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Airlines prepare for a C(r)ASH landing – paying the price for cash mismanagement
If ever there was a need for companies to have a little extra cash on hand, it’s now. But for several big airlines, the flight to cash has been canceled… United, American, Southwest, Delta, and others spent 96% of their free cash flow over the last 10 years on stock buybacks. That didn’t leave much…
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Running Virtual Classes When Using a Business Simulation
PriSim conducts virtual classes that feature our business simulations. For example, the MEMPC (Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium: Northwestern University, MIT, Duke, Dartmouth, Purdue, John Hopkins, Duke, Tufts and USC) participates in our asynchronous competitions for graduate students across the country. In addition, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (the Big I)…
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Colored Paper
During a business simulation exercise, there is a lot of data to analyze. PriSim allows participants to review all reports on their team computer monitor; however, we have found that many participants still like to print the data. This allows them to highlight, take notes, and underline relevant information. The downside is that often there…
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“It’s Accrual World”
Not surprisingly, a big part of working in finance is about being efficient and accurate. To paraphrase comedian Bob Newhart, “getting within a few bucks of it” isn’t usually good enough. Hence all the late nights if you work in the department. But it’s also about being effective and adding to business results. And that…
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The Rocket-Fueled Business Simulation Agenda – Covering It All in Just 2-Days
When running a simulation as part of a business-acumen training class, time really is of the essence. Besides the three or four 2-hour decision-making rounds within the simulation there are also business concepts, including strategy and finance, that need to be adequately covered. But holding a 10-day class so that all the content can be…
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Action Planning – Applying Course Concepts to Real-World Challenges
The real value of learning comes when the concepts taught are actually used in the real world. However, simply presenting a concept and exhorting an audience to apply it in the business world is not enough. Learners need to practice with course concepts using real-world data and scenarios that resonate for them on a personal…
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A Shell game in oil (but at Chevron, not Shell…)
Imagine the sting of going to your boss and saying, “We need an $11 billion write-down on those investments I made…” Which is what the CEO of Chevron, Mike Wirth, announced to shareholders (aka, his actual bosses) in December. A write-down typically reduces earnings on the Income Statement and asset-value on the Balance sheet, both…
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Tariffs and Other Things That Go Bump in The Night
The eventual outcomes of the current global tariff and trade convolutions are yet to be fully known. But regardless, developing contingency plans for supply chain issues and business interruptions is wise – notwithstanding your company’s specific exposure. Your supply chain and your business are vulnerable to much more than just tariffs, which are essentially taxes…
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Should participants go through a Business Simulation multiple times? – Third Times a Charm!
We’ve been building business simulations since 1994. We have long-term clients who we’ve worked with for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years. In several of our clients we are used for 101, 201, and 301-level curriculums that build business, financial, and leadership acumen. When we have a longer-term client “relationship,” occasionally individuals will show up…
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Silver Pens and Motivation
At the conclusion of PriSim’s business simulation exercises, we recognize the winners of the competition with a prize. Our trophy of choice for the winning team is an inexpensive solid silver magic levitating pen. But is this simple prize what motivates participants to stay focused over multiple days of number crunching, lectures, decision making, and…