StratSimChina is designed for MBA, Executive Development, or advanced undergraduate courses with a focus on competition in dynamic emerging economies, specifically China. Students must manage short and long term objectives, making integrated decisions in all functional areas. Teams compete directly against each other, with the results being dependent upon how the competitors interact, what new products are introduced, and how these products are supported. StratSimChina is a great choice for a one-week intensive course as it comes with four cases that can easily be used concurrently with the simulation. StratSimChina is built on the StratSim methodology used by thousands of students since the mid-1990s. This unique version of StratSim is an excellent complement to traditional teaching methods, allowing students to apply marketing concepts in a dynamic, integrative environment.
StratSimChina incorporates unique segmentation and economic data appropriate for China and other dynamic, emerging economies and comes with four teaching cases.
The Case: Groups of 3-6 students are put in the role of a management team that takes over one of six companies competing in the Chineses automobile industry. Some companies are positioned as high-end producers while others are more value and volume driven. Each company begins the simulation with a limited number of vehicles and then must decide how best to improve their performance and potentially enter new market segments that offer opportunities for growth. Optionally, students may compete in the B2B market.
Decisions in StratSimChina include:
Strategy Formulation
Students start by conducting environmental analysis before articulating the vision and mission of the organization. Students must determine their firms' core competencies, and formulate corporate-level, business-level and functional-level strategies
Product Development
Students create new product concepts and choose whether to develop them and ultimately launch them into the market. Each team also has the ability to improve its development capabilities through investment in vehicle technologies, as well as by expanding the number of product development centers.
Marketing
Students develop an understanding of the marketing function and strategic management by analyzing consumer/product relationships, choosing target market segments, and designing and implementing a marketing mix strategy.
Operations
Teams make operations decisions that consist of building or selling off capacity, entering a sales forecast and production level for each product, and optionally, deciding to source from overseas. Retooling costs and estimated inventory are recalculated when the forecast or production is changed.
Human Resources
Students must decide how team responsibilities are divided. Will they be product managers? Functional managers? How will information be analyzed? Who will negotiate with potential partners? All students on a team make one set of decisions for their firm, so coordination among team members is an essential ingredient for success.
Finance and Accounting
Financing and management accounting decisions in StratSimChina involve analyzing projected cash flows and ensuring there are sufficient funds to cover investments and operations. In addition to choosing among many alternative uses for their limited funds, students also make decisions involving dividends, short vs. long-term debt, and raising capital by issuing stocks and bonds. Students are expected to perform financial ratio, breakeven, and net present value analysis.
Optional B2B Module
This optional modules allow students to explore alternative purchase processes and sourcing options with Chinese fleet customers. The B2B module may be turned on at any point during the simulation to provide new challenges and options as the game progresses.
Purchase of Market Research
Students use sophisticated market research to learn about buyer behavior, and improve their strategic choices. Research techniques included in StratSimChina include test markets, conjoint analysis, perceptual mapping, focus groups, concept tests, and purchase surveys.
Student performance can be compared on a number of metrics including stock price, net income, standard marketing and financial measures, as well as an instructor-weighted balanced scorecard. All Interpretive simulations include a pre-simulation quiz and peer review. StratSimChina also comes with four cases on strategic issues in China and an article by Juan Fernandez of CEIBS in Shanghai. This exciting new version successfully builds on the underlying model that has been used by thousands of students and executives around the world for over a decade.
Covers Strategy
Advanced Level
Direct Competition