Strategy capstone · PGDM Term 4

Business Simulationstrategy under pressure, with consequences.

A 20-session executive decision laboratory in which teams run a global technology company across Asia, Europe and the United States—integrating strategy, marketing, R&D, production, people, finance, tax and ESG while rivals move at the same time.

Explore the full journey See evidence of learning

Course: PGDM-2025-27-G/C-T4-BSIM
Format: 20 sessions · 90 minutes each
Credits: 3 credits · Term 4
Decision unit: 5–7 member management teams
Faculty: Dr Poornima Gupta · Dr Smita Mazumdar · Dr Swapnil Sahoo

01 / Learning promise

Run the whole business. See the system. Defend every trade-off.

The simulation makes interdependence unavoidable. A product launch can be strategically attractive and financially impossible; a stockout can validate demand and destroy value; an ESG choice can reshape both operating performance and stakeholder outcomes.

Coherence over isolated excellence

Marketing, R&D, operations, finance, people and ESG decisions are judged as one mutually reinforcing system—not as six functional answers.[1][2]

Evidence over hindsight

Teams must forecast before submitting, preserve their decision logic and compare intent with the operational and financial results that follow.[1][5]

Adaptation over attachment

A strategy is a testable set of choices. Strong teams distinguish a weak execution signal from a broken strategic assumption and adapt deliberately.[2][3][4]

02 / Competitive decision loop

Decide. Observe. Diagnose. Adapt.

Each round is both a competitive event and a learning experiment. The quality of the course comes from the disciplined loop around submission—not from the leaderboard alone.

Orient
Frame
State the strategic thesis, winning aspiration and assumptions for the round.
Anticipate
Forecast
Estimate demand, rival moves, capacity, cash and material downside.
Integrate
Decide
Align product, price, promotion, R&D, production, funding, tax, people and ESG.
Commit
Submit
Run cross-checks, record rationale and complete a rotating team sign-off.
Read
Observe
Separate market outcomes, operating outcomes and financial consequences.
Explain
Diagnose
Trace variance to assumptions, choices, execution, competitors or system effects.
Renew
Adapt
Protect coherent choices, correct errors and revise the thesis when evidence demands it.
Own
Defend
Explain the decision trail, trade-offs, learning and next move under questioning.

03 / Learning outcomes

Capability that travels beyond the classroom.

LO-1
Formulate and adapt competitive strategy under uncertainty while anticipating rival moves and market evolution.
LO-2
Integrate cross-functional decisions and explain their operational, financial and stakeholder consequences.
LO-3
Develop a glocal strategy across regions with different preferences, economics, taxes, tariffs and constraints.
LO-4
Lead an accountable management team, preserve a decision trail and convert round evidence into individual learning.

04 / Complete learning journey

Every stage. Every decision. One cumulative arc.

Open any stage to inspect its question, coverage, learning activity and evidence of completion.

Foundation · Practice Round 1

Enter the decision arena

Driving question

What does a coherent strategy look like before the first number is entered?[1][2][3]

Topics & lenses

Three Horizons, positioning and industry logic
Simulation interface, company history and market outlook
Winning aspiration, where to play and how to win

Learning in action

Read the competitive arena and identify critical uncertainties
Translate strategy into a first-round decision hypothesis
Assign team roles and complete Practice Round 1

Evidence / artifact

One-page strategy thesis, team operating charter and Practice Round 1 submission.

Foundation · Cross-functional nexus

See the whole enterprise

Driving question

Where do individually sensible functional decisions collide?[1]

Topics & lenses

Demand, pricing, promotion and product features
R&D, licensing, production and inventory
Liquidity, capital structure, tax and transfer pricing

Learning in action

Map causal links across the decision set
Find two likely trade-offs and one hidden constraint
Run a cross-functional coherence review

Evidence / artifact

Enterprise decision map and pre-submission coherence checklist.

Foundation · Practice 1 debrief

Read results without making excuses

Driving question

Which outcomes came from strategy, execution, rivals or an incorrect assumption?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

SWOT as an evidence summary
GE–McKinsey portfolio logic
Variance, stockouts, idle capacity and emergency debt

Learning in action

Compare forecast, decision and realised result
Trace one success and one failure through the system
Identify the next round’s highest-value learning question

Evidence / artifact

Practice Round 1 variance bridge and after-action review.

