financing & business planning simulation

Our Simulations

Capsimcore - our backdrop simulation, foundation - basic business acumen, capsimops - operations focus, capstone - advanced business acumen, capsimglobal - multinational business, globaldna - transnational business.

Key Features

• Simulation Teaching Platforms
• Onsite, Online, and Blended
• Academic Courseware
• Corporate Seminars
• Both Hard Skills and Soft Skills
• Extensive Customer Support
• Integrated AI Teaching Assistant
• Minimizes Instructor Workload
• Team-centric Design
• Expandable Complexity
• Assurance of Learning Solutions

About Our Business Simulations

Capsimglobal, case modules.

What sets Capsim simulations apart from our competitors? This article describes our simulation design goals, from approaching simulations as an art form to making the instructor's job a focal point.

• Superior design
• Highly evolved
• Serves both corporate and collegiate communities
• Shaped by user feedback
• Easy to teach

What makes business simulations so successful in the classroom? This article explores the theory behind business simulations.

• What are business simulations?
• What are the teaching goals?
• What distinguishes company/industry specific simulations from teaching platforms?
• How do business simulations differ from Inbox simulations?

We have delivered tens of thousands of simulations, and we can show you everything you need. This article offers:

• Class and team sizes.
• Support and technical requirements.
• Integrating AI, YouTube, and social media.
• Onsite/Online logistics.
• Onsite seminar deliveries.
• Online and blended deliveries.
• Enhancement with Inbox simulations.
• Teaching environments.
• Onsite, online, and blended formats.
• Debriefing and wrap-up.

Business simulations are used in two ways – to teach business acumen, and to create a context where business is the backdrop. Usually they do both, but CapsimCore is specially designed to emphasize the backdrop. On the surface it looks like a richer simulation, and participants still make policy decision that drive the results. However, CapsimCore is forgiving of mistakes, and it leaves out the data and reports that participants would need to dig deep into their company and industry. 

Use cases include:

• To teach a behavioral competency. The simulation provides a business backdrop to teach, say, emotional intelligence. Compare with backdrops like sports, escape rooms, or role plays.
• To integrate business with another discipline. For example, to integrate business into an engineering, law, or medicine curriculum. 
• To introduce business education. It might be used to kick off an MBA program where students have a degree in something other than business. 
• To make distinctions between one functional area and another. In an accounting class, it can demonstrate the importance of accounting to marketing and production.
• To satisfy a networking objective. CapsimCore creates a highly charged, emotional, competitive, fun backdrop that gets people out of “the box” and opens their minds to learning. It might serve as a shared experience in an executive education program, a seminar, or a conference.

In the "backdrop" role, sometimes instructors want a simulation that can be used as a context for teaching behavioral competencies, or as a networking vehicle, or as in interdisciplinary framework. When streamlined to its basics,  Foundation  fills this role while retaining the tools needed to touch on business acumen. Where  CapsimCore  can be delivered in as little as four hours, a minimalist  Foundation  can be delivered in as little as a day. 

In the "acumen" role,  Foundation  is less complex than  Capstone , but it can be enhanced with add-in modules to meet most of  Capstone's  learning objectives. Instructors choose Foundation when the agenda is squeezed for time, or they are working with an audience that is still learning business vocabulary. When configured to save time,  Foundation  can be delivered in 75% of the time  Capstone  requires. With add-in modules,  Foundation  takes about the same time as a minimized  Capstone .

In the "backdrop" role,  Foundation  places more emphasis on business principles than  CapsimCore . It requires more time. Instructors use  Foundation :

• To add a highly charged, emotional, competitive, fun backdrop to the agenda. A simulation gets people out of “the box” and opens their minds to learning.
• To integrate business with another discipline. For example, to impart business knowledge to professionals in engineering, law, or medicine. 
• To teach a behavioral competency. The simulation provides a business backdrop to teach, say, emotional intelligence. (Compare with backdrops like sports, escape rooms, or role plays.)
• To satisfy a networking objective. For example, it might serve as a shared experience in an executive education program, a seminar, or a conference.

In the "acumen" role, instructors use  Foundation :

• To introduce business education. For example, it might be used as an elective "Intro to Business" course for undergraduates, or it might be used to kick off an MBA program where students have a degree in something other than business.
• To make distinctions between one functional area and another. For example, in an accounting class, it can demonstrate the importance of accounting to marketing and production. 
• To serve as pre-work for a comprehensive, assurance-of-learning, accreditation exam prior to graduation. In this role, Foundation refreshes concepts, terms, and skills, and pulls together the entire curriculum for students before they do the exam.

Building on the   Foundation   framework,   CapsimOps   delves deeper into the nuances of operations management. While it matches   Capstone   in terms of duration,   CapsimOps   presents a more intricate exploration of operational complexities, surpassing both   Foundation   and   Capstone   in this domain. This specialized simulation underscores the pivotal role of operations management in shaping business strategy.

CapsimOps  caters to a diverse audience, including corporate trainers, business school educators, and professionals within government and non-profit sectors, who seek a deeper understanding of operations management within business strategy.

In the "Operational Depth" Role,  CapsimOps  distinguishes itself by:

• Enhancing Operational Understanding: Ideal for creating an immersive learning environment that goes beyond traditional teaching methods,  CapsimOps  encourages participants to engage deeply with the intricacies of operations management, making learning more dynamic and impactful.
• Cross-Disciplinary Integration:  CapsimOps  is particularly effective for professionals in fields like engineering, technology, and healthcare, offering them a comprehensive insight into how operations management is integral to overall business strategy, thereby fostering a holistic view of business operations.
• Developing Strategic Thinking: By simulating complex operational scenarios,  CapsimOps  serves as a platform for developing critical competencies such as strategic planning, decision-making, and problem-solving, crucial for today's fast-paced business environments.
• Building Cohesion and Networking:  CapsimOps  can act as a touchstone for shared experiences in leadership programs, workshops, or industry conferences, promoting collaboration, networking, and peer learning among participants.

In the "Specialized Learning" Role,  CapsimOps  is utilized for:

• Advanced Business Training: Suitable for both introductory and advanced levels,  CapsimOps  can be integrated into specialized courses or modules focusing on operations management, supply chain management, or logistics, providing a practical, hands-on approach to learning.
• Inter-functional Synergy:  CapsimOps  excels in demonstrating the interconnectedness of various business functions, making it an invaluable tool for courses that aim to illustrate the impact of operational decisions on finance, marketing, human resources, and more.
• Executive Education and Professional Development: For seasoned professionals and executives,  CapsimOps  offers an opportunity to refine strategic operations management skills, adapt to evolving business landscapes, and drive organizational success through effective operational strategies.

Capstone pulls together the entire spectrum of business education. To succeed against their competitors, participants must integrate functional strategies into one coherent business strategy. They face challenges ranging from strategic analysis to team development.

Capstone excels at teaching business acumen, both the hard skills and the soft skills. 

CapsimGlobal serves both the corporate training and academic markets. In executive education, it is used with audiences of domestic managers seeking a better understanding of international issues, ranging from market entry to supply chains. In academic settings, it might cap an international business sequence in an undergraduate program, or distinguish between undergraduate and MBA programs in a wrap-up course.

If you are new to our products, Foundation and Capstone are domestic simulations designed to teach business acumen. Both use a perceptual map that you could compare with a chess board. Foundation and CapsimGlobal place two market segments on the perceptual map. Capstone places five. 

Now picture a 3D chess set. Replace the boards with perceptual maps. Deploy a two-segment map on the bottom map. That’s the USA. Above it we have Germany and China. Voila. CapsimGlobal . It is the cubic member of Foundation/Capstone / CapsimGlobal trio. 

GlobalDNA serves both the corporate training and academic markets. In executive education, it is used with audiences of domestic managers seeking a better understanding of international issues, ranging from market entry to supply chains. In academic settings, it might cap an international business sequence in an undergraduate program, or distinguish between undergraduate and MBA programs in a wrap-up course.

Chess uses a 2D board. Capstone and Foundation use perceptual maps. Foundation is simpler - it places two segments on the map while Capstone places five segments. Both are teaching platforms. Most of the aspects of business acumen, ranging from team building to business strategy, can be taught with either simulation. However, they are domestic simulations, not international.  

Now picture a 3D chess set. Replace the boards with perceptual maps. Deploy a two-segment map on the bottom map. That’s the domestic playing field, comparable to Foundation and just as complex.  Above it we have two international markets, equally complex. In CapsimGlobal , we present a domestic company with the opportunity to evolve into a multinational by entering Germany or China. In GlobalDNA ,  we expand on that theme by going from a multinational to a transnational corporation with options to regionalize Europe and Asia. 

GlobalDNA and CapsimGlobal have similar teaching missions. As an observation, our academic customers choose CapsimGlobal first. It is somewhat simpler - for example, CapsimGlobal does not grapple with outsourcing. Customers choose GlobalDNA when they need a second international simulation in their curriculum (undergraduates use CapsimGlobal , MBA's use GlobalDNA ), or when they are working with a senior executive education audience.

Case modules are presented as new decisions and reports that are added into the user interface. In some cases they appear on a new display, and in others they are added to an existig display. They act upon the model as force drivers. For example, they might increase or decrease material costs, demand, or R&D cycle time.

