SimVenture - Players Guide
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SimVenture is a business simulation that allows you to setup and run your own company. You are responsible for running the company and thus making all the decisions. Every decision you make has a time and financial consequence. And each month the consequences of all your decisions interact and play out. The simulation plays the role of the market (enquiries, orders and sales) and you can run your company for up to 3 years. Designed by entrepreneurs and business experts, and supported by the e-learning experts tutor2u,, SimVenture closely mirrors reality and also incorporates a wealth of relevant business information. The information within SimVenture is also provided to help you run a more successful virtual business. You can use SimVenture again and again to learn about best business practice so that you understand (at no risk!) what it is really like to setup and run a business. Virtually all relevant business issues are covered within the simulation. Good luck! Overview SimVenture requires you to build and sell computers. Whilst you need no knowledge of computers to play SimVenture, you will be making decisions about all aspects of your company in order to survive and hopefully succeed in business. To use the simulation you will have to make decisions about all aspects of your business on a monthly basis. No part of the simulation works in isolation. Every choice you make will, just like in business, have an impact elsewhere in the game. Your job is to find the right balance between winning business, using your time effectively and ensuring enough money is flowing through the company. If you make mistakes or your SimVenture business fails, you can always start again. Unlike real business you have nothing to lose. But just like in business, the key is to learn from your mistakes. Duration The simulation lasts for a total of 3 simulated years. Since the game is played out in months you have 36 separate monthly phases to manage and develop your business. You have as much time as you like to use the simulation since there are no time restrictions about making decisions. You can also use the ‘save’ and ‘load’ functions to start and stop the simulation. It is up to you as to how you approach the simulation. You can complete the 36 monthly phases without reading the supporting information, although the chances are that your business will struggle because you won’t be able to sufficiently think through your decisions. But if you take your time, work smart and think carefully about your decisions, you could run a very successful business. The entire simulation is designed to mirror reality and best business practice. Any business experience you have may help you, but progress is made most quickly when results are analysed, advisor comments are considered and common sense thinking is applied. Using the Simulation
Each month, you can review each of the 4 main areas and relevant sub-issues and then make decisions about your business in terms of how time and money is spent. When you are happy with your choices, press the ‘Run Month’ button. The simulation will take you to a final check page and you can then play out your decisions for that month. You will then be able to view and analyse the consequences of your actions (including any enquiries, orders and sales generated by the simulation) before moving onto the next month. The monthly analysis shows you how you have spent your money and time that month as well as showing your overall financial position to date. Since you are also responsible for managing your time you can also monitor your efficiency. If you manage to work 100% efficiently all tasks will be completed in the time stated in the game. However, if your efficiency decreases (as a result of fatigue, lack of skills, cramped workspace and/or lack of resources) so it will take longer to do work. You caHome Page The home page represents your office. From this point you can navigate to all parts of SimVenture. The whiteboard on the main office page summarises ongoing financial performance. There are four main business areas within the home page including: Organisation; Finance; Sales & Marketing and Operations. Move your mouse across the home page and the separate menu bars for each of the four business areas will appear. If you click on the menu within an one of those business areas you will be taken to the page covering that specific topic. At the top of the page is the Main menu. From left to right you can: access detailed game information within the 'Help' function; review a month's work in 'History'; make use of the notepad and calculator etc. within Tools; and consider what your advisor has suggested you do in 'Advisor'. The main menu also allows you to: evaluate your own progress using the 'Report' function'; progress through the game by clicking the 'Run Month' button; navigate your way around the game via the 'Home' and 'Back' functions; and ultimately leave SimVenture via the 'Exit' key. Note, clicking the 'Home' button will always bring you back to the main office screen. Furthermore, click the small black arrow next to the 'Back' button and you can see and then goto pages you have recently visited. The status bar at the foot of the page provides immediate information about key data including: Price; Enquiries, Orders and Sales; Profit & Loss; Bank Balance; balance Sheet; Annual Salary; Your use of time (two green horizontal bars); Your Efficiency; and how happy and tired you are. You can click on most of these buttons to gather more detailed context information. Status Bar
The status bar provides you with vital information about your business throughout the game. Viewing the status bar from left to right: the 'Price' is the amount you are selling your product for. Click on 'Price' to be taken to the page where you can alter this value. The 'Enquiries', 'Orders' and 'Sales' figures are all generated by SimVenture in response to the business decisions you make. These figures are your lifeblood because they tell you about the money flowing into your business. The 'Profit and Loss', 'Bank Balance', 'Balance Sheet' and 'Annual Salary' figures are important financial pieces of information about your business. You can click on each button to visit a relevant page, which provides more detail and context. Within the Status Bar there are two sets of parallel bars, which provide you with important information on an ongoing basis. The two bars with the words 'income' and 'costs' represent the monthly amounts of money coming in and out of the business. As you make decisions you can always see how much you will be spending against sales income being generated. The two bars next to the clock indicate the amount of time you have allocated to do work (top bar) and the amount of time it will take to complete the tasks you have identified for the month (bottom bar). If the bottom bar turns red you are in danger of not completing all tasks. The 'Efficiency' indicator tells you how efficiently the company is operating. Click this button to see how well you are performing in different areas of your business. Finally, the face in the bottom right-hand corner informs you of your levels of tiredness and happiness. The face changes according to the number of hours you work and how well you are running the business. Navigation For ease of use, navigation between pages within SimVenture is consistent and straightforward. From the home page (the office) move the mouse over the screen to locate the menus representing the four main business areas (Organisation, Finance, Sales & Marketing & Operations). When you find a relevant issue within one of the four menus, click the mouse. You will then be directed to another page.