Foundation · Practice 2 preparation

Build the analytic cockpit

Driving question

Which few indicators reveal whether the strategy is working—and why?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Leading and lagging indicators
Demand and cash forecasting
Decision journal and assumption ledger

Learning in action

Design a team dashboard
Create base, upside and downside forecasts
Write explicit assumptions before Practice Round 2

Evidence / artifact

Forecast model, dashboard and assumption ledger.

Foundation · Practice Round 2

Submit with disciplined challenge

Driving question

Can the team improve its thesis without overreacting to one practice result?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Benchmarking and forecast revision
Strategic fit and recurring decision errors
Quiz 1: concepts, rules and interpretation

Learning in action

Complete a red-team review of the proposed decisions
Submit Practice Round 2 with rotating sign-off
Complete Quiz 1 and log the final rationale

Evidence / artifact

Signed Practice Round 2 decision packet and Quiz 1.

Diagnosis · Financial and portfolio logic

Find the profit—and the fragility

Driving question

Where is value actually created, consumed and exposed?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Common-size financial statements
SWOT, BCG and GE–McKinsey comparisons
Product, region and technology economics

Learning in action

Decompose margin, capital and cash drivers
Compare portfolio tools against simulation evidence
Identify one growth engine and one value leak

Evidence / artifact

Profit-pool map and portfolio decision memo.

Competition · Round 1

Make the first consequential move

Driving question

Which choices deserve scarce capital when every team is now a rival?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Regional demand and price response
Product roadmap and capacity commitment
Liquidity resilience and competitive anticipation

Learning in action

Forecast by region and technology
Allocate capital against the strategy thesis
Run the full input-validation checklist and submit

Evidence / artifact

Competitive Round 1 board paper and submitted decision set.

Competition · Market evolution

Manage the product life cycle

Driving question

When should the team harvest, migrate, accelerate or abandon a technology?[1][3]

Topics & lenses

Technology and product life cycles
Adoption, substitution and cannibalisation
Industry evolution and timing advantage

Learning in action

Build a technology migration map
Stress-test price and feature choices by region
Write explicit launch and exit triggers

Evidence / artifact

Technology roadmap with launch, migration and exit gates.

Competition · Round 1 debrief

Turn feedback into strategy

Driving question

What should change after Round 1—and what must remain coherent?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Competitive benchmarking
Strategy versus operational effectiveness
Reflection and Round 2 thesis revision

Learning in action

Compare team position with named competitor archetypes
Run a keep/change/stop review
Rewrite only the assumptions invalidated by evidence

Evidence / artifact

Round 1 learning memo and revised Round 2 thesis.

Competition · Round 2

Compete with a stronger point of view

Driving question

How will the team create advantage rather than merely repair last round?[1][2][4]

Topics & lenses

Positioning and capability commitment
Capacity, inventory and fulfilment
Funding growth without hidden fragility

Learning in action

Update demand and cash scenarios
Challenge the decision set against strategic fit
Submit Round 2 with rationale and sign-off

Evidence / artifact

Round 2 strategy-on-a-page and decision packet.

Competition · Round 2 debrief / Round 3

Scale what works without scaling the error

Driving question

Which performance pattern is repeatable—and which is temporary?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Repeatability, commitments and capabilities
R&D scale, manufacturing and route-to-market
Round 3 implementation discipline

Learning in action

Separate structural advantage from one-round luck
Audit bottlenecks before committing scale
Implement and submit Round 3

Evidence / artifact

Capability audit, scale thesis and Round 3 submission.

Responsibility · ESG integration

Put ESG inside the value chain

Driving question

How do environmental, social and governance choices change strategy—not decorate it?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

CO₂, energy and water efficiency
Labour policy and governance
Stakeholder value, investment and trade-offs

Learning in action

Trace ESG choices through operations and financial outcomes
Compare short-run cost with long-run risk and capability
Define a material ESG position for the company

Evidence / artifact

ESG value-driver map and materiality-backed decision statement.

