Business Strategy Game

Will you be able to run your own business someday? Do you have the basic decision making skills of an entrepreneur?
Play our free online business strategy game and learn what it means to be an entrepreneur. As the CEO, take strategic & operational decisions for your virtual business. Learn about SCM, marketing, HR, finance, production planning & more.

What is BizMAP

Business books and theory can't teach you about business as much as practical, hands-on experience can. Online gambling roulette real money. If real-world experience is difficult to come by, choose the middle ground – Management Simulation Games.

Throughout my college career I have played The Business Strategy Game several times and achieved the highest overall performance in the history of the simulation. In Spring 2019 my performance broke all previous records and disrupted the game scoring system, which required re-coding by the publisher. Beating the Business Strategy Game About the Guide. Help, hints, tips, and strategy for The Business Strategy Game (Thompson & Stappenbeck) which will greatly improve your game performance. Strategy is the quintessential PC genre, keeping us buried in maps, army lists and build orders since the earliest days of PC gaming. And it's one of the most diverse, catering to everyone from.

BizMAP is a Management Simulation Game created by Sameer Kamat (Founder of MBA Crystal Ball) to test and develop your Business Management Aptitude & Potential (that explains the acronym!). With zero investment (apart from your time), it puts you in charge of a growing business and tests your aptitude for managing a startup.

There's no need to download software or customise open-source code. Just launch it and play. International management students are using it in the MBA classroom too.

There are some limitations for the free version (i.e. limited number of quarters). If you want to use this for academic or professional purposes, and would like your students to go the full distance, check the note at the end of the page and send us an email for the premium version.

The Business Strategy Game is the #1 selling computer simulation in the strategic management market. Simulation games are the single best exercise available for helping students understand how the functional pieces of a business fit together and giving them an integrated, capstone experience.

Testimonial

Nice introduction to the business issues

'My MBA students are required to earn $5m+ operating profit by the end of the BizMAP game to earn 5% of their grade. It helps students gain an appreciation for the connection between elements in the value chain – pricing/advertising (demand), production/employees (supply), and R&D (productivity gains).'

– Dr. Steve Phelan, Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship & MBA Director, Fayetteville State University (USA)

Good way for students to learn that strategic management is not a textbook lesson

'The simulation helped the students to understand some of the concepts more vividly as they see them being played out in the game. The only issue was the 'restricted' realism arising from the simplified industry dynamics programmed into the game. Overall, it was a good way to expose students that strategic management is not a textbook lesson. '

– Chong Chee-Leong, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Strategy And Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Setup time is minimal. Within the limited scope, there's complexity.

'I've used Capstone and some Harvard simulations. The USP of BizMAP is that the setup time is minimal. It can be used as an introduction to business simulation for students with little or no experience to simulation. Even within the limited scope, there's complexity in the game as it involves multiple variables (production, marketing, R&D, etc.)'

– Prof. Salman Ali, Business Policy and Strategy Department, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur

BizMAP Context

BizCool, a fictitious technology startup that provides customized, high-end servers has just received the first round of venture capital funding. The VC investors saw potential in the business, but felt that the founder (a techie at heart, not a businessman) who has done a pretty good job with the basic product, wouldn't be able to scale it up.

That's why, on a strong referral, they got you onboard to take on the reins of the business.

With the limited resources (money, people, time), you'd be expected to take strategic and operational decisions across all the key departments – Supply Chain, Human Resources, Marketing and Corporate Strategy. Your challenge is to not just keep the ship afloat, but also to help it reach new shores.

At the end of the tenure, the paranoid VC team will decide whether you stay hired or get fired!

BizMAP Business Strategy Game Rules

– You are taking over an existing business. That means you already have a team (4 employees), some sales and some cash (a million dollars) in hand.

– When you start the game, analyze the operational and financial numbers before you take any decisions. This is depicted by Steps 1 & 2 in the image above.

– You will need to take 5 decisions each quarter (as shown in Step 3 above). Not doing anything (i.e. entering zero in the input field) in a specific area is also a decision.

– Decision 1: How many units to produce: Choose a range from 0 (nothing to produce) to the maximum production capacity for the company (defined by the number of employees).

– Decision 2: How to price it: You can deviate 20% from the estimated industry price. Raising the price has an adverse impact on the market demand. And vice versa.

– Decision 3: How much to spend on marketing: 7bit casino bonus. Without marketing you still have a mimimum demand. However, to scale up, you'll need to spend on advertising.

– Decision 4: How many employees to hire/fire: Each new employee increases the quarterly production capacity by 20 units. But the salary costs go up as well.

– Decision 5: How much to invest in product development: Investing in R&D can yield a surprise over time, but only if the cumulative amount exceeds a certain threshold.

– Submitting your decision takes the story forward by 1 quarter.

– The game ends when you complete your contract (12 quarters) or the business becomes bankrupt (cash position goes to zero or negative), whichever is earlier. So keep an eye on the ‘Cash' position & work towards increasing it.

Business Strategy Game Year 11 Decisions

A little about how the Supply Chain works

– What you produce will not reach the market immediately. While the product moves through the supply chain, there are time delays as follows.

– Once you place an order for the units, the underlying components have to be procured from the market (In-Transit phase). It takes 1 quarter for your vendors to deliver.
– After the material reaches your company, your team assembles the end product (work in progress or WIP phase). You lose another quarter for this step.
– Then the end product is moved to the warehouses / retailers (where it becomes Inventory). Another quarter needed for this.
– From the warehouse, the products can be shipped to customers immediately. There's no time delay here.

– If you have enough quantity in your inventory, the relevant number of units are shipped out to the customers. If not, the backlog of orders keeps piling up and needs to be satiated in the subsequent quarters.