A Case Module might not fit into a particular simulation or configuration. For example, within the   Foundation   universe, some configurations will work with, say,   The Internet of Things   case module, while other configurations disallow that module. We handle this problem by (1) asking instructors the configuration questions during the setup, then (2) only presenting the case module as an option if it works with the configuration.  

Introduction Videos for Participants by Product

Capstone 1.0.

Capstone 2.0

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Business Planning Simulation

Planning2Win is an online simulation designed specifically for small-medium sized businesses to help business leaders, managers and staff gain a better understanding of business planning and market strategy.   

With 70% of companies not having a business plan, Planning2Win provides an opportunity for companies to learn how to out-perform their competitors. 

Download the Planning2Win eBrochure at the bottom of the page.

What is Planning2Win?

Six individuals or teams compete against each other in the guise of competing legal firms, tasked to make the most profit for their business. Each individual / team represents an existing company that has its own strategy, business plan, and profit and loss account. First, they must continue implementing the existing business plan, before moving on to making their own decisions based on available market data, analysis of their own performance and competitor analysis. In the simulation, business leaders and their managers and key staff members can experiment, risk-free, with strategies to achieve competitive advantage in a virtual world. 

There are five decision-making rounds typically played over six months. In addition, facilitated feedback sessions are available from an experienced QuoLux™ facilitator. 

Business Planning Skills

Understanding market strategy is one of the most important skills of an effective business leader.  

The objective of Planning2Win is to introduce some of the language of strategic marketing as well as tools and techniques that participants can use to help them in their own business.  All of the planning templates are also available to keep, for use back ‘in the real world’. 

During the decision rounds, individuals / teams can develop, practise and hone their market strategy skills including identifying “why clients buy”, “what are attractive markets” and “where best to compete”, as well as making better decisions. 

Participants have an authentic learning experience in the area of market segmentation, business strategy and financial analysis. 

Feedback Sessions

Monthly feedback sessions are also available in which an experienced QuoLux™ facilitator provides support to the individuals/teams, encouraging them to think about what they have learnt during each decision-making round and how to apply that learning to themselves, their team, their department and their business. 

Each participant of the simulation receives a Certificate of Completion.

The benefits of Planning2Win for individuals  

• Develop understanding of business planning language  
• Learn numerous new tools, techniques and approaches to use in the workplace 
• Develop the ability to work collaboratively through mutual support, feedback and awareness of group dynamics 
• Increased confidence in delivering the strategic plan 
• Reflecting on key learning after each round develops personal and professional continuous improvement 
• Learn from others’ experiences in the group 
• See the effect of your decisions in a risk-free environment 
• Accelerated performance through experiential learning 

The benefits of Planning2Win for the organisation include:  

• Mirrors real business challenges 
• Greater organisational and team performance 
• Support for senior leaders in building an empowered, high-performing organisation 
• Managers and staff skilled in delivering the business’ strategic plan with a better understanding of the wider strategic picture 
• Improve retention and development of the most talented managers and staff 
• Promote continuous professional development 
• Add an element of competitive challenge and fun across your organisation by engaging management, teams, staff and departments 

Develop Skills In

What our clients say.

Andrew Hopcraft COO, National Composites Centre Planning2Win was a really useful programme for the NCC. It gave a shared perspective and understanding on our approach to the segments our teams face and helped us to understand and create the value propositions we needed.

Shelley Bonney Commercial Solicitor, WSP Solicitors Planning2Win is a game changer. It is a practical, fun and engaging course that provides you with tools, a framework, support and insights to enable you to develop your skills and better understand marketing strategies so that you can apply them to your business.

Simon Kershaw Managing Director, SK Heating & Cooling It opens your thought process to think big picture and how to invest going forwards.

Judi Bonham Managing Director, WSP Solicitors The level of engagement has increased with Teams making time to work together on their businesses and compete against each other whilst being able to see things from a different perspective.

Dan Hodgson Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Prima Dental Group Participation in the simulation was an effective way to develop critical thinking skills.

Professor Malcolm McDonald Cranfield University Management School Understanding market strategy is one of the most important skills of an effective business.

Some Clients Who Did Planning2Win

Develop Your Strategic Planning Skills

If you are interested in Planning2Win, either to play within your company, or against other organisations, get in touch below and we'll share how you and your business could benefit.

Ask for a demo

Download the Planning2Win brochure

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• Business Simulations

What is a Business Simulation?

A Business Simulation is a computer-based model of business processes and dynamics. At PriSim we combine simulations with lectures, exercises, discussions and a fun competition to achieve an engaging learning experience. As our customers will tell you , PriSim simulation courses are one of the best ways to learn about business and finance.

The information used to design our simulations is taken from real-world businesses operating in the actual marketplace. We use this information to create the foundation for the strategic, financial, and operational relationships that participants observe in the simulations and financial reports.

When we build a business simulation, we do our best to incorporate the important dynamics of the marketplace. However, simulations are only representations of real organizations operating within a marketplace. Although our simulations are based upon the dynamics of actual businesses, clearly we cannot account for all business dynamics. We limit the scope of the dynamics, and thus the participants’ decisions, to focus their time and thoughts on issues that are critical to their development as an effective business decision-maker.

Why Use a Simulation?

Participants can learn more because they are engaged in the learning process.

The consequences of taking risks are reduced  

See the big picture    

Sample Course Agenda

The sample course agenda shows the elements of a typical PriSim® course. We can work with you to modify the topics, the timing, and the number of course-days to fit your needs.

The Simulation Process

Participants are broken into separate management teams. Their challenge is to manage and improve a business for several simulated years in a competitive marketplace. During each round participants will:

• Assess the company’s strengths, weaknesses, and current and past performance.
• Analyze opportunities and threats in the external market.
• Benchmark against competitors.
• Set direction and strategy.
• Execute the business plan.

At the end of each simulated year teams are given feedback on their performance. The management Team that runs the “best” company over several simulated years of competition wins!

Three of our most popular Business Simulations

Manufacturing business simulation.

Management and Leadership Development Courses for Manufacturing and Other Industries.

Insurance Business Simulation

A Management and Leadership Development Course for the Insurance Industry

A&D Business Simulation

A Management and Leadership Development Course for the Aerospace and Defense Industry

Teaching Methods

PriSim’s instructional designers have developed a large tool-kit of teaching approaches that can be used in any combination to accomplish your unique learning objectives:

Pre-Work – participants are given ~1.5-hours of prework to be completed prior to the class to prepare them for the challenge ahead. Materials may include a Case Study Guide, HBR articles on Decision Making, Strategy, or Leadership, and a questionnaire, among other materials.

Computerized Business Simulations – that challenge teams to apply business concepts and strategies as they run an industry-specific business in a dynamic, evolving, and competitive marketplace. Learn More >>

Lectures and Discussions – on key business subjects such as strategy, finance, operations, teamwork, and leadership.

Pen-and-Paper Exercises – to focus on specific calculations such as Net Present Value and Break-Even Analysis.

Memo Engine(TM) – that presents teams with unique, unexpected industry/company-specific challenges outside of the simulation that must be immediately solved before proceeding in the simulation. Learn More >>

Table-Top Board Games – as a supplement to highlight specific financial concepts. Learn More >>

Classroom Feedback and Debriefs – after each competitive round.

After-Action Review – at the end of the course teams present their strategies in a group debrief, and each participant shares a key takeaway from the class that will be applied on-the-job.

Flexible Configurations

Our simulations and classes are very flexible and can be configured many different ways:

Number of Teams – As few as 2 and as many as 8 teams can compete in an “industry”. Multiple industries can be run for larger groups.

Participants – We recommend team sizes of 3-6 participants; however, teams can be composed of as few as 1-participant to as many as needed. Single classes or concurrent class-sessions can be run depending upon total class size.

Course Length – Classes can be run over a 1-4 day timeframe. Most of PriSim’s clients choose to run 2-day or 3-day classes.

Continuous Learning Approach

An effective teaching approach must ensure that learning continues long after the class is over. PriSim’s course agendas include time for participants to reflect on, share, and commit to on-the-job applications of course learning. In this way, students maximize their retention of course concepts and increase the probability of application in the real world. PriSim also works with clients to implement additional post-course learning approaches such as strategic projects, learning plans, action-plans , etc.

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Browse alone*, or with us. Solo trial is not yet available for all simulations, but we’re working on it!

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Let your business thrive by making the right decisions with your team.

Business finance as a common language.

With Fundamentals of Finance, develop your finance acumen to reach sounder business decisions and explore how organizations create value. This finance-oriented business simulation helps participants understand the financial impact of decisions, why they should and how they can monitor business performance.

Design a strategy through the eyes of a CFO

Define, plan and monitor financial KPIs to identify the best choices for your business, and allocate resources accordingly

Capture markets potential

Building a unique value proposition that caters to your customers’ profile.

Find an optimal balance

Between generating cash, lasting profitability and market leadership, with your strategy in mind.

What is this business simulation about?

Grow your finance acumen and make sounder business decisions..

In this business simulation, teams manage a two-product portfolio: each business line is at a different stage of its lifecycle and is offered to different customer profiles. ‍ As they seek to impose their leadership on the markets, participants will explore the three financial statements and their link to managerial decisions, in articulation with their business strategy.

University – Financial accounting courses at advanced undergraduate and graduate levels. Corporate – Junior to middle managers.

From 6 to 16 hours playing time; Can be spread over multiple days, weeks, or months.

