Reasons for using a multi-award winning Business Simulation

When you think of a business simulation, what comes to mind?

Simulations have changed a lot in the last 20 years as have attitudes towards teaching business and entrepreneurship. However, the majority of simulations still focus on corporate & global business. Some simulations appeal to people who just love numbers on a screen; you can also use games that combine a ‘light’ business experience with creative graphic animation. Traditional paper-based simulations are still available & there's those requiring you to teach/train at a fixed time rather than fitting in around your timetable.

It’s different with SimVenture

The SimVenture team has been working with and learning from teachers and trainers worldwide since 2004. Our Research & development work has consistently shown that very few simulations allow people to create/grow a small business as well as understand the real detail of what goes into running a company. Feedback has also shown what people really want from a simulation.

Designed by experienced entrepreneurs (who really know what those early year in business are about), SimVenture focuses on how small businesses operate. And the simulation is rooted in four key principles: Engagement; Authenticity; Sustainable Learning; Flexibility.

Engagement and Authenticity

Any business simulation should provide an active learning experience. Fun is important but to develop skills and embed understanding in a learning environment, a good simulation has to reflect reality.

If it doesn’t ‘feel real’ people quickly see through the exercise and become disinterested in meaningful work. Rather than explain all SimVenture features here, download a demo copy of the software and see how all aspects of business and the variables of money, time, skills, stress and tiredness have been interwoven into the simulation to provide an authentic learning experience.

Sustainable Learning

SimVenture also provides an immediate learning environment where users solve problems by analysing information, make decisions and deal with consequences. The simulation’s in-built scenarios, multiple difficulty levels and in-depth functionality ensure learners are really challenged to think on their own or in groups (SimVenture is not easy) in a variety of different ways.

To appeal to learners and thus make best use of time, SimVenture is intuitive to use; the simulation also offers immediate feedback to the user in a variety of ways. These design principles drive people to want to learn rather than feel they have to learn. Teacher/trainer workload is further minimised because the simulation incorporates a wide variety of ‘Help’, navigation and learner support features (that reflect all learning styles).

And since SimVenture captures all user decisions and results (available to print & save electronically) information is instantly available for presentations and assessment.

Flexible Support for Teachers & Trainers

Using the materials available within the Resource Library and Learning Zone, teachers and trainers can quickly learn how the software works. A variety of training packages also allow people to become competent teachers/trainers with the software in a short space of time. This investment is proven to have many long-term benefits.

Through research or via the dedicated on-line Forum, Teachers and trainers continue to feedback the importance of having a flexible resource. Since we supply free network licence software & SimVenture includes a save & load function, people can always use the software at a time & place to suit them. 

Clients also use the software for distance learning courses because people can download the software to their own machine and then save and return completed game files electronically.

Ultimately, the development team strives to create the very best small business simulation that engages people in an authentic, challenging and sustainable learning experience whether it’s in an academic, commercial or home environment.