Competition · Round 3 debrief / Round 4

Write the board-quality performance story

Driving question

Can the team explain performance with evidence—and choose the next move?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Board reporting and causal explanation
Round 3 debrief
Round 4 decision integration

Learning in action

Build a concise performance bridge
Defend one underperforming decision under questioning
Submit Round 4 with an explicit counterfactual

Evidence / artifact

Board dashboard, causal narrative and Round 4 submission.

Integration · Strategy reset

Reconnect choices to the growth horizon

Driving question

Is the portfolio balancing today’s engine, emerging growth and future options?[2][3]

Topics & lenses

Three Horizons review
Industry logic and positioning
Quiz 2: integration and application

Learning in action

Allocate initiatives across the three horizons
Test the portfolio against the winning aspiration
Complete Quiz 2 and document the reset

Evidence / artifact

Three-horizon portfolio map, strategy reset and Quiz 2.

Competition · Round 4 debrief / Round 5

Choose under accumulated consequences

Driving question

What becomes possible—or impossible—because of the choices already made?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Path dependence and strategic commitment
Cumulative shareholder return and ROCE
Round 5 capital allocation

Learning in action

Audit inherited constraints and remaining degrees of freedom
Prioritise value creation over leaderboard chasing
Submit Round 5 with board-level sign-off

Evidence / artifact

Commitment map, capital allocation memo and Round 5 submission.

Diagnosis · Decision quality

Forecast better; fail more intelligently

Driving question

Which recurring error is the team now equipped to eliminate?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Benchmarking and forecast calibration
Stockout and inventory mirror errors
Funding, transfer pricing and input validation

Learning in action

Run a forecast accuracy review
Conduct a pre-mortem on the next decision set
Upgrade the team checklist from observed failures

Evidence / artifact

Decision-quality audit and revised submission checklist.

Competition · Round 5 debrief / Round 6

Make the final competitive commitment

Driving question

What is the strongest defensible move given the team’s position and remaining time?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Endgame strategy and competitor response
Profit, ROCE, TSR and ESG balance
Round 6 execution

Learning in action

Define endgame priorities and non-negotiables
Red-team downside and liquidity
Submit Round 6 with complete decision trace

Evidence / artifact

Endgame board memo and Round 6 submission.

Synthesis · Final round debrief

Audit the strategy across time

Driving question

Which causal story best explains the firm’s cumulative performance?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Round 6 and total-course performance
Strategic consistency and adaptation
Counterfactuals and subsequent-cycle decisions

Learning in action

Build a six-round strategy timeline
Identify pivotal choices and plausible counterfactuals
Re-run one future cycle as a disciplined thought experiment

Evidence / artifact

Cumulative performance bridge and strategy timeline.

Synthesis · Reflective review

Separate team performance from personal learning

Driving question

What did the firm learn—and what did each manager learn about their own judgment?[5]

Topics & lenses

Shareholder value and stakeholder value
Team process, conflict and leadership
Decision habits and transferable insight

Learning in action

Conduct a structured team after-action review
Compare peer evidence with self-assessment
Draft the reflective report with claims tied to decisions

Evidence / artifact

Team after-action review and individual evidence-backed reflection.

Synthesis · Individual viva

Defend the decision trail

Driving question

Can each learner explain the firm’s choices, consequences and next move without hiding behind the team?[2][5]

Topics & lenses

Strategic synthesis
Individual accountability
Transfer to managerial practice

Learning in action

Present the firm’s strategic arc in a concise close
Complete an individual viva using live decision evidence
State one durable practice and one unresolved question

Evidence / artifact

Final reflective report, viva record and personal transfer commitment.

05 / Practice studios

Practice is the curriculum.

Each studio makes judgment observable through a concrete action and a reviewable piece of evidence.

Global decision room

Teams integrate regional forecasts, product choices, R&D, production, logistics, funding, tax, people and ESG before every submission.

Evidence · Signed decision packet + assumption ledger

Round debrief lab

Forecast-to-actual bridges reveal whether variance came from an assumption, a choice, execution, rivals or the simulated system.

Evidence · Variance bridge + after-action review

Board challenge

A board-style review forces concise causal explanation, visible trade-offs and a defensible allocation of scarce capital.

