Background

Professor Marcel and Judy Corstjens through their consulting arm, Cubiculum Consulting, developed the Storwars FMCG market simulation at INSEAD, Europe's premier Business School. Cognition associates has the exclusive arrangement with Cubiculum to conduct the Storwars simulation in the Asia Pacific Region. The regional facilitator is Ian Cogdell, Managing Director and Principal Consultant with cognition associates pty ltd and an Associate Director at Mt Eliza Business School. The simulation has been conducted with leading European and Australian FMCG companies over the past few years.

The Storwars Simulation

The Storwars simulation provides an interactive framework within which participants can manage a business in the FMCG industry. It involves participants (in five teams of 3 to 5 participants) managing a manufacturing business (three) or retail business (two) in two different markets (Oland and Limburg) with two different product categories (Foodles and Woodles). The simulation requires participants to gain an understanding of the dynamics of these FMCG markets and make decisions for each period (of six months) which are then reflected in a computer-modeled market that responds to the participant decisions in determining business, category and market performance.

In the 'even' decision periods (2, 4, 6) the manufacturer teams negotiate with the retailer teams over cooperative advertising, promotions, discounts and terms.

At the end of the simulation (usually decision 5 in a three and a half 'long' day program) the teams report to a shareholder meeting to explain their strategies and performance. At the conclusion of this final decision period the teams report their business performance and future strategy to a shareholder meeting and then the participants, as potential shareholders, determine the company that they would invest in for the future, based on the performance to date and the tangible and intangible assets of each business.

The decision computation structure (computing the results) of the simulation allows for the inclusion of specific management development sessions to meet participant learning needs.
[see sample program »]