In June 2012, April Training ran a simulation event at Liverpool University as part of the MSc Management degree, involving the use of Executive to illustrate some of the key business ideas that made up part of the academic study for the course. It was run with over 400 students simultaneously, with participants split into small teams, which competed in leagues of 8 or 9 teams.

The aim of the simulation was to consolidate the business principles taught by the lecturers through active learning, using a realistic model of the current car manufacturing industry as a base. Before the simulation began, the students researched a real manufacturer in detail with focus on its business strategy and company image, in order to gain an appreciation of the industry. The students created posters to present their findings.  They also developed a business plan and strategy for the company they would create within the simulation environment.

The simulation event began with a trial run  to enable the students to get used to the functionality of the software and test out some initial ideas.  With the students confident in using Executive, the real simulation event was launched and the competition began!

Students set up a company from a greenfield site and built up the business over four years (each simulation round is equivalent to one year).  By using a start up scenario participants had free rein to use their ideas for business strategies and see how they played out over the years.  The exercise allowed them to put into practice the skills they had learnt over the degree course, as well as applying their own business intuition and acumen to find innovative solutions. The results were very interesting, with all teams submitting sensible and well thought-through decisions that led to most companies prospering, despite the intense competition within most market sectors.

Congratulations must go to the staff involved at Liverpool University for the superb organisation and smooth running of the programme, despite the large number of students. The simulation will be run in a similar way with next year’s cohort, with numbers set to increase substantially.

Simulations are now well-established teaching methods in universities all over the world, but why are they so popular? Harvard Business Publishing investigated by asking a group of simulation authors (Prof.  T. Luehrman, Prof. W. Shih, Prof. A. Edmondson, Prof. R. Casadesus-Masanell; all  Harvard Business School,  Prof. M. Roberto; Bryant University, Prof. R. Ernst; Georgetown University, Prof. R. Austin; University of New Brunswick) about the real reasons why students love to learn in a virtual environment.

What does a simulation do for student learning that other methods don’t?

Prof. Luehrman: A simulation stimulates active engagement of students. They are playing a role, not just reading and analyzing. They make decisions and see the results of their decisions in the response of other players and the outcome of the sim. Simulations generate much more energy among students than traditional lectures or case discussions.

Prof. Shih: A simulation forces students to synthesize and integrate what they read and make actual decisions based on facts or data presented in the case. Simulations give students a temporal dimension, an opportunity to experience outcomes that change based on their inputs over time.

How do students react to using simulations?

Prof. Ernst: Students enjoy winning. A well designed business simulation includes an element of competition that encourages them to strive and to impress their classmates (and the faculty) while learning!

Prof. Shih: Students have told me that sims force them to integrate and apply material that they have learned. The opportunity to try things—test a hypothesis and receive immediate feedback—gives the sim a dimension that you can’t get from a case alone.

Prof. Casadesus-Masanell: When I first started using a sim, I did not imagine the energy it would bring to the class. I’ve taught with sims in MBA and Executive Education and with both, the level of discussion is different than with cases—people get much more emotionally involved and competitive—they get hooked and their understanding of the learning points increases.

For faculties who haven’t tried a simulation- what one thing would you say to convince them to try one?

Prof. Edmondson: The students love it. It’s hard to get them to stop talking about it; they want to do it over and over, and to share the experience. They have fun, it’s engaging, they laugh, and they’re surprised. And it’s memorable. It sticks.

Prof. Austin: I’d say “Just wait until you hear the students’ discussion after they’ve used the simulation.” It’s exhilarating, really, the issues the sim gives them access to. This is a really important point: The educational power is in the debrief. A sim is a way to get students talking about what you need to teach them.

The Executive business simulation and April Training‘s other products are used extensively within universities, in the UK and world-wide. For more information about using our simulations as part of a university module or college course, call us on (+44) 1928 735 868 or email info@trainingsimulations.com.

As seen in the current series of The Apprentice, business does not always involve a high standard of business ethics! However, we believe that a fundamental part of good business lies in the fair and ethical practice of business across the board. Without a sense of right and wrong, companies hardly ever succeed in the long term as they cannot build relationships of trust with any other corporations, employees or the customers.