Page Layouts Within SimVenture, each page of business information has been laid out in a consistent and easy-to-follow manner. Each business topic contains a headline and then one or two sub-headlines, which summarise what you need to know and/or do. The rest of the page is divided into two sections:
Key Considerations The Key Considerations highlight the topical and most relevant points that anyone in business needs to know about and understand. These considerations also provide valuable information and ideas for people using SimVenture. Summary Game Box Each page also has a pink Summary Game Box. This area highlights the decisions that you have made to date about each business topic. The Game Box also contains one or more buttons that when pressed take you to another page or otherwise confirm decisions you make. Note, in SimVenture, most of the decisions you make are final and you cannot change your mind afterwards. Running a month When you have made all the choices for your business, see the consequences of your decisions play out by clicking the 'Run Month' button. This feature is located in the main menu at the top of the page. Pre-flight check Before the month runs you are taken to a 'Final Check' page. This screen allows you to review your planned use of time and business choices. The top right-hand-corner of this page also provides you with an opportunity to check that you have sufficient time to complete all the planned tasks. When you want to run the month, click the box in the bottom-right-hand corner of the page. The simulation automatically runs the month when you click the box in the Final Check page. As the month completes so figures change and the bar at top of the screen turns blue. Once the blue bar is full you will see a summary of all activities in terms of: activities; costs; profit and loss; cashflow and bank balance. You can view this summary again at any point in the following month by clicking the 'History' button in the main menu. Further analysis can also be completed by clicking the 'Analysis' box in the top-right-hand corner of 'Run month' page. Finally, the virtual 'Advisor' pops onto the screen at the end of each month and offers tips and advice. This advice is also available at any point in the following month by clicking the 'Advisor' button in the main menu. The simulation provides assistance and support in a number of ways. The Virtual Advisor Throughout the game you will receive advice from the virtual advisor. Monthly Assessment Once each month has been played, the advisor will pop up in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Suggestions and thoughts will be provided to help you improve business performance. You will never be told to do anything - you will only receive advice.
Advisor Report At the outset, it’s a good idea to access the ‘Advisor Report’ (see ‘Help’), produced by a business advisor to help you prioritise your decisions - especially in the early part of the simulation. The report highlights key issues and potential weaknesses that need to be addressed in order for the business to succeed. Tools To help you play the game, a number of functions have been provided within the ‘Tools’ menu. Glossary A complete definition of business terms used within the game. Use the glossary when you are unsure about the meaning of any word or phrase. Calculator A simple calculator for checking finances etc. Notepad The notepad allows you to make notes on key information. The tablet records and displays data by month and is accompanied by an ‘Add new note’ function, which is more flexible, since it does not cover the whole page. Use the notepad as a record of your business' progress so that you can refer back and learn from the decisions you made. There are many ways in which SimVenture can be used by students in a learning environment. Solo The simplest way to use SimVenture is for individuals to setup and run their own company. The individual takes full responsibility and makes all the decisions about the business. This is an excellent test of an individual's understanding of business. Team challenge Teams of two or three people sit at a terminal and make decisions collectively about the business. It may be appropriate for individuals to have clearly identified roles or otherwise the group makes decisions as one body. A key part of the exercise (as with Four Directors) is the team dynamic and communication within the group. Four Directors Teams of four people can use SimVenture. Each person within a team takes directorial responsibility for one of the four main areas of the simulation which include: Operations
Before starting, each teams' task is to fit as best they can the skills of the team with the directorial responsibilities for running the company. Post Evaluation & Presentation Whatever group size you choose, people can be asked to make presentations or participate in group discussions in order to review the performance of their business (and team) after using SimVenture. By clicking the History button within the game, users can select months and print out the summary details. This information provides a vital and true history trail of information. Difficulty Levels Whilst SimVenture is designed to mirror reality as closely as possible, the software includes four difficulty levels. This means you can always play a game at a standard that suits you. The four levels of difficulty are: Easy First-time users of SimVenture are advised to start at the 'Easy' level. You can choose the level of difficulty when you enter your own details before the game starts. Differences between the Levels There are a number of differences between each level. In 'Easy' you have access to greatest amount of start-up capital. This cushion of money will help you to buy goods and provides more time to get your business really going. Likewise, the 'Easy' level is played in the largest marketplace. As you increase the difficulty, so the markets gradually constrict and thus provide fewer opportunities to make money. The cost of components provided by suppliers also changes as the difficulty levels increase. As a result, it is relatively straightforward to achieve good margins between what you buy and what you sell at the 'Easy' level - and as a consequence making a profit is less of a challenge. But as the levels change so the squeeze on margins becomes more apparent. As the levels gets more difficult so you will also have to spend more time managing Credit Control. The 'Easy' level is set so only a few customers pay late. The 'Fiendish' level is more complex and requires thought through strategies to avoid serious cashflow problems. One of the key measures of any SimVenture game is 'Efficiency'. This feature reflects how well you are managing yourself and your business. Needless to say, as the difficulty levels increase so the management of time becomes more of an issue and decisions have to be though through carefully in order for efficiency levels to be maintained. Finally, the language used by the advisor at the end of each month changes as the difficulty levels are increased. The 'Easy' level contains unambiguous straightforward advice whereas the 'Fiendish' level includes many more references to business terminology. SimVenture is available to purchase now from tutor2u. Personal, Single Computer & Network Licences are available. You can also request a demonstration version, enabling you to take SimVenture for a test drive! |