Evidence · Dashboard + board memo

Individual decision defence

The viva tests whether every learner can reconstruct the strategy and reason independently from team evidence.

Evidence · Decision trace + viva

06 / Evidence of learning

Assessment that resembles the work.

Multiple signals value preparation, action, reflection and demonstrated transfer—not performance on a single instrument.

10%
Participation & peer evaluation
Prepared contribution, functional ownership, constructive challenge, reliability and evidence of team citizenship.
Method · Observation + confidential peer evidence
15%
Quiz 1
Simulation rules, foundational strategy, cross-functional logic and interpretation of practice-round evidence.
Method · Closed-book individual quiz
15%
Quiz 2
Integrated application of growth, positioning, portfolio, forecasting and competitive decision logic.
Method · Closed-book individual quiz
35%
Simulation performance
Cumulative shareholder return 15%, ROCE 10%, final-round profit 5% and ESG performance 5%.
Method · Objective platform metrics · group
10%
Reflective report
A causal, evidence-backed account of strategy, pivotal choices, team learning, limitations and counterfactuals.
Method · Written synthesis
15%
Individual viva
Independent defence of decisions, results, rules, cross-functional implications and transfer to practice.
Method · Oral examination using live evidence

07 / Safeguards & integrity

Ambition with guardrails.

Clear boundaries protect people, learning quality and the legitimacy of the evidence produced.

G-01
No collusion across firms
Teams may learn from public results but may not share confidential decisions, coordinate market moves or misrepresent submissions.
G-02
Saved-decision verification
Every round ends with input validation, saved-submission confirmation and a rotating sign-off so participation is auditable.[1]
G-03
AI must remain source-bounded
AI may interrogate authorised course rules and team data; it may not invent platform logic, fabricate causal evidence or replace individual judgment.[5]
G-04
Leaderboard is not learning
Performance metrics are combined with quizzes, logs, peer evidence, reflection and viva so polished narrative or a lucky round cannot stand alone.[5]
G-05
Trace every recommendation
Reports distinguish facts, calculations, assumptions and counterfactuals; causal claims must point back to decisions and results.
G-06
Individual accountability
Every manager must understand the whole firm, not only a functional silo, and be ready to defend the integrated decision set.[1]

Measurement note

Practice Round 1: a diagnostic, not a universal claim

The architecture follows the approved 2025–27 course outline, faculty session plan, current round checklist and reflective-assessment review held in the teaching source pack. The figures below are explicitly labelled statistics from one practice-round simulation universe; they illustrate decision consequences, not real-market benchmarks.

Practice Round 1 statistic · TSR spread: +31.4% to −32.1%
Practice Round 1 statistic · emergency-debt rate: 13.2%
Practice Round 1 statistic · estimated stockout loss: approximately $310m
Decision evidence · strategy thesis, forecast and assumption ledger
Performance evidence · market, operating, financial and ESG dashboards
Learning evidence · quizzes, peer review, reflection and individual viva

08 / References

Research behind the design.

[1]Cesim (n.d.). Cesim Global Challenge: Strategy and International Business Simulation. Cesim Oy.
[2]Lafley, A. G., & Martin, R. L. (2013). Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works. Harvard Business Review Press.
[3]Baghai, M., Coley, S., & White, D. (1999). The Three Horizons of Growth. McKinsey & Company.
[4]Ghemawat, P., & Rivkin, J. W. (1998). Creating Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business School.
[5]AACSB International (2026). Global Standards for Business Education. AACSB International.

Continue to Karma Yoga

Strategy capstone · PGDM Term 4

Business Simulationstrategy under pressure, with consequences.

Explore the full journey See evidence of learning

Course: PGDM-2025-27-G/C-T4-BSIM
Format: 20 sessions · 90 minutes each
Credits: 3 credits · Term 4
Decision unit: 5–7 member management teams
Faculty: Dr Poornima Gupta · Dr Smita Mazumdar · Dr Swapnil Sahoo

01 / Learning promise

Run the whole business. See the system. Defend every trade-off.

