and advertising channels. They must analyse this information, suggest creative ideas, arrive at well reasoned recommendations, outline an implementation plan and convey this information clearly to their manager, the Marketing Manager.
The Participant assumes the role of Programme Manager responsible for the Raising Ethnic Minority Achievement Programme (REMAP). REMAP deliver practical initiatives to help school pupils from ethnic minority groups to realise their potential and increase attainment levels. REMAP has been working with Local Authorities to pilot various initiatives to support these goals. The Participant is asked to analyse information relating to these initiatives and make recommendations as to which should be given funding for expansion into more schools. Information is both qualitative and quantitative, and includes REMAP aims and objectives, measured outcomes from the pilot, stakeholder comments, expansion costs and pupil attainment figures.
The Participant assumes the role of a Business Development Manager for BetterCare Pharmacy, a chain who are in the process of identifying a suitable location for one of their new pharmacy Stores. Detailed written information is provided about the town, transport, customers, past and future developments, as well as a detailed town plan, which shows the layout of the shops, roads, car parks, etc. The analysis is to be delivered in the form of a presentation, identifying which of six possible sites have been chosen, with full justification and detailing the reasons why the others have been rejected.