From 6 participants; Online, face-to-face or blended facilitation; Participants and professors have access to videos and pre reading material to understand the rules of the game autonomously.

What are the learning objectives?

Understand value creation.

what it means, how it is created and how it gets lost.

Understand the three financial statements

i.e., the balance sheet, the cashflow statement and the P&L statement, and how they help you monitor business performance.

Explore the implications of profitability, cash, and financing needs

onthe business’ ability to last,including the concept of operating working capital management.

Understand how one’s decisions influence the financial results of the business

by visualizing the levers to boost – or damage – your organization’s financial health .

Develop a capacity to identify the right KPIs

such as liquidity, profitability, activity and leverage ratios, and create monitoring tools.

Masha Tarle joins MEGA Learning

The cashflow statement, explained

Learning business resilience with a game.

Meet our other business games.

With your team, allocate resources and develop your 4-product portfolio in a highly competitive environment.

Develop your finance acumen to reach sounder business decisions and explore how organizations create value.

Analyze your potential customers and build an attractive (and profitable!) value proposition that grants you market leadership.

Healthcare management

Build a financially sound and sustainable strategy for your hospital, supporting your personnel to best serve the community.

Human capital

Human Resources policy alignment with corporate strategy: this is what this business game is about.

Budgeting and Forecasting Software

Move away from Excel with our flexible Budgeting and Forecasting Software.

“What-if”?

Generate balance and liquidity automatically based on your scenario simulations.

• Create and run simulations based on all plausible parameters
• Build alternative scenario plans that analyze the impact of risk and uncertainty across a range of probabilities
• Simulate scenarios for several factors like sales, expense, purchase, etc.
• Generate balance and liquidity automatically based on your scenarios to smoothen your financial planning

Easily simulate a reorganization

Review the outcome and compare results by using TrueVI.

• Run a test planning process as an isolated version when planning an acquisition or restructuring, while still working on the current planning process
• Use multiple versions of the same data, at the same time, for different planning processes and versions
• Return to a previous version at any time, and see exactly what numbers and assumptions your decisions were based on

Test your business strategies

Try out various assumptions and business drivers and see their effect on the future in real-time.

• Be able to change assumptions and business drivers to test different outcomes by saving all unique tests
• Manage user access for each version
• Make well-founded decisions and choose the right direction for your company

Minimal support required

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Business Simulations that

Engage students, transform your classroom with realistic business simulations that engage your students and teach real-world skills. we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and ease of integration into any classroom..

Bring real-world experience into your classroom with our Business Simulations! 

The green business lab, interpretive simulations now offers the green business lab: a dynamic learning experience with a focus on sustainability, our management, marketing, and strategy simulations..

Management Simulations overview

Business Essentials Simulation

Retail Entrepreneurship Simulation

Human Resource Management Simulation

Strategy Simulation

Strategic Management Simulation

Our management simulations help students learn the fundamentals of business, develop critical thinking skills, and apply their knowledge in a dynamic industry.

Students function as a “real-life” company, making informed decisions and reacting to the outcomes of their decisions., our marketing simulations challenge students to analyze their position, make decisions, and understand the interrelation of different marketing elements., students can gain a deeper understanding of marketing principles and tactics by testing their ideas and observing the outcomes of their decisions through these simulations..

Marketing Simulations overview

Introduction to Marketing Simulation

Marketing Principles Simulation

Marketing Management Simulation

International Marketing Simulation

Marketing Strategy Simulation

Strategy Simulations overview

Global Strategy Simulation

Our strategy simulations challenge students to implement their strategy by making a wide range of decisions in marketing, operations, management, and finances., the simulations reinforce strategic concepts such as swot analysis, market positioning, creating and implementing a business strategy, and the interrelation of decisions, helping students to better understand and apply these concepts., join our growing community trusted by schools of all types to bring real-world experience into their classroom with our business simulations.

Instructors

DISCOVER WHY INSTRUCTORS CHOOSE INTERPRETIVE BUSINESS SIMULATIONS!

Interpretive will always be the first choice for my classes, in any country I am teaching . Of course, their simulations are excellent and super interesting and well elaborated, students love it and are really motivated, but other companies also have this. What Interpretive has that others don´t is the supporting Team that is simply PERFECT!

Ivana Pereira Goulart, Johannes Kepler University Linz

The MarketShare simulation has allowed my students to experience marketing in a way that no other classroom activity can duplicate. Every semester a sizable portion of my class lists it as their favorite part of the course. And the support Interpretive provides both me and my students is top notch, which allows me to concentrate on teaching rather than tech support.

Laura Downey, Purdue University

I find StratSim provides an excellent amount of realism and really pushes students to integrate what they know about various functional areas. Interpretive provides exceptional service and support for Instructors and Students alike.

Michele Yoder, York college of Pennsylvania

I have seen the difference in my students work as a result of their experience with the simulations and it helps prepare them to manage and balance multiple variables in a real business. The support that Interpretive Simulations provides is excellent as well; and recommend them highly.

Clint Vogus, Arkansas State University

Not only is the simulation an excellent tool for undergraduates, I use Corporation's more "ambitious" scenario when I teach MBA students, both traditional end executives. Interpretive's support staff has never let me down, whether I'm teaching in the US or abroad and I am grateful for the partnership we've built over the years.

Timothy Palmer, Western Michigan University

PharmaSim has become an essential element of my classroom teaching in the Marketing Strategy course as it creates such an engaging setting for the students that learning occurs naturally through their classroom experience.

Hooman Estelami, Fordham University

The fact that we have been using the game three times a year for decades now shows that we have not been able to find a better alternative. The strong points of the game are that it is very motivational and all in all it seems to reward the best performing teams. Furthermore, the support of the company is perfect: answers are always provided within a working day.

Herman Wassens, Stenden University

Students love the competition and the simulation allows them to engage with other students in a realistic scenario. A textbook looks at marketing topics individually, the simulation provides an opportunity for students to integrate the information from the chapters into a consistent strategy.

Steven Cox, Queens University of Charlotte

Students overwhelmingly like this simulation. Their enthusiasm was so strong, that this year, I decided to increase the simulation period from six weeks to eight weeks. The support from Interpretive is outstanding. This simulation is one of the most useful tools I have available to me as an instructor.

Benson Honig - McMaster University

Students love simulations and generally become rather competitive, which enhances everyone’s learning of the materials we cover in class. Additionally, these simulations provide a wonderful counterpoint to students’ exploration of nascent business ideas, which tends to be quite conceptual. Customer support is also very helpful and responsive.

Tina Klein, University of California - San Diego

NewShoes helps keep the class exciting and engaging, as I give them time in class to make their decisions. The simulation ties nicely to my course objectives, allowing the students to see how marketing strategy can help (or hurt) a firm!

Alex Milovic, Marquette University

Your company is wonderful. The support is unbelievable.

Deborah Colton-Hebert, Rochester Institute of Technology

I have been using StratSimMarketing for years. The peer-to-peer competition is engaging and the decisions students need to make are relevant to help them understand not only marketing, but also the value of research, operations and finance. I also appreciate the flexibility in turning some options on or off, and the responsive support team.

Nathalie Dens, James Madison University

Not only do the students learn the subjects, they retain the information better than just using reading materials alone. The weekly process of analyzing consumer and market data, making decisions based on that data, then analyzing the results of those decisions embeds the process in their minds.

George Grody, Duke University

Students comment on strategic airline simulation as one of the best aspects of learning as this helps them in gaining hands-on experience in applying and evaluating strategic decisions. The support services from interpretive are phenomenal as each of our queries stands solved the very next day.

Byju Madhavan, Villa College

EXPERIENCE EXCEPTIONAL SUPPORT WITH OUR BUSINESS SIMULATIONS!

At interpretive, our commitment extends beyond providing realistic business simulations. we prioritize comprehensive support for our customers, ensuring a seamless teaching experience. our fully administered services enable you to focus on instruction while we manage the logistics of your simulation event., choose our business simulations and be paired with a dedicated customer relationship manager (crm) ready to assist in integrating our simulations into your class, and to answer any questions you may have. our experienced customer support specialists promptly respond to all technical simulation inquiries from students within 24 hours. with our committed support team, you can confidently implement our business simulations, enhancing your classroom learning environment..

How much does it cost?

Our prices range from $29.95 through $49.95 USD per user for academic use. Our simulations are affordable and effective!

Is it customizable?

Each of our business simulations comes with a variety of scenarios & simulation settings instructors can choose from.

How long does it take to set up a simulation?

The setup process is quick and easy  within the same business day!  Our support team will let you know the information we need from you about your course and will get everything set up on your site promptly.

How do I assess my students’ performance?

We provide several tools that help you assess students’ understanding of business concepts, including quizzes, assignments, and a weighted scorecard of simulation performance measures.

See our business simulations in action!

Stay informed: latest updates on our business simulations.

New StratSim 3+3 scenario! Available for Fall 2024.

We are excited to announce the release of our newest StratSim 3+3 scenario! We believe 3+3 scenario will create an engag...

Interpretive Simulations now offers The Green Business Lab

The Green Business Lab: A dynamic learning experience with a focus on sustainability....

Our simulation assignments are now completely online!

Simulations provide the playing field for learning outcomes—but they are at their best when they have a “coach...

Key Features of Our Business Simulations

Tour Videos

Guided tours of the simulation for faculty and students.

Assignments

All assignments are now easily assigned, accessed, and graded.