Coherence over isolated excellence

Marketing, R&D, operations, finance, people and ESG decisions are judged as one mutually reinforcing system—not as six functional answers.[1][2]

Evidence over hindsight

Teams must forecast before submitting, preserve their decision logic and compare intent with the operational and financial results that follow.[1][5]

Adaptation over attachment

A strategy is a testable set of choices. Strong teams distinguish a weak execution signal from a broken strategic assumption and adapt deliberately.[2][3][4]

02 / Competitive decision loop

Decide. Observe. Diagnose. Adapt.

Each round is both a competitive event and a learning experiment. The quality of the course comes from the disciplined loop around submission—not from the leaderboard alone.

Orient
Frame
State the strategic thesis, winning aspiration and assumptions for the round.
Anticipate
Forecast
Estimate demand, rival moves, capacity, cash and material downside.
Integrate
Decide
Align product, price, promotion, R&D, production, funding, tax, people and ESG.
Commit
Submit
Run cross-checks, record rationale and complete a rotating team sign-off.
Read
Observe
Separate market outcomes, operating outcomes and financial consequences.
Explain
Diagnose
Trace variance to assumptions, choices, execution, competitors or system effects.
Renew
Adapt
Protect coherent choices, correct errors and revise the thesis when evidence demands it.
Own
Defend
Explain the decision trail, trade-offs, learning and next move under questioning.

03 / Learning outcomes

Capability that travels beyond the classroom.

LO-1
Formulate and adapt competitive strategy under uncertainty while anticipating rival moves and market evolution.
LO-2
Integrate cross-functional decisions and explain their operational, financial and stakeholder consequences.
LO-3
Develop a glocal strategy across regions with different preferences, economics, taxes, tariffs and constraints.
LO-4
Lead an accountable management team, preserve a decision trail and convert round evidence into individual learning.

04 / Complete learning journey

Every stage. Every decision. One cumulative arc.

Open any stage to inspect its question, coverage, learning activity and evidence of completion.

Foundation · Practice Round 1

Enter the decision arena

Driving question

What does a coherent strategy look like before the first number is entered?[1][2][3]

Topics & lenses

Three Horizons, positioning and industry logic
Simulation interface, company history and market outlook
Winning aspiration, where to play and how to win

Learning in action

Read the competitive arena and identify critical uncertainties
Translate strategy into a first-round decision hypothesis
Assign team roles and complete Practice Round 1

Evidence / artifact

One-page strategy thesis, team operating charter and Practice Round 1 submission.

Foundation · Cross-functional nexus

See the whole enterprise

Driving question

Where do individually sensible functional decisions collide?[1]

Topics & lenses

Demand, pricing, promotion and product features
R&D, licensing, production and inventory
Liquidity, capital structure, tax and transfer pricing

Learning in action

Map causal links across the decision set
Find two likely trade-offs and one hidden constraint
Run a cross-functional coherence review

Evidence / artifact

Enterprise decision map and pre-submission coherence checklist.

Foundation · Practice 1 debrief

Read results without making excuses

Driving question

Which outcomes came from strategy, execution, rivals or an incorrect assumption?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

SWOT as an evidence summary
GE–McKinsey portfolio logic
Variance, stockouts, idle capacity and emergency debt

Learning in action

Compare forecast, decision and realised result
Trace one success and one failure through the system
Identify the next round’s highest-value learning question

Evidence / artifact

Practice Round 1 variance bridge and after-action review.

Foundation · Practice 2 preparation

Build the analytic cockpit

Driving question

Which few indicators reveal whether the strategy is working—and why?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Leading and lagging indicators
Demand and cash forecasting
Decision journal and assumption ledger

Learning in action

Design a team dashboard
Create base, upside and downside forecasts
Write explicit assumptions before Practice Round 2

Evidence / artifact

Forecast model, dashboard and assumption ledger.

Foundation · Practice Round 2

Submit with disciplined challenge

Driving question

Can the team improve its thesis without overreacting to one practice result?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Benchmarking and forecast revision
Strategic fit and recurring decision errors
Quiz 1: concepts, rules and interpretation

Learning in action

Complete a red-team review of the proposed decisions
Submit Practice Round 2 with rotating sign-off
Complete Quiz 1 and log the final rationale

Evidence / artifact

Signed Practice Round 2 decision packet and Quiz 1.

