OVERVIEW In playing the simulation game, students acting as management teams make a variety of decisions that will have

an impact on their company's operations. The decisions each team must make include price of the product, various marketing budgets, ordering levels, quality and product development budgets, and market research. A unique and optional feature of MARKETER: A Simulation is the inclusion of mini-cases in marketing (these are termed incidents in this manual). Student decisions are recorded on Decision Forms and can be quickly analyzed and evaluated on a personal computer by the instructor. The instructor needs no heavy-duty computer knowledge to administer the game. The objectives of this simulation game are: To allow students with different academic interests to make marketing mix decisions and to consider the multidimensional aspects of these decisions To provide the opportunity for student interaction in organization teamwork To improve students' communication, leadership, and interpersonal relation skills To help students develop rational decision making skills To demonstrate the importance of such management tools as budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, break-even, and other types of data analyses To introduce students to various environmental, ethical, and social responsibility problems that may occur in a firm and to show the consequences of the decisions they make Unfortunately, no simulation can duplicate real life. This simulation, however, attempts to build a marketing model that is as close as possible to actual conditions. It is suggested that student teams approach the simulation as a real-world environment in which they must compete against other firms, not play against the computer. The instructor's manual, which is only available to the administrator, has been installed on the administrator's floppy disk. It explains how to administer the simulation and provides suggestions for grading the performance of student teams. DECISIONS MADE IN THE SIMULATION These decisions are made for both a domestic market and an export market Order products Price domestic product Advertising budget

Sales Promotion Budget Distribution Improvement Bonus Paid to sales force( per unit) Product Development/Quality Number of Salespersons Select an Export Area Select Market Research studies Respond to an ethical or marketing incident Name the business

The team assumes the management of a "mom-and-pop" airline. Currently the airline has 3 small 19-passenger commuter aircraft. Each firm in the simulation begins with the same general market structure, aircraft, assets, and the same passenger loads (i.e., sales). Each firm is competing with one or two other firms in four markets and each has a market which currently has no other carrier in it. There are also markets which have just had a major carrier pull out and are therefore now open to the commuter airlines in the simulation. Routes range in length from 200 to 600 round-trip miles. In addition to these regular routes, there are resort markets which are 600 miles round trip. The simulation automatically creates a certain number of routes (city pairs) according to the number of teams competing. For example: if 8 teams are competing, there would be a total of 35 markets available and if 12 teams are competing there are 52 markets. The student manual is arranged in order of the decisions that are to be made each quarter to aid students in reading and applying the simulation format. The student financial report that is generated each decision period includes a balance sheet, income and expense statement, cash flow analysis, operating data, market research studies, and other industry information. Return to top

DECISIONS TO BE MADE Students make decisions in seven categories: * Overall Strategy: Type of airline and market segment; overall plans, decision to haul cargo * Marketing: Pricing of tickets, advertising, promotion, number of salespersons,promotional fares in each market served, type of cabin (food) service, market research studies * Operations Management: Scheduling of aircraft and number of trips in each market, maintenance level, fuel forecasting/pricing, quality programs budget * Human Resource Development: Wages paid, bonus or other incentive plans, training and development * Financial: Lease or buy new aircraft, capital acquisition through equity or borrowed funds (short or long term), cash management through the purchase of C. D.'s, Dividends * Asset Management: Equipment acquisition and disposal -- firms may choose between seven different configurations and sizes of aircraft (actual manufacturer's specifications are given) * Social Performance Budgeting * Behavioral Elements: There are 13 different mini-cases, one for each decision period. Teams must respond to each of these. They include social responsibility/business ethics issues, environmental forces, and the international environment. Each consists of a one page mini-case with multiple answers and teams must select the answer they think is most appropriate to the situation. If desired, these provide excellent class discussion topics.