Student Journey

A full report of student activity within the simulation.

Decision Rationale

Students can justify their decision choices each period.

Teammates can communicate with each other directly.

Business Systems Applications

Strategic planning.

Using Simulation to Support Strategic Planning

Strategic planning typically involves development and evaluation of one or more alternative strategies to identify the approach that offers the greatest potential for success. When strategic planning is dependent on complex systems that are highly uncertain, even the most sophisticated strategic planners often conclude that the unknowns are insurmountable and end up making a decision based on intuition.

Strategic planning typically involves development and evaluation of one or more alternative strategies to identify the approach that offers the greatest potential for success. When strategic planning is dependent on complex systems that are highly uncertain, even the most sophisticated strategic planners often conclude that the unknowns are insurmountable and end up making a decision based on intuition. GoldSim offers the opportunity to explicitly quantify your uncertainties in order to elevate your strategic planning process from intuition to a rational and defensible quantitative methodology.

By combining the flexibility of a general-purpose and highly-graphical probabilistic simulation framework with specialized features to support financial modeling , GoldSim allows you to create quantitative and transparent business models to support your strategic planning efforts and make better decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Some of GoldSim’s key features that make this possible include the ability to:

• Incorporate variability and uncertainty . If your strategic planning efforts are challenged by lack of information regarding how your system operates or future conditions, GoldSim makes it easy to incorporate variability and uncertainty into your simulations.
• Represent random discrete events . In many strategic planning efforts, certain events or developments could completely change the outcome of certain strategic decisions. GoldSim has the capability to represent random discrete events, such as new technological advances, lawsuits, or natural disasters, that can play a critical role in determining which strategic approach is most effective.
• Build top-down hierarchical models. GoldSim allows you to construct hierarchical multi-layer models that represent greater detail at lower levels in the model structure. As a result, you can build, explore, and explain highly complex strategic planning models without losing sight of the big picture.
• Dynamically link to external data repositories. Strategic planning simulations should be based on current information. For large models with large amounts of input data, it can be labor-intensive and burdensome to enter data manually each time you want to update the model. GoldSim offers the ability to link to ERP and other database systems that represent the most recent information.
• Create easy-to-understand presentations that effectively communicate the structure of your model and the results. The best-designed strategic plans probably won’t be implemented if your audience doesn’t understand them. GoldSim’s user-friendly graphical interface provides you with the tools to communicate with and convince your audience.
• Compare GoldSim to spreadsheet modeling approaches

White Papers

• GoldSim: Using Simulation to Move Beyond the Limitations of Spreadsheet Models
• Strategic Planning Applications Using GoldSim

Technical Papers

Renewable Energy – December 2017

Alexandros Daniilidis, Betül Alpsoy, and Rien Herber, University of Groningen

This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of a deep, direct use geothermal heat system in a conductive geological setting (Groningen, NE Netherlands). The model integrates the previously discussed uncertainties of the initial reservoir state, geological and operational conditions with the economic uncertainties. These uncertainties are incorporated in the form of probability distributions and 20,000 iterations of the model are performed over a project lifetime of 40 years. A combination of Ex-Ante and Ex-Post criteria are used to evaluate the economic performance of the system based on the Net Present Value (NPV), Levelised Cost of Heat (LCOH) and Expected Monetary Value (EMV).

View Paper or Abstract

Publication for the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA-CN-226-34 – June 2015

R. Stoll, J. Greeves, and J. Voss with Predicus LLC, USA; A. Keizur and A. Neir with Golder Associates Inc., USA; N. Saraeva and W. Nutt with Argonne National Laboratory, USA

An Execution Strategy Analysis (ESA) capability and tool is being developed to evaluate alternative execution strategies for future deployment of a consolidated Interim Storage Facility (ISF) using a consent-based siting process per the Administration’s Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste. Application of an ESA approach not only leverages on but also goes beyond traditional project analysis tools. The ESA tool allows for on-going performance assessment of the evolving project execution plan that takes into account significant assumptions, risks, and uncertainties throughout the project lifecycle. The ESA process and tool are used to support the development of plans, budgets, and alternative execution/ implementation strategies for meeting the goals in the Strategy. The project is being applied in a dynamic probabilistic simulation model using GoldSim.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences – February 2014

Ðurdica Stojanovic, Emilija Nikolic-Ðoric, University of Novi Sad

This paper explores the impact of time demand characteristics in supply chain on role of own-account fleet in the optimal transport sourcing mix. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the simulation and optimization results, and the historical database of a real trade company. The regression analysis reveals that the certain indicators of demand variability and uncertainty directly impact on the optimal number of vehicles in own-account fleet. Further, the intercept in regression equation for the dependent variable number of own-account vehicles can be expressed as the function of daily demands and fleet characteristics.

Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Department of Economics Working Paper, ISSN: 1827/3580 No. 02/WP/2013 – January 2013

Jerome Massiani with Universita Ca' Foscari di Venezia and Jorg Radeke of Berlin Economics GmbH

Policies toward the diffusion of Electric Vehicles (EV) received a lot of attention in recent years in many developed countries. In this paper, we review different existing models and present a simulation tool for the assessment of EV policies in Germany. This model, which was built in GoldSim incorporates detailed representation of the various technological, behavioral and economical mechanisms that govern the possible diffusion of EV in Germany.

Online Presentation, ASU Decision Center – January 2013

Mohammed Mahmoud, Central Arizona Project

This presentation is a summary of Central Arizona Project's "On-River Model", which was built in GoldSim to analyze system capacity in response to seasonal variations in demand, canal and reservoir operation rules, and optimization of power consumption.

WM2012 Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, USA – February 2012

David L. Pentz, Ralph H. Stoll, John T. Greeves, R. Ian Miller, and W. Mark Nutt

The PRISM (Prioritization Risk Integration Simulation Model), a computer model was developed to support the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) in its mission to clean up the environmental legacy from the Nation’s nuclear weapons materials production complex. PRISM provides a comprehensive, fully integrated planning tool that can tie together DOE-EM’s projects. It is designed to help DOE managers develop sound, risk-informed business practices and defend program decisions. It provides a better ability to understand and manage programmatic risks. The underlying concept for PRISM is that DOE-EM “owns” a portfolio of environmental legacy obligations (ELOs), and that its mission is to transform the ELOs from their current conditions to acceptable conditions, in the most effective way possible. There are many types of ELOs - - contaminated soils and groundwater plumes, disused facilities awaiting D&D, and various types of wastes waiting for processing or disposal. For a given suite of planned activities, PRISM simulates the outcomes as they play out over time, allowing for all key identified uncertainties and risk factors.

PRISM is based on the GoldSim software that is widely used for risk and performance assessment calculations. PRISM can be run in a deterministic mode, which quickly provides an estimate of the most likely results of a given plan. Alternatively, the model can be run probabilistically in a Monte Carlo mode, exploring the risks and uncertainties in the system and producing probability distributions for the different performance measures.

WM2012 Conference, Phoenix, AZ – February 2012

David L. Pentz, Ralph H. Stoll, John T . Greeves, Predicus LLC; R. Ian Miller, GoldSim Technology Group; W. Mark Nutt, Argonne National Laboratory

The PRISM (Prioritization Risk Integration Simulation Model), a computer model was developed to support the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) in its mission to clean up the environmental legacy from the Nation’s nuclear weapons materials production complex. PRISM provides a comprehensive, fully integrated planning tool that can tie together DOE-EM's projects. It is designed to help DOE managers develop sound, risk-informed business practices and defend program decisions. It provides a better ability to understand and manage programmatic risks.

Report prepared for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Contract No. NRC–02–07–006 – August 2011

Chris Markley et al. (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

This document is a user guide that describes the operation and capabilities of the Scoping of Options and Analyzing Risk (SOAR) model. The SOAR model is designed to provide the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff timely risk and performance insights for a variety of potential high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal options. The SOAR model is an analytic scoping tool that the staff will use to develop an effective and efficient risk-informed, performance-based licensing program for geologic disposal of HLW.

WM2010 Conference – March 2010

John T. Greeves and Ralph Stoll, Predicus LLC, John Tauxe, Neptune and Company

Government and commercial nuclear projects have been criticized for the lack of a formal risk-based decision support tool for use in properly prioritizing large projects with significant uncertainties. Predicus LLC collaborated with the GoldSim Technology Group LLC to develop this state-of-the-art process to address this need for both government and commercial clients. Predicus LLC was supported by Neptune and Company to develop the specific example shown in this paper.

Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation And Radioactive Waste Management ICEM 2009 – October 2009

Yongsoo Hwang and Ian Miller

This paper describes an integrated model developed by the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to simulate options for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in South Korea.

Master's Thesis, University of Nevada – December 2008

Dan Andersen, CH2M Hill

As population growth increases, additional demands are placed on existing highway systems. Reconfiguring intersections and roadways to limit the number of access points to a particular roadway reduces congestion and has been shown to increase safety. This paper describes a GoldSim model that was created to try and quantify the environmental benefits (due to reduced emissions) and the economic impacts on businesses in areas where access management techniques were applied.

Proceedings of the SimTecT 2008 Simulation Conference and Exhibition – May 2008

David Urquhart and Debbie Richards, Macquarie University

The field of Human Resource Management (HRM) addresses issues such as staff costs, performance and turnover – all of which have a basis in uncertainty. In this paper we employ GoldSim Monte Carlo simulated real options to determine the value of HRM policies.