– Similarly, decisions related to Hiring, Marketing, R&D investments reflect in the next Quarter.

There's no need to download software or customise open-source code. Just launch it and play. International management students are using it in the MBA classroom too.

There are some limitations for the free version (i.e. limited number of quarters). If you want to use this for academic or professional purposes, and would like your students to go the full distance, check the note at the end of the page and send us an email for the premium version.

The Business Strategy Game is the #1 selling computer simulation in the strategic management market. Simulation games are the single best exercise available for helping students understand how the functional pieces of a business fit together and giving them an integrated, capstone experience.

Testimonial

Nice introduction to the business issues

'My MBA students are required to earn $5m+ operating profit by the end of the BizMAP game to earn 5% of their grade. It helps students gain an appreciation for the connection between elements in the value chain – pricing/advertising (demand), production/employees (supply), and R&D (productivity gains).'

– Dr. Steve Phelan, Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship & MBA Director, Fayetteville State University (USA)

Good way for students to learn that strategic management is not a textbook lesson

'The simulation helped the students to understand some of the concepts more vividly as they see them being played out in the game. The only issue was the 'restricted' realism arising from the simplified industry dynamics programmed into the game. Overall, it was a good way to expose students that strategic management is not a textbook lesson. '

– Chong Chee-Leong, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Strategy And Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Setup time is minimal. Within the limited scope, there's complexity.

'I've used Capstone and some Harvard simulations. The USP of BizMAP is that the setup time is minimal. It can be used as an introduction to business simulation for students with little or no experience to simulation. Even within the limited scope, there's complexity in the game as it involves multiple variables (production, marketing, R&D, etc.)'

– Prof. Salman Ali, Business Policy and Strategy Department, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur

BizMAP Context

BizCool, a fictitious technology startup that provides customized, high-end servers has just received the first round of venture capital funding. The VC investors saw potential in the business, but felt that the founder (a techie at heart, not a businessman) who has done a pretty good job with the basic product, wouldn't be able to scale it up.

That's why, on a strong referral, they got you onboard to take on the reins of the business.

With the limited resources (money, people, time), you'd be expected to take strategic and operational decisions across all the key departments – Supply Chain, Human Resources, Marketing and Corporate Strategy. Your challenge is to not just keep the ship afloat, but also to help it reach new shores.

At the end of the tenure, the paranoid VC team will decide whether you stay hired or get fired!

BizMAP Business Strategy Game Rules

– You are taking over an existing business. That means you already have a team (4 employees), some sales and some cash (a million dollars) in hand.

– When you start the game, analyze the operational and financial numbers before you take any decisions. This is depicted by Steps 1 & 2 in the image above.

– You will need to take 5 decisions each quarter (as shown in Step 3 above). Not doing anything (i.e. entering zero in the input field) in a specific area is also a decision.

– Decision 1: How many units to produce: Choose a range from 0 (nothing to produce) to the maximum production capacity for the company (defined by the number of employees).

– Decision 2: How to price it: You can deviate 20% from the estimated industry price. Raising the price has an adverse impact on the market demand. And vice versa.

– Decision 3: How much to spend on marketing: 7bit casino bonus. Without marketing you still have a mimimum demand. However, to scale up, you'll need to spend on advertising.

– Decision 4: How many employees to hire/fire: Each new employee increases the quarterly production capacity by 20 units. But the salary costs go up as well.

– Decision 5: How much to invest in product development: Investing in R&D can yield a surprise over time, but only if the cumulative amount exceeds a certain threshold.

– Submitting your decision takes the story forward by 1 quarter.

– The game ends when you complete your contract (12 quarters) or the business becomes bankrupt (cash position goes to zero or negative), whichever is earlier. So keep an eye on the ‘Cash' position & work towards increasing it.

Business Strategy Game Year 11 Decisions

A little about how the Supply Chain works

– What you produce will not reach the market immediately. While the product moves through the supply chain, there are time delays as follows.

– Once you place an order for the units, the underlying components have to be procured from the market (In-Transit phase). It takes 1 quarter for your vendors to deliver.
– After the material reaches your company, your team assembles the end product (work in progress or WIP phase). You lose another quarter for this step.
– Then the end product is moved to the warehouses / retailers (where it becomes Inventory). Another quarter needed for this.
– From the warehouse, the products can be shipped to customers immediately. There's no time delay here.

– If you have enough quantity in your inventory, the relevant number of units are shipped out to the customers. If not, the backlog of orders keeps piling up and needs to be satiated in the subsequent quarters.

– Similarly, decisions related to Hiring, Marketing, R&D investments reflect in the next Quarter.

How to get better at the Business Strategy Game

In any Business Strategy Game, including BizMAP, you will not get it ‘right' in the first attempt. Play the game multiple times and try to refine your strategies and entrepreneurial skills with each attempt.

Learn a little more about the theoretical concepts behind the game in our Free MBA course.

Don't shy away from trying various business strategies (conservative & aggressive scenarios). See how each business strategy impacts the end result.

If any of this isn't entirely clear, don't worry. Start the game and you'll soon get the hang of what's happening.

Alright, enough talk. Let's get into the action!

The free version is NOT for academic or professional use: If you are a professor, trainer or university / company representative interested in using this game for your class, we can create an account with a customised user-interface specially for your brand for a nominal charge. And your students get to play the full game for 12 quarters (instead of 4). Read more here – BizMAP pricing. If this looks interesting, send us an email: info [at] mbacrystalball [dot] com

Business Strategy Game Simulation

Late night poker. You may also be interested in trying our Supply Chain Management Game.