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Product Launcha two hour simulation covering basic marketing and financial concepts. |
PRODUCT LAUNCH covers pricing & promotion responses, the Product Life Cycle, profits & cash flow in just two hours and as such it is an ideal, mini marketing simulation to introduce core marketing and financial ideas. Participants launch a unique new consumer product (the Souper Hot self heating soup or the HoTTea self heating tea) making decisions about price, promotion and production. Initially, they have to discover the best way to influence early adopters while maintaining solvency and penetrating the market. Eventually, usually just when the participants have found the best mix of price and promotion, competition enters the market and market share erodes. Product Launch is ideal for sales, marketing and general management courses and for company conferences. Originally designed in 1977, Product Launch has been in use since then and was recently completely revised incorporating our latest design paradigms.
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KEY LEARNING: The simulation covers these issues:
AVAILABILITY: This business simulation is designed to be used by your trainers.
Learn more about running a business simulation yourself.
DURATION: Two hours. This short duration allow the simulation to fit into most course time-tables (even the "difficult" after dinner slot).
TARGET AUDIENCE: The simulations are designed to be used by trainees, junior management up to middle management, functional specialists and supervisors. Or, as an ice breaker, for all levels up to senior management.
METHOD: After a short briefing the training group is divided into several teams of three to five participants. Each consider the problem facing them and then make a series of decisions that are fed, by the team, into their own microcomputer that simulates their effect. The results are printed for the team to analyse before making their next decisions. This decision-making cycle should be repeated for at least eight periods. At the end of the simulation phase the teams reunite to discuss and compare results.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Ideally a single PC and printer for each teams (of four or five participants). But, if necessary two or three teams can share a single computer with printer.
The simulation uses an advanced simulator that supports tutoring, provides for ease of use and will run on all Windows operating systems from Windows 98 thorough Windows 8.
PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE
Participants launch a unique product into a new market without competition. But, eventually, competition will arrive. So, first, they are concerned with penetrating the market and growing sales. When the competition arrives, the market situation changes and sales peak and then erode. Consequentially, participants manage the whole of the Product Life Cycle from initial launch, through growth, maturity to decline.
PRICING STRATEGY
Each period, teams must decide how much to charge for the product and so, must decide the correct price to meet period and long term marketing targets. Initially, participants will be selling into a price insensitive market that, probably, will accept high prices. However, as the product penetrates the market and the mix of customer changes, price sensitivity increases. Finally, when competitors enter the market, customers become very sensitive to price. As a consequence, throughout the simulation, participants must assess price sensitivity and adjusting their price. An adjustment that has to take into account sales growth, long and short-term profit needs and cash flow.}
PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY
Each period, teams must decide how much to spend on promotion and so, must decide the correct level to meet period and long term marketing targets. Initially, participants must promote heavily to grow the customer base and establish themselves before the competition arrives. When competitors enter the market, the need for promotion reduces (as competitors help build product awareness) and as price reductions reduce profit.
PROFIT & CASH FLOW
During the simulation, participants must consider both profit and cash flow and realise the difference between the two. Initially, as sales grow, participants must worry that too rapid expansion will exhaust their cash reserves and lead to bankruptcy. Equally, a too prudent launch will mean that they are not established in the market before the competitors arrive.
Over the Product Life Cycle, profits will move from initial losses, peak and then, as competition "bites" erode and may, eventually, lead to losses. A very skilful team may be able to make cumulative profits of over a million and this may be used as a target, to encourage competition and choose a "winner".
ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSIS & DECISION-MAKING
The uncertainties, ambiguities and dynamics of the simulation mean that it can be used to acquaint new graduates, engineers and scientists with the nature of business and decision-making.
FORECASTING
Throughout the simulation participants must accurately forecast demand so as to set the right production level. Too low production will loose sales and reduce profits. Too high production may risk over expansion and bankruptcy and will reduce profits because the product has a limited life and a proportion of surplus inventory will be scrapped.
TEAM WORKING
With participants working in small teams, they have the opportunity to share experience and knowledge, present and promote different viewpoints, develop time management and their "people" skills.
This simulation is available for company training on a per course rental basis (rather than on a per participant basis) and for academic (university) and school use on a per course and an annual unlimited use basis. For you convenience you can pay in pounds sterling (£), US Dollars (£) or Euros.
Learn more about the rental process
Training Type |
£ |
$ |
€ |
Company Training |
£250 |
$450 |
€350 |
Academic (single course) |
£100 |
$200 |
€150 |
Academic (annual use) |
£250 |
$450 |
€350 |
School (single course) |
£50 |
$100 |
€75 |
School (annual license) |
£100 |
$200 |
€150 |
Notes:
Single company training course is up to 30 participants Beyond that for each group of 30 a copy of the business simulation must be rented.
Rentals in the UK and the European Union will incur VAT (Value Added Tax) at 20%. For the rest of the world VAT is not charged.
Company Training use is invoiced after successful use. Academic and School use is invoiced before use.
This business simulation can be used:
Documentation is provided separately for the UK and US Versions MS Word format and comprises:
A Participants' Manual that provides, for the participants. a description of the simulation, a description of their task and how to use the software.
The Background Notes describe the simulation for the trainer and may be used as a handout to the participants at the end of the simulation. (Please contact us for these)
The Record Sheets are optional and are provided to allow teams to share key results as the simulation progresses.
Using the Simulator provides, for the trainer (and computer support staff), information about installing the simulation and the use of the software.
Running the Simulation provides, for the trainer, information about running the simulation.
Briefing is a MS Power Point briefing explaining the simulation to the participants. (You may find it useful if you review this before reading the briefs.)
UK Versions | US Versions | |
Participants' Manual (Souper Hot) | ![]() |
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Participants' Manual (HoTTea) | ![]() |
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Record Sheet | ![]() |
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Using the Simulator | ![]() |
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Running the Simulation | ![]() |
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Briefing (Product Launch) | ![]() |
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Briefing (HotTea) | ![]() |
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This is provided to allow you to download an evaluation version of the simulation.
The table below shows the files to download, their description and size. You should copy them to a folder, a USB Flash Drive or even to floppy discs! Run setup.exe. The program will then install.
If, instead of installing from the Web, you are installing from the CD-ROM version of this resource you can install directly by clicking setup.exe and opening the file.
Note: When downloading the setup.lst file you must right click and then select Save As. (If you left click the file will open - this is a feature of Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.)
File | Description | Size |
setup.exe | Installation Program | 137 Kbytes |
Setup.lst | Installation Data | 5 Kbytes |
Launch.cab | Simulator Files | 2,818 Kbytes |
Most recent update: 03/09/15
Hall Marketing, Studio 11, Colman's Wharf, 45 Morris Road, London
E14 6PA, ENGLAND
Phone +44 (0)20 7537 2982 E-mail jeremyhall@simulations.co.uk