All entrepreneurs have to work with other people, and this will only work if both sides follow an appropriate moral code allowing them to establish and maintain a relationship. Business ethics specifically involves negotiation skills and results in ‘win-win’ scenarios; in which both companies are satisfied with the outcome. This is extremely important when building up contacts for the future, for example if you build a good relationship with suppliers in which you get a discounted price per item for a very large order quantity, both sides will be happy with the arrangement and it is mutually profitable. If business ethics were to be ignored, the approach of the company would be to push for the maximum quantity at the lowest possible price: an act that would certainly make the supplier unlikely to renew the deal. This would actually result in a bigger loss for the company than if the first route was taken, as although they would achieve a cheaper price in the first year, they would have difficulty securing a repeat in the following year. This example shows that business ethics is mutually beneficial and can result in long-standing business arrangements that can make a company very successful and result in high returns year-on-year.

In most entrepreneurial education schemes and business degrees, business training includes an education into the world of business ethics. This encourages young entrepreneurs to have the right attitudes for success in business, and ensures that they make friends instead of enemies in the business world. Other important aspects of business ethics include environmental and social concerns, which can add substantially to company image and can dramatically increase popularity. Everyone has their own moral code, and it is important to follow it while trying to succeed in business. Accepting bribes or negotiating unfairly will not pay in the long-term and can result in a negative company image. Many companies have fallen after a deal turned sour or scandals were revealed!

Although The Apprentice is one of the most popular programmes about business and entrepreneurship on television, it does not always accurately portray the world of business. Many of the competitors on the show appear to have little or no ethical values; however, you will find in the real world that corporate ethics are vital to the long term success of any company.

April Training are running an event at Liverpool University starting on Friday 10th June, which involves the use of our Executive business training simulation, aiming to give students a new and exciting insight into the world of business and entrepreneurship. This will give the students the chance to test out their business skills and try some new ideas in order to attempt to build up a successful company in the European car manufacturing business. They will use real-life current market data to make the simulation as realistic and believable as possible, and their performance will be assessed by tutors, along with associated paperwork.Executive is designed to be competitive, which increases motivation of the students at Liverpool University, as well as giving them even more reason to carefully their decisions and make sure that their team follows good business principles. They will be competing against 8 other teams, so the students are separated into ‘worlds’. This prevents the markets from becoming saturated and gives everyone a better chance of success.

The simulation programme is intense, lasting just over week, meaning that students only have a short time to get to grips with the principles behind the simulation, as well as learning how to input data and making use of the what-if facility built into Executive. However, the short time period increases engagement with the simulation, and gives the students some experience of the time pressures commonly found in a business environment. It will also test their organisational, time-keeping, teamwork and communication skills; all of which are essential for success in the world of business.

Our team here at April wish them good luck, and as always will be on hand to provide both technical support and a helping hand to any teams who find themselves in difficulties.

International students currently make up over 15% of all University students in the UK, with 43% of all research postgraduates coming to study in the UK from another country. Unfortunately for all these current students, as well as the many more due to join the British Higher Education system in the next few years, the Government is considering new security measures that could reduce the chance of international students gaining a visa, resulting in up to 80,000 less international students every year.

The new regulations will also include more stringent rules on students staying in the UK to work after finishing their degree courses. Currently, through the Post-Study Work scheme, international students can remain in Britain for up to 2 years to gain work experience relating to their degree. However, the Government is imposing a new rule that the international graduates must earn more than £20,000 a year, and have a valid work permit, both of which are very difficult to obtain. This will substantially decrease the number of international students attempting to stay in the UK to work for a short period after university.

Although this is a logical move when it comes to immigration; levels are reaching record highs, and with more people coming to the UK to study than ever before, it makes sense to introduce some measures to control this influx. However, it is also important to note that international students pay much higher fees than other students (between £8,000 and £15,000, compared to slightly over £3000 for UK students), and they are also unable to apply for government financing.  As a result of this, universities gain between 10 and 30% of their income from these international students. This allows for the continued development of the establishments, to the benefit of all.

The total value of international students to the UK economy is approximately £8.5bn (2007).  Surely students should be being encouraged to come to the UK to study, rather than being turned away?  These additional regulations, if enforced by the Government will reduce the total number of international students in the UK, resulting in less funding for universities across the country, less facilities and possible a lower standard of education for students of all levels and backgrounds. This will mean a reduction in innovative learning techniques, including use of business simulations as part of degree courses. The overall British economy will also suffer.

