Bill

The “Games” are really simulations with students managing businesses within a simulated environment.

They are real-time and multiplayer, so the decisions of each student quickly affect the market and other players. Students get a feel for the way markets work, and how to manage a business. No prior knowledge is required but by playing the game students will learn essential business principles.

I am very excited about the next generation which I have just created. In addition to factories there are now shops which buy on the wholesale market and sell to the public. The factories and shops are controlled by the Production Manager and Retail Manager.

In overall charge of the company is the General Manager who controls the money, and there is also an Owner who receives income from the company and invests it in a virtual share market consisting of all the companies in the game. All four players make up the Board of Directors, who must collaborate in creating and executing a coordinated company strategy.

The program simulates one month’s activity every 60 seconds, so the pace is very fast, and each player needs to contribute their best for the company to succeed. Because of this pace it is impossible for any one player to make all of the decisions or to dominate the game, as so often happens in management simulation team games. Companies are ranked in order every 60 seconds, as are the performances of the individual players, so there is always a high level of excitement. Students are always totally engrossed so the classes are a joy to run, and teachers are free to interact with the students on a one-to-one basis, helping them with advice. The game can be paused to explain various aspects of business or to give teams the chance to discuss strategies. Play can even be suspended until the next lesson!

As you can see, this version of the game is very strong on Team Building. Each player has the ability to either selfishly pursue their own strategy or to work together for the good of the team. To this end it is recommended that the game be paused regularly to allow brief “Board Meetings” to formulate new strategies or “Business Plans”.

Without such plans being formulated and executed, the company will be akin to a rowing boat going around in circles because the rowers are not rowing together.

Students of versions 1 and 2 continue to benefit from playing the game. “Awesome” is a common reaction, along with details of what they have learnt such as the way the retail and share markets work.

Schools purchase a licence for one year to use the program throughout the year at any time, by any department, for an unlimited number of sessions. Licences purchased now will run to the end of 2011, so you will have a couple of months for free. You will have your own password, your own database, and you will receive an automatic email at the end of each session ranking the students by overall performance. This includes the results of a built-in Pop Quiz on Business Studies and how the class did on each question, which can be used for assessment purposes, and to identify areas requiring further study.

The game is internet-based so requires no installation or downloads. Students just click on their school heading on the main page and enter a password, so the whole class can be playing in less than a minute.

The length of the game is determined by the teacher. If you have short periods you may wish to suspend the game and pick it up in the next lesson.

"All in all I thought it was excellent. The last two days were official practice for the main event next week. One boy reached millionaire status by simply trading shares (after selling his factory). All the boys were eager to play, rushed to class and all the banter/talk was on task. They definitely like it. This is a top stream class and it shows in both their enthusiasm and game play."

John Wilson - Business Studies teacher at Auckland Grammar School

	Teacher needs IT skills	Students can play at home	Game can be paused	Students play as a team	Game has factories	Game has shops	Cost
Version 1.0							$550
Version 2.0							$550
Version 3.0							$550

Costs :

You may wish to purchase one, two or three licences, but students will need experience with either Version 1.0 or Version 2.0 before graduating to version 3.0. Each licence costs $550.

Licences will run from the date of purchase to 31^st December, 2012, so the sooner you buy, the more your students will benefit.

I am available to run classes in schools at $100 per hour by appointment only. These fees may be deducted from the cost of the software if you decide to go ahead and purchase a licence

Please email orders to admin@billsphones.com

Bill Porter

Business Management Games

Phone 64-9-272-9166

Mobile 021-254-0350

The developer for Business Management Games is Bill Porter, who wrote his masters’ research essay on the role of management games in education. Our games are designed for business students from year 9 to university level. They allow the students to interact with various markets and with each other. Each version has taken approximately one year to develop and consists of around 300 interlocking programs.
		Bill Porter BA MPhil (Hons)