Coffee Shop Inc.
In the Business Essentials Simulation: Coffee Shop Inc., students manage and grow their own coffee shop business in the face of a changing external environment and competitive landscape. The simulation takes students through three levels of play, with increasing levels of complexity and the introduction of new business concepts as learners develop their skills.
Key Facts
Topics
Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Strategy
Play Duration
1 hour 15 minutes
Format
Individual or team
Scenarios
Three levels of play
Languages
English, Chinese
For universities, this simulation is also available from Harvard Business Impact.
How to play
In Coffee Shop Inc learners manage a coffee shop business for 5 years. Each year, they review developments in the business environment, see what competitors are up to and make key business decisions in the areas of Marketing, HR and Operations.
- In Coffee Shop Inc learners manage a coffee shop business for 5 years. In Levels 1 and 2, they begin by choosing a location for the store (city center, suburbs, university campus).
- Each year, they review developments in the business environment, see what competitors are up to and make key business decisions in the areas of Marketing (Product, Price, Promotion), Human Resources (Salaries, Training, Recruitment) and Operations.
- Level 2 includes decisions on vertical integration and ethical marketing.
- In Level 3, learners expand their business internationally into mature and emerging markets, by opening their own stores and through franchising.
Succeed and learn
By playing Coffee Shop Inc, students learn that:
- Developing a successful company is enjoyable but requires a clear strategy and sound decision-making.
- You can succeed with different strategies, as long as operational decisions are consistent with the chosen strategy and are appropriate for the company's target customer group.
- Employee satisfaction is required to achieve customer satisfaction, which in turn is needed to generate sales and profits.
- Changing environmental and competitive conditions can have a major impact on a company's operations.
- Understanding and applying key business concepts and tools (e.g. PESTLE analysis, competitive analysis, product differentiation, vertical integration) can improve performance.
Used all over the world
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