Diagnosis · Financial and portfolio logic

Find the profit—and the fragility

Driving question

Where is value actually created, consumed and exposed?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Common-size financial statements
SWOT, BCG and GE–McKinsey comparisons
Product, region and technology economics

Learning in action

Decompose margin, capital and cash drivers
Compare portfolio tools against simulation evidence
Identify one growth engine and one value leak

Evidence / artifact

Profit-pool map and portfolio decision memo.

Competition · Round 1

Make the first consequential move

Driving question

Which choices deserve scarce capital when every team is now a rival?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Regional demand and price response
Product roadmap and capacity commitment
Liquidity resilience and competitive anticipation

Learning in action

Forecast by region and technology
Allocate capital against the strategy thesis
Run the full input-validation checklist and submit

Evidence / artifact

Competitive Round 1 board paper and submitted decision set.

Competition · Market evolution

Manage the product life cycle

Driving question

When should the team harvest, migrate, accelerate or abandon a technology?[1][3]

Topics & lenses

Technology and product life cycles
Adoption, substitution and cannibalisation
Industry evolution and timing advantage

Learning in action

Build a technology migration map
Stress-test price and feature choices by region
Write explicit launch and exit triggers

Evidence / artifact

Technology roadmap with launch, migration and exit gates.

Competition · Round 1 debrief

Turn feedback into strategy

Driving question

What should change after Round 1—and what must remain coherent?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Competitive benchmarking
Strategy versus operational effectiveness
Reflection and Round 2 thesis revision

Learning in action

Compare team position with named competitor archetypes
Run a keep/change/stop review
Rewrite only the assumptions invalidated by evidence

Evidence / artifact

Round 1 learning memo and revised Round 2 thesis.

Competition · Round 2

Compete with a stronger point of view

Driving question

How will the team create advantage rather than merely repair last round?[1][2][4]

Topics & lenses

Positioning and capability commitment
Capacity, inventory and fulfilment
Funding growth without hidden fragility

Learning in action

Update demand and cash scenarios
Challenge the decision set against strategic fit
Submit Round 2 with rationale and sign-off

Evidence / artifact

Round 2 strategy-on-a-page and decision packet.

Competition · Round 2 debrief / Round 3

Scale what works without scaling the error

Driving question

Which performance pattern is repeatable—and which is temporary?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Repeatability, commitments and capabilities
R&D scale, manufacturing and route-to-market
Round 3 implementation discipline

Learning in action

Separate structural advantage from one-round luck
Audit bottlenecks before committing scale
Implement and submit Round 3

Evidence / artifact

Capability audit, scale thesis and Round 3 submission.

Responsibility · ESG integration

Put ESG inside the value chain

Driving question

How do environmental, social and governance choices change strategy—not decorate it?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

CO₂, energy and water efficiency
Labour policy and governance
Stakeholder value, investment and trade-offs

Learning in action

Trace ESG choices through operations and financial outcomes
Compare short-run cost with long-run risk and capability
Define a material ESG position for the company

Evidence / artifact

ESG value-driver map and materiality-backed decision statement.

Competition · Round 3 debrief / Round 4

Write the board-quality performance story

Driving question

Can the team explain performance with evidence—and choose the next move?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Board reporting and causal explanation
Round 3 debrief
Round 4 decision integration

Learning in action

Build a concise performance bridge
Defend one underperforming decision under questioning
Submit Round 4 with an explicit counterfactual

Evidence / artifact

Board dashboard, causal narrative and Round 4 submission.

Integration · Strategy reset

Reconnect choices to the growth horizon

Driving question

Is the portfolio balancing today’s engine, emerging growth and future options?[2][3]

Topics & lenses

Three Horizons review
Industry logic and positioning
Quiz 2: integration and application

Learning in action

Allocate initiatives across the three horizons
Test the portfolio against the winning aspiration
Complete Quiz 2 and document the reset

Evidence / artifact

Three-horizon portfolio map, strategy reset and Quiz 2.

