SA simulation game for international business

Business Today’s training simulation board customised for Reckitt Benckiser.

The programme, called ‘Impacting the P&L', uses discovery business simulation to train teams of managers from all business units on the company's financial goals and annual report. Business Today developed the programme, using a simulated Reckitt Benckiser business and accounting system.

Teams run a number of simulated business cycles, and after each cycle, they prepare and analyse the financial statements of their simulated businesses. Using the group's global internal reporting and analysis system, the same techniques are applied by delegates as in the group's real business environment. This enables delegates to gain a real understanding of the company's profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, storm ratios and net working capital position.

"The objective is to empower managers to discover new ways of changing their behaviour and actions to positively impact the group's share price," explains Gordon Cousins, Business Today International chair.

The company has developed a range of experiential board-based business simulations, which are utilised worldwide as a vehicle for providing staff with a working knowledge of business and finance.

"We have designed and customised over 120 different business simulations built around different types of businesses across many industries, from the electricity, manufacturing and FMCG industry to the insurance and banking industry. The simulations incorporate the financial and other business drivers of that type of business," he adds.

The company is represented in 42 countries with clients including Unilever, Toyota, Royal Bank of Scotland, Nestle, Vodafone, Daimler Chrysler, Roche, Sandvik, SAB Miller, Anglo Gold, Goldfields, Goodyear, Danone, Johnson & Johnson and Elite Strauss.