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Partnership Agreementsorganizational Structureorga

Welcome to the CapsimCore™ Simulation class Discussion Board. Here, the class will collaborate about best practices related to the simulation. This is an ungraded forum that will remain open as a point of reference throughout the term. It is important to keep the discussion centered on the simulation, and not the topic of business strategy and policy. Please be professional. This is not a forum to complain. Please keep the conversation positive. Negativity will not be tolerated. You may ask questions, provide tips, or seek assistance from one another throughout the duration of the course. Everyone should participate and/or review in this forums regularly in the beginning of the course. You may contact your instructor directly with questions or concerns that are not answered in the forum.

You may access CapsimCore training resources in Google Drive.

Capsim® provides telephone support directly to participants Monday through Friday. The toll-free number for U.S. and Canadian callers is 877-477-8787; all others 1-312-477-7200. Questions about simulation rules, results, market conditions, tactical trade-offs and technical issues are fielded by courteous, knowledgeable, professional experts.

THIS IS WHAT MY PROFESSOR WROTE:

Hi everyone,

Education is supposed to be intriguing and fun! When did academics become separate from what students should be able to do outside of the University learning environment? Why did academics make professionals become so focused on being compliant with strict academic policies that are not used in business and industry? Why would a student want and need Professors to tell them exactly what to do and think, rather than thinking through a challenge on their own? The game based environment and theme of this course puts authentic learning and creative thinking back into the course curriculum design, connecting student work with meaningful, reality-based work. In this course, we hope to instill passion and personalization into the learning process for students to realize and unleash their strategic leadership abilities.

If you think of this course like a game, and you realize that this course has different components and requirements than most other courses you have taken before or are taking during this term, you will realize the value of this experiential learning journey and will hopefully enjoy the complexities and challenges ahead.

This is a multi-dimensional course experience consisting of the following components:

  • Extensive Research
  • Critical Thinking
  • Simulation (practical application and experiential immersion)
  • Communications (formal and informal)
    • Writing
    • Verbal
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Deliverable Instructions and Rubrics per Course Outcome

You will need to show mastery for each Course Outcome (If you don’t know what the Course Outcomes are, visit the Syllabus asap) by engaging in each of these components of the course by using the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors you have developed both academically and professionally up until now. It is essential that you understand how to navigate or apply yourself in each component area of the course. For instance, if you have trouble understanding how to read assignment instructions in relation to the assignment rubrics, it is essential that you seek help from your instructor. If you have difficulties with writing, it is essential that you seek help from the writing center. If you are struggling with the simulation, you must contact the Capsim Core helpline for assistance. If you struggle with conducting research, contact your instructor and/or the librarians for assistance. Collaborating with your fellow learners on the ungraded team discussion board and the graded discussion boards can help you with critical thinking. Of course, you may also collaborate your instructor for help with critical thinking and reasoning. If you struggle with desktop publishing skills, practice makes perfect! You can seek some assistance from the writing center with regard to the formatting of documents, PowerPoints, etc. However, it will be up to you to apply creativity skills and put in the effort.

You start the course by understanding what strategy actually is by completely immersing yourself as an actor within the simulation. You are not playing above or outside of the game… you are literally the game, and the simulation is your professional environment. It’s important to imagine the different players in your organization, so you can create important fictitious actors like managers and leaders that span your organization from the corporate level to the functional levels of management. You should consider creating a fairly expansive organizational structure. As you imagine the organizational structure, it’s important to imagine the other organizational design components along the way. Components of your strategy include what is referred to as the enterprise level of strategy.

The enterprise level of strategy is an important part of your organizational identity. The elements of organizational identity (through the lens of an enterprise strategy) include:

  • strategy model
    • vision (story)
    • mission
    • philosophy
      • ideological position
    • purpose
    • values
    • policy
    • business model
      • form of business
      • governance structure
      • shareholders / partnership agreements
  • organizational structure
  • organizational culture
  • management strategy
    • corporate level
      • systems
      • technology
      • finance
      • administration
        • legal /compliance
        • communications
        • social media
      • marketing
      • operations
    • business level
    • functional level
  • organizational persona
    • branding
    • themes

It’s important to think of this gaming experience from the enterprise level of strategy perspective based on the components above. You should be conducting deep research on each of these topics, and using the anatomy of this enterprise strategy model to help you think multi-dimensionally about your Capsim Core simulation company.

This gaming experience is a form of Experiential Learning, which requires active learning and participation within a business environment. Your ability to reflect on your experiences, and use your experiences to develop the course deliverables, will apply “practice to theory.”

Connecting your research with your experiences is a critical part of your success in this course gaming experience. Your ability to behave, perform, execute, manage, and lead as a strategist will be judged by your instructor. Be as professional as possible.

Don’t forget… this is a game, and you are the main actor within the game, and your goal is to build the components of your organization (that you lead) using various aspects of strategic thinking, strategic design (modeling), and strategic decision-making. As the sole actor in this simulated learning experience, you will need to use your imagination and creativity to further construct your Capsim Core simulation company.

You will be challenged.

You will be overwhelmed.

But you must not feel mislead. This purpose of this course gaming experience is to help you become a sound business strategist. As the leader of your Capsim Core simulation company, you will be in a position of power to make many strategic decisions and to be a strategic leader. You must play the role. When executing the deliverables in this course, you will be writing from your position of power as the leader of your organization. This kind of experience will put a lot of pressure on you to make vital decisions, but we know you’re ready to succeed. You’ve come this far in your degree program… you have learned how to talk the talk, now let’s see how well you walk the walk.

Success is a Journey. Success is very cumulative by design. This means that everything you do now, and every step you take will contribute towards your personal success in the future. An exciting journey does lie ahead and the effort you put forth now to learn Management Strategy and policy will pay off later, and oftentimes forever!

Have fun gamers! Don’t hesitate to contact your instructor with any questions or concerns…