Competition · Round 4 debrief / Round 5

Choose under accumulated consequences

Driving question

What becomes possible—or impossible—because of the choices already made?[1][4]

Topics & lenses

Path dependence and strategic commitment
Cumulative shareholder return and ROCE
Round 5 capital allocation

Learning in action

Audit inherited constraints and remaining degrees of freedom
Prioritise value creation over leaderboard chasing
Submit Round 5 with board-level sign-off

Evidence / artifact

Commitment map, capital allocation memo and Round 5 submission.

Diagnosis · Decision quality

Forecast better; fail more intelligently

Driving question

Which recurring error is the team now equipped to eliminate?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Benchmarking and forecast calibration
Stockout and inventory mirror errors
Funding, transfer pricing and input validation

Learning in action

Run a forecast accuracy review
Conduct a pre-mortem on the next decision set
Upgrade the team checklist from observed failures

Evidence / artifact

Decision-quality audit and revised submission checklist.

Competition · Round 5 debrief / Round 6

Make the final competitive commitment

Driving question

What is the strongest defensible move given the team’s position and remaining time?[1][2]

Topics & lenses

Endgame strategy and competitor response
Profit, ROCE, TSR and ESG balance
Round 6 execution

Learning in action

Define endgame priorities and non-negotiables
Red-team downside and liquidity
Submit Round 6 with complete decision trace

Evidence / artifact

Endgame board memo and Round 6 submission.

Synthesis · Final round debrief

Audit the strategy across time

Driving question

Which causal story best explains the firm’s cumulative performance?[1][5]

Topics & lenses

Round 6 and total-course performance
Strategic consistency and adaptation
Counterfactuals and subsequent-cycle decisions

Learning in action

Build a six-round strategy timeline
Identify pivotal choices and plausible counterfactuals
Re-run one future cycle as a disciplined thought experiment

Evidence / artifact

Cumulative performance bridge and strategy timeline.

Synthesis · Reflective review

Separate team performance from personal learning

Driving question

What did the firm learn—and what did each manager learn about their own judgment?[5]

Topics & lenses

Shareholder value and stakeholder value
Team process, conflict and leadership
Decision habits and transferable insight

Learning in action

Conduct a structured team after-action review
Compare peer evidence with self-assessment
Draft the reflective report with claims tied to decisions

Evidence / artifact

Team after-action review and individual evidence-backed reflection.

Synthesis · Individual viva

Defend the decision trail

Driving question

Can each learner explain the firm’s choices, consequences and next move without hiding behind the team?[2][5]

Topics & lenses

Strategic synthesis
Individual accountability
Transfer to managerial practice

Learning in action

Present the firm’s strategic arc in a concise close
Complete an individual viva using live decision evidence
State one durable practice and one unresolved question

Evidence / artifact

Final reflective report, viva record and personal transfer commitment.

05 / Practice studios

Practice is the curriculum.

Each studio makes judgment observable through a concrete action and a reviewable piece of evidence.

Global decision room

Teams integrate regional forecasts, product choices, R&D, production, logistics, funding, tax, people and ESG before every submission.

Evidence · Signed decision packet + assumption ledger

Round debrief lab

Forecast-to-actual bridges reveal whether variance came from an assumption, a choice, execution, rivals or the simulated system.

Evidence · Variance bridge + after-action review

Board challenge

A board-style review forces concise causal explanation, visible trade-offs and a defensible allocation of scarce capital.

Evidence · Dashboard + board memo

Individual decision defence

The viva tests whether every learner can reconstruct the strategy and reason independently from team evidence.

Evidence · Decision trace + viva

06 / Evidence of learning

Assessment that resembles the work.

Multiple signals value preparation, action, reflection and demonstrated transfer—not performance on a single instrument.

10%
Participation & peer evaluation
Prepared contribution, functional ownership, constructive challenge, reliability and evidence of team citizenship.
Method · Observation + confidential peer evidence
15%
Quiz 1
Simulation rules, foundational strategy, cross-functional logic and interpretation of practice-round evidence.
Method · Closed-book individual quiz
15%
Quiz 2
Integrated application of growth, positioning, portfolio, forecasting and competitive decision logic.
Method · Closed-book individual quiz
35%
Simulation performance
Cumulative shareholder return 15%, ROCE 10%, final-round profit 5% and ESG performance 5%.
Method · Objective platform metrics · group
10%
Reflective report
A causal, evidence-backed account of strategy, pivotal choices, team learning, limitations and counterfactuals.
Method · Written synthesis
15%
Individual viva
Independent defence of decisions, results, rules, cross-functional implications and transfer to practice.
Method · Oral examination using live evidence

07 / Safeguards & integrity

Ambition with guardrails.