Team Building Game #1 Building Castles in The Air This energizing eye-opener brings out people's natural tendency to compete and challenges them to think creatively to achieve measurably better results. They could learn from other team members, they could learn from their mistakes in the first round, they could even share resources to create a bigger win for everyone... but will they? People are amazed by their successes when the team pulls together and a great discussion follows on how a cohesive team can achieve incredible results. Team Building Game #2 What Should We Do About The Neighbors? Rather than really listening most people just wait for their turn to talk! While participants first think this exercise is about persuading others, it's really about listening and mutual respect, especially when you don't agree. Your meeting room will be filled with laughter as your group experiences firsthand how to increase their appreciation for each others' contributions and solve problems much quicker than ever before. Team Building Game #3 How High Will You Bid? This fast-paced activity is a great way to reinforce how collaboration and healthy competition will create greater wins for everyone. It's a game of strategy, communication, and trust. How much money is in each envelope? How much are you willing to risk? Should you cooperate with the others or just watch out for yourself? Will others look out for you? This is a real thought-provoker and extremely "real world." Your group will talk about it and its lessons for years! Team Building Game #4 A Vision is Worth A Thousand Words This extremely energizing activity will help your team communicate a shared vision for their future and focus on what they need to do to turn that vision into a reality. I first tried this exercise with a group of upper-level managers thinking it would never work, and they insisted that I give them more time because they were enjoying it so much! Now it's one of my standards. Your team will love it and you'll love the results!

Team Building Game #5 A Puzzling Team This is a great way to open a meeting. At first your group will think that there's no challenge to this icebreaker, but there's a sudden surprise when participants realize that in order to "win" they must think about their other team members and help them to solve their problems, too. No working in a vacuum. Your group will clearly see that they must remain aware of what others need and what others have to contribute in order for the entire organization to thrive. Team Building Game #6 An Egg-Citing Place to Work As you may have guessed from the title, this does involve an egg or two. Don't worry -- it's not messy. This tons-of-fun activity helps your team to solve complex problems together while confronted with limited resources, competition, limited budgets and time constraints. It's a real test of working together to reach a common goal and maintaining a positive attitude when things don't go according to plan. You'll love how easy this is to apply to your "real world." Get your camera ready -- this offers great picture taking opportunities! Team Building Game #7 The Domino Effect What's the number one complaint most team members voice? "We need to communication better!" This easy-to-conduct activity is one that my clients talk about for years! It's fun, it's frustrating, it's totally experiential, it's filled with laughter, and it's the perfect activity to help identify the barriers that are in the way of effective communication in your environment and how they can be eliminated. This works with any type of group! 8. A Kiss of Appreciation -- It's not what you think, but it's one of the most powerful activities I've ever used to end a meeting and receive a standing ovation. 9. Who Will Cross the Line First? -- Is your group competitive? This icebreaker is a must! 10. A Vision is Worth A Thousand Words -- Want to get everyone on the same page? My clients always ask for more time when I lead this activity because they have so much fun doing it and seeing the results. 11. People BINGO -- Not sure how to get people to mix and meet new people? This is an absolute winner.

12. Building The Perfect Team Member -- Time to get the creative juices flowing, and maybe a little glue, too. 13. Seat Swap -- This is one of the simplest activities yet leads to amazing insights about thriving in the midst of change. 14. What Color is Your Thinking? -- Want a unique and powerful way for your group to solve problems and think outside the box? Use this activity and see the "light bulbs" turn on. 15. The 30-Second Consultant -- Got a problem? Solve it quickly and collaboratively with this eye-opening activity. 16. Designers, Developers, Salespeople and Customers -- Perfect for teams with different job functions, participants experience how they can work more effectively toward common goal while respecting one another's individual styles. 17. The Award Goes To -- Do some people on the team need more recognition? They'll remember this for years to come. 18. No I in Team -- This on-your-feet icebreaker helps people constrain the biggest deterrent to effective listening -- their egos! 19. Soaring to Success -- Not sure how to close your meeting? Use this onyour-feet quickie to end on a high-note. 20. Walking Billboards -- It's not nice to talk behind people's back... or is it? This is one of my most requested closing activities. 21. Family Ties -- This two-part activity serves as both a perfect icebreaker and a closing activity where participants form ties that bond and learn much more interesting things about each other than the typical stuff. 22. Survival on the Moon -- An absolute classic game of survival. Will you do better to trust yourself or your teammates? 23. Nametag Scavenger Hunt -- Get the energy pumping from the moment participants arrive and let people know that your meeting will be fun. 24. Ten Body Parts -- My mother taught me this energizer years ago and, to this day, no program participant has been able to solve it on their own. 25. Group Story Telling -- It's amazing what stories your group can tell and what insights they'll gain from this laugh-filled activity. 26. This Place Can Be a Zoo -- The first time I used this icebreaker was with a relatively conservative group in Singapore. This turned out to be exactly what the group needed after three days of rather dry presentations. The once quiet room was filled with energy, laughter, and open minds.