Proceedings of the 2003 International Ash Utilization Symposium – April 2005

Todd Stong and Ron Jorgenson, Golder Associates; Russ Nelson and Tony Stroh, Great River Energy

This paper describes a model built to evaluate management plans for coal combustion process in light of market conditions and pending EPA regulations.

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• Setting business strategy  targeting customer segments, managing products and services and delivery channels
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where Entrepreneurs Predict The Success Of New Business Ideas.

Easily turn business ideas you're evaluating into interactive financial simulations and examine their potential to succeed before investing the time and money to launch them. no finance or accounting skills are required. just plug in your answers to our guided questions and we’ll handle all calculations for you automatically..

The first-and most important-step in starting a business is creating a solid financial plan.

• Where should you spend?
• Where can you save?
• Will a little more investment here lead to better success down the road?

These are questions every entrepreneur asks when starting a new business but doesn’t always know how to answer.

That’s why we created Projection Genie. It’s an interactive simulator that helps you think more strategically as you embark on a new business venture so you can develop a better financial plan. So while you prepare to launch, we’ll help you simulate, tweak, and improve your strategy through better financial planning so you can gain the insights and confidence needed to start a successful business.

50% of new businesses fail within the first 5 years. And it’s almost always because they run out of money from poor financial planning.

Knowing how to plan for and allocate your new business’ financial resources is a vital step toward building a successful one. Projection Genie’s interactive simulator is designed to help entrepreneurs make better business decisions today by giving them a glimpse into the future. We do this by showing you how the strategic decisions you make today may impact your new business’ success down the road.

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Minimal math, finance, or accounting skills are required. Projection Genie is designed to be easy to use regardless of your financial skills. Just answer our series of carefully curated questions and we’ll do the rest.

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No need to crunch numbers on your own or pour over complicated spreadsheets. Our simulator will handle all financial calculations for you automatically.

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It can cost a minimum of $2,000 to hire a CPA to create financial projections for you. Why pay them thousands of dollars when you can do it yourself quickly and easily?

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We use the same financial models and ratios relied upon by the finance and accounting industry so you can trust that your results are accurate.

Impress Investors & Partners

Look professional and show potential business partners and investors that you’re a meticulous founder they can trust with their investment.

Gain Confidence

Gain the insights needed to build the confidence you need to know you can develop the best financial plan necessary to put you on the right path towards success.

Simulate, Tweak, Improve & Repeat

Determining your business idea’s ability to succeed is all in the details. That’s why Projection Genie arms you with up to 5 years of interactive financial projections that include Startup Costs, Sales Forecasts, Income Statements, Cash Flow Statements, Sensitivity Analysis, Break-even Analysis, ROI, and more. Simulate, tweak, and improve your projected outcomes over and over again until you come up with a winning strategy that will help you build the confidence you need to know you can start a successful business.

• Startup Costs
• Sales Forecasts
• Income Statements
• Cash Flow Statements
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Break-even Analysis

Identify, collect, and add up all startup costs required to launch your business idea in one place. This analysis helps entrepreneurs better understand all costs required and initial funding needed to launch their business ideas successfully.

Our sales forecast model provides entrepreneurs with an auto-calculated estimate of what their business idea could generate in sales for up to 5 years. It’s designed to help entrepreneurs estimate a conservative sales target, a probable or most-likely target, and an optimistic target in case your future sales under- or out-perform your probable estimate. This analysis gives entrepreneurs a better understanding of their best and worst-case sales scenarios.

Get a detailed understanding of your projected expenses, revenues, and profits and how they may change over time as your business evolves with our full featured income statements. Statements are auto calculated and generated for a period of up to 5 years.

Understanding how much cash is flowing in and out of your business during any given month is key to running a successful new business. Entrepreneurs need to ensure that they have enough cash on-hand to pay their bills on-time every month or risk going out of business. Our cash flow projections are auto calculated and designed to help entrepreneurs understand when they may be at risk of running out of cash so that they can take preventative action.

Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. So, it’s helpful to understand how potential changes in projected revenues—whether you’re beating revenues or falling short—can impact your business so you can adjust accordingly. Our sensitivity analysis is auto calculated and designed to help entrepreneurs find answers to these kinds of questions and more.

The break-even point is the moment when your dream becomes profitable. Understanding when your business could break even—when you expect to generate enough revenue to cover your expenses— is paramount. By understanding how many months—or years—your business needs to become profitable, you can properly manage expenses, expectations, and scalability.

Understanding The Numbers Behind A New Business Is The First Step To Growing It

Projection Genie’s interactive simulator handles every financial calculation for you. To start projecting your new business’ financials, just answer our list of carefully curated questions.

Then, our simulator will take your answers and apply more than nine of the top financial models and ratios to create projections automatically and help you determine if your business idea has the potential to be a big financial success – or help you identify what changes are necessary to give you a chance to become so. All without needing an accounting or finance expert.

Create & Compare Multiple What-if Scenarios Side-By-Side

Projection Genie lets you create, compare, and analyze up to 4 different scenarios side-by-side to help you visualize how different answers to the same questions affect your projected outcomes. 

As you modify and improve your answers, our interactive simulator will automatically update your projected results in real-time so you can identify the most efficient ways to manage your finances and put a more effective plan in place.

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Brief, Play, Debrief

Explore more.

• Interactive Learning
• Simulations

B usiness simulations are growing increasingly popular as a classroom tool to both motivate student learning and encourage students to be more active learners. A 2016 survey by Wellington, Hutchinson, and Faria found that 56.8% of the respondents—business faculty members from 426 AACSB schools across all business disciplines—have used one or more business simulations during their teaching careers. That’s up from 47.4% of those surveyed in 2004 by Faria and Wellington .

By integrating online simulations into the classroom, instructors can help students develop real-world business skills through hands-on experience and illustrate theoretical business concepts in an engaging and memorable way.

However, in order to be successful, instructors must carefully prepare and plan for the use of simulations to ensure the experience is both practical and beneficial for students. Instructors need a solid action plan to ensure the simulation play runs smoothly and evokes the learning it’s intended to achieve.

Be Prepared

An instructor should first decide whether the class can benefit from the use of a simulation : Will the tool add instructional value to the course? If so, instructors should next consider which available simulations would be most suitable for their class by looking at factors like customization, set up, seat time, and complexity.

Once you have decided on the particular simulation you would like to use in class, you’ll want to ensure you’re prepared with a few basics:

Detailed lesson plan. Class plans for simulations are similar to typical lesson plans, although first-time users will need to plan the class in more detail to increase the chances of success. Instructors should use a brief-play-debrief structure, which I will explain shortly. Even long simulations stretched over several classes should follow this format.

Assessment. Be sure to explain to students if and how the simulation experience will be incorporated into the course assessment. Including the simulation score or student ranking as an element of a course grade is likely to spark strongly competitive behavior in class, and this may not be conductive to learning. Alternatively, instructors may assign learning reflections in the form of presentations or essays where students are asked how they played the simulation, what results they obtained, and what lessons they learned. If the simulation is very closely aligned with the overall course objectives, no extra form of assessment may be needed.

Technical requirements. Inform students of what device they may need to play the simulation and what, if any, software is required.

Before students play the simulation, instructors need to have a good understanding of it. This isn’t as time-consuming as you might think. For shorter simulations of one class period or less, an instructor should be able to get the required understanding in about 60–90 minutes. This includes absorbing the teaching materials (including debrief slides, if available) and playing the simulation several times.

“To get students off to an enthusiastic start, the instructor can reinforce that the simulation is a new way of learning and that those who fully invest themselves in the exercise will get the most benefit out of it.”

Your Simulation Action Plan

Once you’re familiar with the simulation and it’s time to bring it to students, the lesson will proceed as follows—brief, play, then debrief:

The brief consists of two components: (1) Explain and recap the theory that students will practice during the simulation, and (2) explain the simulation and how to play it.

Instructors can decide whether to use a projector to show the simulation and demonstrate how to make decisions and move through it.

Some simulations have practice rounds that allow students to get familiar with the gameplay and user interface without being concerned about results.

The brief does not need to be overly long, but instructors should mention how students will be assessed.

To get students off to an enthusiastic start, the instructor can reinforce that the simulation is a new way of learning and that those who fully invest themselves in the exercise will get the most benefit out of it.

During simulation play, the challenge is for instructors to intervene as little as possible. The students should be at the center of the action without distraction. Instructors can walk around the class discretely and offer help to students facing obstacles. Many simulations allow instructors to follow the progress of students online through the facilitator section.

At the start of play, instructors should indicate how long the simulation play lasts.

Students who progress very slowly or not at all may not have understood the instructions. Students who progress quickly are probably not giving it the thinking effort that is required. In both cases, instructors can give support—however, be sure to give students room to solve problems on their own.

When time is short in face-to-face classes, the playing time can be split between inside the class and outside the class, allowing more class time to focus on the brief and debrief.

Once students finish playing the simulation, the instructor can begin to facilitate the debrief.

Even if time is short, it is best to have at least a quick debrief during the same class period in which the simulation was played.

Start the debrief with an open and relatively unstructured discussion that allows students to express how they felt when playing. Then move to a more structured discussion and link it to the course learning objectives and to applications in the real world.

As an addition or an alternative to a full debrief, it is possible to ask students to give presentations or write reports about the simulation experience and to treat these as an assignment that counts toward the course grade.