Clear boundaries protect people, learning quality and the legitimacy of the evidence produced.

G-01
No collusion across firms
Teams may learn from public results but may not share confidential decisions, coordinate market moves or misrepresent submissions.
G-02
Saved-decision verification
Every round ends with input validation, saved-submission confirmation and a rotating sign-off so participation is auditable.[1]
G-03
AI must remain source-bounded
AI may interrogate authorised course rules and team data; it may not invent platform logic, fabricate causal evidence or replace individual judgment.[5]
G-04
Leaderboard is not learning
Performance metrics are combined with quizzes, logs, peer evidence, reflection and viva so polished narrative or a lucky round cannot stand alone.[5]
G-05
Trace every recommendation
Reports distinguish facts, calculations, assumptions and counterfactuals; causal claims must point back to decisions and results.
G-06
Individual accountability
Every manager must understand the whole firm, not only a functional silo, and be ready to defend the integrated decision set.[1]

Measurement note

Practice Round 1: a diagnostic, not a universal claim

Practice Round 1 statistic · TSR spread: +31.4% to −32.1%
Practice Round 1 statistic · emergency-debt rate: 13.2%
Practice Round 1 statistic · estimated stockout loss: approximately $310m
Decision evidence · strategy thesis, forecast and assumption ledger
Performance evidence · market, operating, financial and ESG dashboards
Learning evidence · quizzes, peer review, reflection and individual viva

08 / References

Research behind the design.

[1]Cesim (n.d.). Cesim Global Challenge: Strategy and International Business Simulation. Cesim Oy.
[2]Lafley, A. G., & Martin, R. L. (2013). Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works. Harvard Business Review Press.
[3]Baghai, M., Coley, S., & White, D. (1999). The Three Horizons of Growth. McKinsey & Company.
[4]Ghemawat, P., & Rivkin, J. W. (1998). Creating Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business School.
[5]AACSB International (2026). Global Standards for Business Education. AACSB International.

Continue to Karma Yoga

Run the whole business. See the system. Defend every trade-off.

Coherence over isolated excellence

Evidence over hindsight

Adaptation over attachment

Decide. Observe. Diagnose. Adapt.

Frame

Forecast

Decide

Submit

Observe

Diagnose

Adapt

Defend

Capability that travels beyond the classroom.

Every stage. Every decision. One cumulative arc.

Enter the decision arena

See the whole enterprise

Read results without making excuses

Build the analytic cockpit

Submit with disciplined challenge

Find the profit—and the fragility

Make the first consequential move

Manage the product life cycle

Turn feedback into strategy

Compete with a stronger point of view

Scale what works without scaling the error

Put ESG inside the value chain

Write the board-quality performance story

Reconnect choices to the growth horizon

Choose under accumulated consequences

Forecast better; fail more intelligently

Make the final competitive commitment

Audit the strategy across time

Separate team performance from personal learning

Defend the decision trail

Practice is the curriculum.

Global decision room

Round debrief lab

Board challenge

Individual decision defence

Assessment that resembles the work.

Participation & peer evaluation

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Simulation performance

Reflective report

Individual viva

Ambition with guardrails.

No collusion across firms

Saved-decision verification

AI must remain source-bounded

Leaderboard is not learning

Trace every recommendation

Individual accountability

Research behind the design.

Run the whole business. See the system. Defend every trade-off.

Coherence over isolated excellence

Evidence over hindsight

Adaptation over attachment

Decide. Observe. Diagnose. Adapt.

Frame

Forecast

Decide

Submit

Observe

Diagnose

Adapt

Defend

Capability that travels beyond the classroom.

Every stage. Every decision. One cumulative arc.

Enter the decision arena

See the whole enterprise

Read results without making excuses

Build the analytic cockpit

Submit with disciplined challenge

Find the profit—and the fragility

Make the first consequential move

Manage the product life cycle

Turn feedback into strategy

Compete with a stronger point of view