Case studies
Tech Competition Simulation Landscape and Challenges
TCS is a multi-player co-op e-simulation. C-suite level teams (1 to 3 players) compete to grow their own business in a tough global tech market.
As new C-suite level teams of a company integrated into GVCs, teams must demonstrate their capacities to understand their business environment and manage risks!
Simulation Overview
In this multiplayer co-op e-simulation, participants explore market structure concepts and fundamental market dynamics in the context of the very competitive high-tech market. Each simulation period lets teams decide how many chips (AMD or Intel) they want to buy to produce and sell AMD and Intel-based computers. The teams also choose how much to invest in marketing for their AMD and Intel computers. Each team competes with each other to gain the most market share and avoid bankruptcy!
Companies are integrated into GVCs, participants must demonstrate their capacities to understand their business environment and manage risks!
Time Requirement
Introduction - 15 to 30 minutes
Game Play - 45 minutes to 1.5 hours
Debrief - 30 minutes to 1 hour (a report is automatically generated at the end of the game in a PPT-like format to directly debrief)
The Story
Participants compete in teams (one to three people) and try to grow their business in a highly competitive technology market in this collaborative, multi-player e-simulation. Competing companies manufacture computers. The simulation takes place over several periods. Each team makes decisions on how many chips (AMD or Intel) to buy to build the computers for each period. The teams also decide how much to invest in marketing for their AMD and Intel computers. Intel has a partnership program where they cover 50% of the advertising costs. Intel demands to have a jingle "Intel Inside" for multimedia-based ads, as well as having a brochure in every new computer box bought by a customer.
Since companies are not listed on the stock exchange, it is impossible to know the strategy of other companies. Be careful not to have a negative cash flow at the end of the period; this leads to bankruptcy and the board's layoffs.
Companies are integrated into global value chains (GVCs), it is important to get an integrated overview of the international business environment and its related issues. At the end of the day, being a business manager means being able to take risks, and being a successful manager means being equipped with the right knowledge and analytical tools to manage risks. Participants will face challenges that can earn them points and lead them to the top of the scoreboard!
Will you opt for a risky strategy to obtain the maximum market share at the risk of losing everything, or will you be careful to keep your business going?
Learning Focus
- Globalization dynamics
- Global challenges
- market optimization
- fixed and variable costs
- and more!
Topics Covered
- Comparative/Competitive advantage
- technology/production function
- price elasticity
- market structure
- oligopoly
- price strategies
- and more!
Don't wait any longer and start discovering The Tech Competition Simulation
This simulation is designed by Prof. Thierry Warin, Professor in Data Science for Global Transformations at HEC Montréal