Once an instructor completes the entire brief-play-debrief cycle with students, he or she can evaluate the experience and plan any changes for the next iteration of using the simulation.

Note that there are many ways to evaluate the effectiveness of a simulation: its impact on student exam results, student engagement levels, and course evaluations, to name a few. It’s risky, however, to evaluate the success of the simulation exercise based on only a personal impression or anecdotal evidence. Instead, a brief anonymous online survey, an analysis of student course evaluations and learning journals, or a focus group discussion are low-cost ways to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise.

The use of online business simulations is well established across the world and continues to gain momentum, even among more reluctant professors. Once instructors try teaching with simulations, their confidence and enthusiasm usually grows quickly, while the investment in preparation drops.

For more, read this how-to guide for selecting simulations: When—and When Not—to Choose a Business Simulation for Your Course .

Tim Rogmans is Managing Director at Sim Institute. He is the author of Sustainability Managment Simulation: Net Zero , Business Essentials Simulation: Coffee Shop Inc. , and Macroeconomics Simulation: Econland .

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Total Instructional Time

The instructional time for RETAILING ranges from 24 hours (simulation exercises only) to 35 hours (simulation exercises, reading assignments , reading quizzes, and math quizzes) . You can configure your course to include or exclude reading assignments (3.7 hours) , reading quizzes (1.8 hours) and math quizzes (5.5 hours) . For instructions on how to configure your course, click here to access a series of videos to help you get your classroom up and running with Virtual Business.

Prior to beginning work with RETAILING , students should sign in to their account at vb.KnowledgeMatters.com and go through the Tutorial.

Lesson: Market Research

Description.

In this lesson, students learn that market research is critical to the success of a retail business. They begin by taking a survey of prospective customers to learn both product preferences and time of day preferences. Students then try to save some money by taking a similar survey but with reduced sample size. They are introduced to the mathematical concept of decreasing reliability of a survey as the sample size decreases. Students then explore the more sophisticated technique of analyzing survey data through segmentation. Finally, students use market research information to book radio advertising on a radio station that matches the demographic of their target customers. They run the simulation to try to achieve a specific profit goal.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Define market research
• Explain the difference between primary and secondary research
• Determine an adequate sample size for a survey
• Use segmentation to analyze survey results
• Use market research to make smart advertising decisions for a business

Lesson: Product

In this lesson, students begin as managers of a grocery store that is performing poorly. They look at their location and surrounding customers. Next, students use surveys to discover what products these customers want. Unfortunately, those aren’t the products their store is currently stocking. They replace a non-popular product with a popular one and see sales rise. Students then add a display to carry another popular product and and see an additional increase in sales. Finally, students take over an electronics store with similar problems and work to change the product offerings in pursuit of a specific weekly profit goal.

• Explain the importance of product choices in retailing
• Use surveys to determine most popular products
• Be able to change product mix and interpret sales results
• Manage product selection to achieve profit goals

Lesson: Place

In this lesson, students learn about location...location, location. Students begin by looking around their city. They identify the available square footage of buildings and the cost per square foot for the space. They compare costs per square foot for downtown versus suburban locations. Students next study what types of customers are near each location. Students also scout competitor locations within the city. Finally, students are asked to choose a location for their store. They run the simulation to try to reach a specific profit goal. If they are not successful, they try relocating their store.

• Understand the concept of cost per square foot
• Be able to compare amount and cost of space at different locations
• Assess the types of customers around a given location
• Assess potential locations given competitor locations
• Choose a store location that will yield a profit

Lesson: Price

In this lesson, students see how prices interact with the law of supply and demand to determine sales levels. They begin by reviewing the concepts of price, cost and margin. They then intentionally set prices quite high and observe that volume and profits drop. Next, they try setting prices very low. The observe greatly increased volume, but profits remain low due to slim margins. They try a price in between the initial price points and see how profit can be maximized. They see how profit can be plotted as a curve against price levels. Students then learn about the use of “loss leaders” to drive customers into stores with very low prices on attractive items. Finally, students are challenged to set prices for their store to meet a specific weekly profit goal.

• Explain the relationship between price, cost, and margin
• Explain how prices and sales volume is related
• Find a price that maximizes profit by generated reasonable volume and reasonable margins
• Define a “loss leader”
• Set prices across all products to achieve a profit goal

Lesson: Promotion - Traditional Media

In this lesson, students study the role of promotion in the marketing mix. They begin by finding their current weekly revenue on their Income Statement. Students then examine where their current customers are coming from -- a relatively small area of the city. To grow their customer base, they lease a billboard across town then compare their increase in revenue with the expense of the billboard. As an alternative to billboard promotion, they try running a one page ad in a newspaper circular. Students compare the revenue and expenses of the two different forms of promotion. Finally, students use promotions of their choosing to achieve a weekly revenue goal while keeping their promotional spending below a specified level.

• Understand promotion as a key element of the marketing mix
• Identify different types of promotion
• Track revenue and expenses associated with promotional activities
• Be able to compare efficiency of promotional campaigns
• Choose promotional means to achieve business goals

Lesson: Promotion - Email

In this lesson, students explore the use of Email as part of the marketing mix. Email is a relatively new, but extremely important, component of retail promotion. Students begin by looking atways to assemble target lists, including customer loyalty programs and purchased lists of Email addresses. They purchase a list and then make a strong offer to attract customers to sign up to receive more Emails. Students discover some perils of Email promotion by trying to send to the same list too frequently. This results in high spam reports that could shut down their Email capability. Finally, students use what they have learned about Email to promote their business successfully and reach a specific profit goal.

• Identify different sources of Email address lists
• Understand the importance of subject lines and offers in Email marketing
• Track and analyze Email response metrics
• Avoid spam reports by properly spacing Emails
• Use Email promotion to achieve profit goals

Lesson: Staffing, Selling & Customer Service

In this lesson, students take responsibility for staffing several types of retail stores. They begin in a grocery store and set conservative staffing levels for cashiers and stockers. They observe customers complaining about long lines and unstocked shelves. Students correct the staffing problem and observe increased profit on their Income Statement. Next students switch to an electronics store with high-ticket items that may require consultative selling. They use sales reports to find an item that is selling poorly. They then add salespeople and use the sales report to examine the subsequent increase in sales. Finally, students take on a sporting goods store with poor overall staffing and are challenged to staff the store to make a specific profit goal.

• Explain several different job functions within a retail store
• List the problems that can result from understaffing at each position
• Discuss why some retail establishments staff salespeople while others don’t
• Understand the expense/revenue tradeoff of staffing decisions
• Adequately staff a retail store to achieve a profit goal

Lesson: Purchasing & Inventory Control

In this lesson, students take over the role of purchasing manager in a retail business. They begin by intentionally purchasing a very low, conservative amount. They observe employees and customers complaining that they can’t find products they need. Next, they try purchasing very large amounts. This eliminates stock-outs, but now they observe certain products expiring. Students identify a specific product with a short shelf-life and set a custom purchasing level to eliminate expiration. Then students see how they can re-allocate space in their backroom to insure adequate stockpiles of products. Finally, students take control of all purchasing to try to run a full week with no products expiring and no complaints of customers being unable to find goods.

• Explain why purchasing is essential to a retail business
• Understand target inventory levels
• Explain the tradeoffs between purchasing too much and too little
• Set custom purchasing policies for rapidly expiring items
• Manage purchasing for efficiency and customer satisfaction

Lesson: Merchandising

In this lesson, students take over control of the layout of their store. Students begin by finding their weekly revenue on their Income Statement. Their revenue is good, but not great. They then identify whether certain items in the store are more likely “needs” or “impulse” items. Students are next introduced to the merchandising concept of putting needs in the back of the store to draw customers past impulse items. They rearrange a need item and watch as revenue increases. Students then place a “complementary” good next to the item it complements. Again, they experience rising sales. Finally, students are asked to apply these principles by rearranging their store layout to achieve a specific weekly revenue goal.

• Define merchandising in a retail store
• Identify items that are likely needs
• Identify items that are likely impulse purchases
• Identify items that are likely complementers
• Describe strategies for placing needs, impulse items, and complementers
• Use merchandising principles to improve the revenue of a business

Lesson: Security & Risk Management

In this lesson, students take on the role of security consultant for three different types of retail stores. They begin by looking at shrinkage (unexplained product shortages) at a grocery store. They identify which items are likely being shoplifted and reduce shoplifting by moving those items to more visible areas. Next, they look at an electronics store with high value items. They install an expensive scanner system and compare its cost with the shoplifting losses prevented. Finally, they head to a sporting goods store with medium value items and try to find an appropriate security system that will reduce losses within a certain budget.

• Explain the importance of security in a retail business
• Given different options for increasing security
• Analyze the cost-effectiveness of a security system
• Plan store security to achieve profit goals

Lesson: Financing & Business Planning

In this lesson, students will discover how to estimate their financing needs when starting a new business. They begin by figuring out how much they will need to spend on their building lease, equipment leases, and initial inventory. They then add in staffing costs to estimate their total start-up expenses. They take out a loan for the appropriate amount and start the business. After several weeks, they look at their Balance Sheet to see what their lowest cash position was. Using this information, they take on the challenge of starting an even larger retail store. Their goal is to borrow enough money to get the business off the ground while minimizing financing costs.