It’s been 25 years since the birth of the idea behind April Training, originating from our MD Julio Faria and Cambridge undergraduate Julian Critchlow in 1986. During this time, the business has grown to be one of the largest producers of business and management simulations in the UK and provides simulations across the world. Every year, thousands of students and trainees participate in and enjoy business training and teaching programmes using April simulations.

A lot has changed since April Training first started, both in terms of technology and the demand for effective and  realistic business training. With the recent huge increases in the number of students taking finance, business and management-related degrees, colleges and universities have been searching for exciting and innovative ways to present the subject material in an engaging and relevant way. Our simulations are currently used by over 50 universities, including many Russel Group institutions in undergraduate and post-graduate courses. They are seamlessly integrated with the teaching modules, often (but not always) overseen personally by one of our consultants. Our objective is  to make sure that the students get the most benefit from having a chance to try their ideas and put their new business skills to the test. Our simulations have also be used very successfully for younger students in schools and 6th form colleges as an introduction to the exciting world behind being an entrepreneur.

In the last 25 years, the way we run our business simulations has changed dramatically. Initially, development was on “mainframe” computers, but the arrival of the Personal Computer provided the hardware training/teaching organisations really needed. Since then the hardware and software has continued to advance relentlessly and with the invention of the Internet, our products can now be used online for a quick and simple way to enter decisions and process results, anywhere, anytime. As always our experienced staff are available to answer any technical questions.

We have been successfully educating both employees and students about business and entrepreneurial skills for 25 years, and we plan to continue well into the future, always working with the best new technology to provide the best and most effective business simulation experience. Here’s to another 25!

Congratulations to one of our “alumni”, Richard Henfrey, who has just moved up to the post of  Board Director, Strategic Sourcing, at Blackmores in Sydney, Australia.

Blackmores (www.blackmores.com.au) is one of Australia’s premier health products businesses, with a great combination of growth, profitability and social responsibility. Richard will no doubt be making his sure his wide ranging talents and enthusiasm will have a concerted impact on the continued successful growth of the business.

Since Executive on-line went live mid-2010, we have had loads of  requests from students for records of their decisions made.

Of course these details should be recorded at the time they are made but quite often they are not. Now the latest version of Executive on-line has the option to print out decisions made. To see and print them out go to the decisions box at the top of the page, use the drop down menu to locate “Decisions”.  The left hand decision box shows the previous year and the right hand box the current year.  Always keep a file or printed copy.

It’s not too long until September comes around again, so if you’re looking for a new and dynamic way to present a business or management module in your establishment (whether it’s a school, college or university), April Training is the best place to get UK based training simulations. Our range of simulations can blend seamlessly into any academic course and they are guaranteed to keep students alert and engaged through the interactive methods and innovative learning style.

Our training simulations can be run either as an intensive course over a few days, or over a longer period. Many of our current academic clients run simulations that last a whole term, and include extra assignments related to the simulation on which grades are based. This is a great way to integrate learning, and assess how well students cope with applying entrepreneurial and business skills to a realistic environment. All of our simulations are based around the current market data so they remain relevant year after year. In Retailer and Executive (our two simulations that are mainly run on large scales) the tutor can adapt the scenario during the simulation by adding additional events to keep everyone on their toes!

Over 70 Universities across the UK and beyond use our simulations, so if your department is looking for a new way to motivate your students (whether they already study business and management or just require an awareness for their intended profession), our simulations are a perfect way to get them inspired about business.

Run as an integrated programme for all three engineering disciplines, students experience running a business simulation over five virtual years in a real-time period of three months from October to December. This is an integral part of the finance module of the engineering students’ second year course and is the perfect way to help them understand more about the skills needed to manage a successful business.

The nature of the exercise highlights the importance of working together in a team, as each participant has their own unique role within the company, from finance manager to CEO. Modelled on the structure of a real corporation, this allows the students to gain a realistic view of the hierarchy in a business and the depth of knowledge that each employee must have. The realism of the academic business simulation thoroughly tests their ability to deal with the uncertainties that are thrown up on a daily basis in the world of commerce. The adjudicators of the module, made up of both a team of industry experts and Manchester University staff, are highly impressed every year with the final presentations and the standard of learning achieved, seeing it as highly relevant to the needs of the world of employment and providing added value to the degree. April Training regularly receives very positive feedback from the students, who find the simulation enjoyable, testing and a great help to them in understanding the sometimes complex world of business and finance.