August 19th, 2008 eliza
Income/Outcome is a competitive business simulation, and that competition is an important element of the learning environment. Competition creates engagement - people like playing games so they are attentive to the learning environment.
Additionally, competition provides the ‘hook’ for the learning; individuals/teams want to win, and in order to take control of the situation, they need to master some foundational business concepts. The financial planning and analysis tools which are used in the game, are immediately transferable to the real world (and for the same purpose - beating the competition!)
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August 7th, 2008 eliza
Aifa, a new management consulting and training firm with offices in Montevideo is bringing the Income/Outcome board game business simulation to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
Since 1996, US-based Andromeda Training has provided business acumen training workshops incorporating their highly successful Income/Outcome business simulations. This business finance teaching tool is actually a board game that has employees teaming up to conquer a classroom industry. The simulation is known for the clarity and simplicity of fundamental business concepts, and it is widely used for teaching the foundations of corporate finance. Other hallmarks of the training programs are a visual representation of the income statement and balance sheet which connects directly to real world financial results; a selectable learning level that tailors simulation complexity to match the need of the target audience; and the inclusion of people as decision-makers in the business model.
Posted in Global Network, Press Release | 1 Comment »
July 29th, 2008 Robin
An engaging little conversation between Barack Obama and British Opposition leader David Cameron was caught on tape and distributed by the Associated Press:
Obama-Cameron conversation
I think there are actually two kinds of “taking time to think”, at least in our Income/Outcome business simulation. One is demonstrated by looking at the difference between doing four decision-making rounds in Entrepreneurial Challenge in 4 hours, versus doing those same rounds spread out over 8 hours in Finance For Everyone but with planning and analysis interspersed. Obviously the longer format offers the opportunity to ‘take time to think’.
Posted in Business Simulations, Business Thoughts, Idle Musings | Please Leave A Comment »
July 11th, 2008 eliza
We advocate our board game business simulation as being the ideal instrument for developing business acumen. The experiential learning component is strong, and employees become emotionally invested in mastering the finance tools we provide. Here is another possibility - go to Hollywood! BusinessPundit.com offers their list of 50 Best Business Movies, with the premise that you can watch other people’s experiences to “amp up your business acumen”.
Which is the better solution? Board game business simulation or Netflix? Here is how they stack up:
Posted in Idle Musings | Please Leave A Comment »
July 10th, 2008 eliza
Andromeda Training, announces the launch of a strategic partnership with Teneo Consulting, a management training and consulting firm with offices in Madrid and Barcelona, bringing the Income/Outcome board game business simulations to Spain.
Since 1996, Andromeda Training has provided business acumen training workshops incorporating their highly successful Income/Outcome business simulations. The teaching tool is not a computer simulation, it is a board game with up to 10,000 pieces; and it offers ‘high touch’ learning. The number of pieces not withstanding, the simulation is known for the clarity and simplicity of fundamental business concepts, and it is widely used for teaching the fundamentals of corporate finance. Other hallmarks of the training programs are a visual representation of the income statement and balance sheet which connects directly to real world financial results; a selectable learning level that tailors simulation complexity to match the need of the target audience; and the inclusion of people as decision-makers in the business model.
Posted in Press Release | 1 Comment »
July 4th, 2008 Robin
As training consultants to both corporate and academic clients, we joke ruefully that whenever there is a downturn for a company, the first group to get cut back will be the Training Department, and the first trainers to get axed will be the outside consultants.
Last year our training work ground to a near-halt at the end of October. Apart from a couple of reasonable months in April and May, it has been very quiet this year. But suddenly fresh bookings are pouring in from clients old and new, all focused on August through October.
Posted in Business Thoughts, Training and Development | 1 Comment »
July 2nd, 2008 eliza
Last month we hosted Income/Outcome University 2008, by far the most successful conference we have held to date. University and Fortune 500 clients came together with distributors from five continents to play the “Entrepreneurial Challenge” business game, hear academic and university keynote addresses, and share ideas and experiences.
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June 30th, 2008 Robin
In the old days at a tire manufacturing site of a company that shall remain nameless, workers on the production line had a row of lights over their work station. Each light could be green or red, showing whether that aspect of their production process was working with full efficiency or not.
The workers took pride in getting all the lights green before the end of their shift, so that they could climb up onto the railings where they were visible to everyone else, and have a relaxed smoke as a demonstration to all that they had got everything running perfectly. It was their de facto incentive system.
Posted in Business Simulations, Business Thoughts, Training and Development | Please Leave A Comment »
June 12th, 2008 eliza
These are a couple of games I/we have recommended heavily in the last few months, and a couple of people have suggested I post them here. Both are free.
Free Rice is offers an opportunity for focused engagement (while letting your unconscious brain process all the bits and pieces of your current projects). It also happens to be a great tool for students in search of vocab words! It starts out with 4 words to assess your level, so don’t be intimidated. (Or you can set some starting options, which I just discovered). BTW, the ‘free rice’ name means that every time you answer correctly, the sponsors (at the bottom of the page) will donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.
Posted in Board (and Card) Games, Idle Musings | Please Leave A Comment »
June 4th, 2008 Robin
It looks like Income/Outcome is finally beginning to come together with a global network of training providers. Not only did we have representatives from five continents for our conference in May, but we are starting to see a natural coming-together of our community.
In Romania, a former Michelin manager who has taught 30 Income/Outcome business literacy workshops, asks about bringing the program in to his new company. Meanwhile Kennesaw State University, which uses the business simulation in their Executive MBA program in the US, is working with a couple of profs at the ASEBUSS business school in Romania to introduce Income/Outcome. And our Italian connection, Gruppo Soges, has already taught Income/Outcome workshops in Romania.
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