• Understand that most business require substantial financing (capital) to get started
• Be able to estimate start-up costs for a business
• Monitor cash levels to determine adequacy of financing
• Extrapolate from a small business to a larger business when estimating financing needs
• Acquire adequate financing to start a business while minimizing financing costs

Lesson: Retailing Mogul - Unique City Per Class

In this capstone project, students put to use the knowledge and skills they have learned in the lessons. They are challenged to build a retail grocery business from the ground up. They must choose a location, design their store layout, staff the business, choose products to carry, set prices, and more.  All students start in the same city and pursue a specific profit goal. By default, the class scoreboard is turned on so students can compare their profitability to others. The instructor can turn the scoreboard off.

• Understand the options for financing a start up
• Choose a suitable location for a business
• Design an effective retail floor plan
• Understands how to staff a retail business efficiently
• Plan merchandise selection and purchasing
• Use common financial statements to pursue a profit goal
• Understand the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship

Lesson: Extra Credit: Retailing Mega Mogul - Unique City Per Class

In this extra credit project, students are free to explore all that the simulation has to offer. They can start grocery, sporting goods, and electronics stores. They can also start multiple stores of each type. This project is open-ended; students do not have a specific profit goal and can continue on as long as they desire. By default, the class scoreboard is turned on so instructors can use this project as a competition.

• Understand how to start a grocery business
• Understand how to start a sporting goods business
• Understand how to start an electronics business
• Compare and contrast running different types of retail businesses
• Manage the complexity of running multiple businesses
• Understand the importance of long-term planning and effort in growing a large business or businesses

Lesson: Extra Credit: Turnaround

In this extra credit project, students take over a struggling sporting goods retailer. The business has poor staffing, inappropriate product selection, and a terrible layout. Students are challenged to find and diagnose the problems. They then set about correcting them. Students learn that a single correction may not produce profits if other factors are not aligned. Eventually, students work through all the issues to achieve a profit.  By default, the class scoreboard is turned on so students can compete against each other for the title of “Turnaround King.”

• Identify problems within an existing business
• Formulate corrective actions
• Use financial statements and other reports to assess effectiveness of corrections
• Understand how corrections in one area of a business affect and depend on other areas of the business
• Restore an unprofitable business to profitability
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Small Business Trends

16 business simulation games for entrepreneurs.

Looking for a game where you can build skills useful in real-world situations? Or perhaps you’re already an ace at resource management games and you want to showcase your aptitude in a fun and relaxing video game. Business simulators have been entertaining players for decades, and they serve as a great way to spend time while learning to succeed in real life.

What is a Business Simulation Game?

What is a business simulation game? The name is self-explanatory. Business simulation games, also known as tycoon games, place players at the head of fictional companies as they must strategize their way to success. These entertaining tools, available on a variety of consoles and as mobile apps, help sharpen business management skills outside of the stressful workplace. After all, the game might mirror real business scenarios, but the risk of failure carries little consequence.

Read More: business strategy games

Benefits of Playing a Business Simulator Game

Why should you play a business simulator game? Business simulation games provide players with a variety of benefits, including:

• Practice soft skills – Business simulation players can play to improve their business skills without risking their actual jobs. Players practice skills like communications and leadership, but their mistakes don’t impact their real careers.
• Improve hard skills – Soft skills aren’t the only practice offered in business simulation games. Players can also hone hard skills specific to a market. While playing business simulation games, players can learn about a specific industry, such as game development, medical management or even YouTube influencing.
• Relax and enjoy – It can be hard for a dedicated professional to leave the office behind at the end of the workday. Business simulator games are a great way to relax and unwind while still sharpening skills important to your career. By having fun, you’ll be able to face the next workday refreshed with a clear and focused mind.
• Encourage teambuilding – Business managers are always looking for a great teambuilding exercise at the workplace, and playing business games is a great way to bring personalities together in a productive way. Much like escape room team building, business strategy games are a great way to build fellowship at the office.

Best Business Simulator Games

What are the best business simulation games? It can be hard to choose. Are you looking for a game set in a particular industry, or do you want to entertain yourself by controlling an entire economic system? There are business games to appeal to any interest or skill level. To help you decide, we’ve highlighted a few of the best business simulation games.

Read More: best business board games

1. Capitalism Lab

Initially released in 2012, Capitalism Lab challenges players to become the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. On their journey to expand their businesses and increase profits, players compete in a variety of markets against an assortment of various competitor corporations. As the CEO, the player must use their business skills to avoid real-world challenges like bankruptcy and buyouts.

2. Sim Companies

Sim Companies is a business simulation game that charges players with building a company from the ground up. Players compete against each other, trying to find and exploit gaps in the market. The free game employs an advanced economic simulation model to deliver the most realistic and challenging gaming experience, including pricing, influence, and cartels.

3. Marketplace Simulations

Experience real-world situations set in a competitive environment with Marketplace Simulations . Business students can practice skills that will benefit them in the job market with this award-winning learning tool. Marketplace Simulations features engaging, game-like exercises that let them experiment with business strategies.

Read More: tycoon games

4. Virtonomics

In this multiplayer business simulation game, Virtonomics players must strategically build their virtual companies to become successful Virtonomics entrepreneurs. Develop a fictional startup in a choice of industries, playing in modes including entrepreneur, business war or Virtonomics tycoon.

5. YouTubers Life 2

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to operate a YouTube channel for profit? YouTubers Life 2 players must navigate the pitfalls of producing content and social media influencing, striving to garner the most subscribers and views. Start with basic equipment and expand as you build your channel and your viewership.

6. Constructor Plus

Called the definitive gaming solution for the modern-day tycoon, Constructor Plus challenges players to build a town filled with businesses, tenants and even undesirables while fending off rivals. Choose to construct any of more than 140 buildings, ranging from skyscrapers to mobile homes.

Read More: resource management games

7. Crossroads Inn

Want to create a hotel empire? Crossroads Inn is a time management simulator set in a fantasy world. Players build and manage a tavern, completing challenges and striving to satisfy visiting adventurers by developing the inn’s interior, services and menu. Can your innkeeper be a hero, too?

Best Game-Like Business Simulators

Some business simulators are so educational it can be hard to realize you’re playing a video game. Want to have fun while sharpening your business savvy? Try one of these best game-like business simulators.

8. Motorsport Manager

Instead of playing a traditional racing video game, why not manage the team? Motorsport Manager is a strategy game that simulates racing management. To succeed, players must hire the best drivers, build better cars and immerse themselves in the world of racing. Do you have what it takes to be the manager of a high-performance motorsports team? Try Motorsport Manager and find out.

9. Two Point Hospital

Two Point Hospital is a popular business simulation game developed by Two Point Studios. Players must build the Two Point hospital from the ground up, then manage a successful healthcare operation. The versatile Two Point Hospital allows players to design a spectacular medical center while also managing unruly staff and curing unusual illnesses.

Read More: farming games

10. Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator

Navigate an organ-based market with dozens of commodities in this challenging business simulator. Space Warlord Organ Trading players act as organ traders in a cut-throat market full of fleshy meat. To succeed, they must trade with dubious figures and keep vampire-leech organs from destroying the rest of their wares.

11. Planet Coaster

A favorite among tycoon games, Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game that challenges players to build an amazing amusement park. To succeed, they must construct the best theme park rides and roller coasters. Players must attract visitors, manage limited funds and earn as much profit as they can as they operate their creations.

12. Rollercoaster Tycoon

The ultra-popular Rollercoaster Tycoon series of business simulation games challenges players to build and manage the theme park of their dreams. Rollercoaster Tycoon players relax and enjoy themselves as they construct and customize unique roller coasters, and they practice business administration as they learn to master open-ended amusement park management.

13. Game Dev Story

Improve your entrepreneurial skills as you’re entertained by this game for Nintendo Switch and other platforms. In Game Dev Story , players are challenged to manage a video game development company and create a million-selling game. Can you act as a game dev and create a bestselling game with the attributes of fun, creativity, outstanding graphics and superior sound? Try your hand at Game Dev Story and create some magic.

14. Space Company Simulator

This realistic management simulator challenges players’ planning skills as they try to successfully launch the first manned mission to Mars. Compete to be the industry’s leading space travel company as you plan the ultimate mission. In the process, Space Company Simulator players must complete tasks like hiring new employees, refining their technology and designing spectacular rockets.

15. Transport Fever

Looking for a transportation tycoon game where you can master more than trains? Transport Fever invites players to be railroad tycoons, but it adds planes and ships to the mix. Instead of focusing on mere railways, players are challenged to build powerful airports and harbors, as well. The game starts in 1850, but as time passes so do the available transportation options.

16. Rise of Industry

Players looking for an original game that simulates business strategies can try their hands at Rise of Industry . Set in the early 20th century, Rise of Industry challenges players to build and manage a growing empire, building factories and transportation lines, negotiating with competitors and seeking market opportunities along the way.

Read More: relaxing games

Practice Having Your Own Business with Amazing Business Simulations

Have you always dreamed of having your own business? Do you feel you have what it takes to be a successful tycoon of industry? You can have fun playing any of the best business board games or farming games, or you can practice your skills playing a business simulator video game like any of the fascinating options above.

What is the best business simulator game?

With so many great business simulator games available, how can you choose the best? Preference might depend on the industry of focus, the skills desired, or even the free status of the game. The best general business simulator game is Virtonomics . The multiplayer simulator lets players play as an entrepreneur, mafia manager,s or a tycoon, testing their finance skills and working to conquer the industry. Virtonomics is a great source of entertainment, knowledge, training and development.

Can simulation be used in the business world?

Business simulators are more than just relaxing games in the business and marketing worlds. A business simulation game can be used by professionals to hone their management and organization skills without risks associated with control of the real-life marketplace. Multiplayer games even can be used to build teamwork as players learn business strategy. With hard work, anyone can find success as a virtual tycoon.

Image: Depositphotos

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Business planning startup Pigment raises $145M in rare French tech mega-round

Paris-based startup Pigment has raised a $145 million funding round just five years after its inception. The enterprise software company offers a business planning platform for large companies to visualize their past financial performance and forecast upcoming quarters.

This funding round comes as a bit of a surprise as large rounds have been few and far between in France. According to a recent study from EY , funding rounds in the French tech ecosystem were down 38% in 2023 compared to 2022.

But if you remove buzzy AI startups like Mistral AI and capital-intensive infrastructure plays that are not really tech startups, like EV charging networks (Driveco) and EV battery factories (Verkor), funding rounds are drastically down. Pure software startups have had a rough couple of years.

Pigment appears as an exception with its Series D. Existing investor Iconiq Growth is doubling down by leading this new funding round. Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, IVP, Meritech, Greenoaks and Felix Capital are also participating — many of them were existing investors too.

And there’s a reason why Pigment managed to raise so much at a significantly higher valuation less than a year after its previous funding round . In 2023, the startup managed to triple its revenue and double its customer base with well-known clients like Unilever, Datadog, Kayak and Merck. Half of Pigment’s clients are based in the U.S.

“Our current investors told us ‘if you’re going to raise money in 18 months to scale with others, we might as well offer you great terms right now for an internal round.’ And everything happened very quickly … In one week, it was a done deal,” co-founder and co-CEO Eléonore Crespo told me.

Before Pigment, Crespo worked for VC firm Index Ventures and Google. She co-founded Pigment with Romain Niccoli, who was the co-founder and CTO of adtech startup Criteo — an early success of the French tech ecosystem.

“IVP — one of our backers — benchmarks the growth rate of all SaaS companies. And since we’ve been selling our product, we’ve been in the top 5% of SaaS companies with the best growth rate ever, in terms of revenue growth,” Crespo said.

Image Credits: Pigment

Pigment is a flexible business planning tool that is used by chief financial officers and finance teams to create reports and budgets. It’s a modern SaaS platform, meaning that you can integrate it with all your company’s data (ERP, HRIS, data lakes, etc.) and use it as a collaboration tool.

In addition to finance teams, sales teams can use Pigment to create quotas and see how everyone is performing against quarterly quotas. HR teams can see how they should scale the workforce up and down based on strategic changes and financial objectives.

“We’ve done a lot of work to address other teams, not just finance teams. We’ve developed a lot of modules that enable us to serve HR teams, supply chain teams and sales teams,” Crespo said.

In fact, as more teams start using Pigment, it becomes an important tool for cross-team collaboration. And it’s supposed to work better than legacy tools from Oracle and SAP.

Like many software companies, Pigment has also added AI features. As Pigment acts as the central repository for all the important metrics of a company, customers can ask questions to Pigment AI in natural language to get a quick answer. Examples include “Can you give me a breakdown of revenue per country?” or “Why was our actual revenue lower than our forecast last quarter for this product?”

But more importantly, the company has optimized its core product so that it works well even with large datasets and complicated calculations. The best enterprise software products are must-have products, which means that companies usually don’t need to spend a lot of resources on improving the product — clients need this tool to operate. Pigment is still the challenger in this industry, so it believes it needs to provide a better product to compete with other business planning products.

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Glanbia plan for €750,000 chief financial officer retention bonus slammed

Investor advisers iss and glass lewis query proposed payout to mark garvey.

Glanbia's former chief executive Siobhán Talbot with chief financial officer Mark Garvey who has been in that role for more than a decade. Photograph: Jason Clarke Photography

Glanbia ’s plan to award its chief financial officer, Mark Garvey, a stock-based bonus worth €750,000 as an incentive to remain with the company for at least two years has been slammed by big investor advisory firms.

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the world’s two most influential firms that advise investors on corporate governance issues, have each advised shareholders to vote against Glanbia’s remuneration policy at its upcoming annual general meeting (agm) on May 1st.

Say-on-pay votes are typically non-binding, as is the case of this resolution. However, if large blocks of shareholders vote against a remuneration report or policy it is seen as embarrassing for a company and usually trigger engagement with investors to see if concerns can be addressed.

Glanbia said in its annual report it planned to award Mr Garvey, its chief financial officer for more than a decade, some 42,545 shares, to ensure his retention to support the group’s new chief executive Hugh McGuire who took over in January following the retirement of the company’s long-term head, Siobhán Talbot.

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The number of shares contained in the planned award equated to his €633,000 basic salary last year, based on the company’s average share price in December of €15.47.

However, Glanbia’s shares have since jumped to €17.61, meaning that the shares are now worth almost €750,000.

The auto-enrolment pension scheme seems good on paper, but how will it actually work?

Mr Garvey’s total remuneration last year amounted to €3.57 million, mainly made up of cash and share bonuses. Ms Talbot’s came to €7.95 million.

“The nature of one-off retention awards is a concern, and the absence of performance conditions a further concern,” said ISS in a report. “Ultimately, as the award is only subject to the CFO’s [chief financial officer’s] continued employment, and, although aligned with share price, lacking performance conditions, it diverges from good market practice. As such, shareholder support is not considered warranted for the remuneration policy.”

Glass Lewis questioned the appropriateness of the bonus, particularly given its size and lack of performance conditions. “As such, we cannot recommend that shareholders support this proposal at this time,” it said.

“It was agreed that it was important to secure the retention of our group chief financial officer to support the continued delivery of our growth strategy, for the benefit of our shareholders,” said a Glanbia spokeswoman. “The CFO retention award is a one-off exceptional award, made in shares and the value is aligned to shareholder experience over both the vesting and holding periods [three years in total].”

The Kilkenny-based nutrition group said in February that its after-tax profits jumped 20 per cent last year to $298.1 million (€280 million) for 2023 as benefited from a “protein mega-trend”.

Glanbia is one of the world’s leading producers of protein powders for gym goers. The company’s leading Optimum Nutrition brand generated $1.1 billion in revenue last year, the latest results show.

The Glanbia Performance Nutrition division generated $1.8 billion in revenue last year on the back of strong-selling brands Optimum Nutrition and Isopure. Its nutritional solutions united delivered just over $1 billion.

However revenues at its US cheese division fell by 13.9 per cent to $2.6 billion, driven by falling prices.

Shares in the group have advanced by 29 per cent over the past 12 months.

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277,000 student-loan borrowers who have 'paid what they can afford' for at least a decade are getting $7.4 billion in debt wiped out

• Biden announced another $7.4 billion in student-debt relief for 277,000 borrowers.
• It impacts borrowers on the SAVE plan, along with others on income-driven repayment plans and PSLF.
• The new relief comes just after Biden released new details for his broader student-debt relief plan.

Another batch of student-loan borrowers has been approved for debt cancellation.

On Friday, President Joe Biden and the Education Department announced that 277,000 more borrowers will get $7.4 billion in debt relief. It results from a new provision in the SAVE income-driven repayment plan that allows for a shorter timeline to loan forgiveness for some borrowers, along with ongoing fixes to other income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

"Today we are helping 277,000 borrowers who have been making payments on their student loans for at least a decade," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said in a statement. "They have paid what they can afford, and they have earned loan forgiveness for the balance of their loan."

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Specifically, according to the Education Department's press release, $3.6 billion of the relief will go to 206,800 borrowers enrolled in SAVE. The provision allows relief for borrowers who originally borrowed $12,000 or less and have made as few as 10 years of qualifying payments, contrasting the 20-year threshold for other income-driven repayment plans.

Additionally, the rest of the relief is going to borrowers on income-driven repayment plans or PSLF as a result of the one-time account adjustments and administrative fixes to the plans to bring borrowers' payment counts up to date.

According to the Education Department, impacted borrowers will begin receiving emails on Friday informing them of their relief, and their servicers will process the relief in the coming weeks.

This latest batch of debt relief approvals comes just days after Biden announced new details for his broader attempt at student-loan forgiveness using the Higher Education Act of 1965. While the plan is still subject to change, the latest details outline relief intended to benefit over 30 million borrowers, including those whose balances have grown due to unpaid interest and those who have made at least 20 years of payments but have yet to receive relief.

The regulatory text for that broader plan is set to be published in the coming months, after which there will be a period for public comment. Biden's administration expects to implement the plan as early as this fall — but it faces uncertainty due to the possibility of legal challenges that could block the relief, as they did with Biden's first attempt at loan forgiveness.

Two groups of GOP state attorneys general have also filed separate lawsuits over the past few weeks to block the SAVE plan , calling the shortened timeline to relief unconstitutional.

Still, the administration is moving forward with more targeted efforts for debt cancellation through its fixes to repayment plans, recently announcing $1.2 billion in relief for 153,000 borrowers through the SAVE plan.

"From day one of my Administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," Biden said in a statement. "I will never stop working to cancel student debt — no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us."

Watch: Biden announces who can have $10,000 erased in student loans

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