News and Links

What’s Next in Analytics?


A recent edition of the Sloan Management Review tackled some questions that we at Forio think about quite a bit, and which you might be interested in, too.

What do managers want most in their data?

From Sloan Management Review

This is great news for Forio and our users, since at least 3 of the top 5 (Integration, Consistency/Standardization, and Timeliness) are promoted by online simulation and analysis tools, such as Simulate.  A reasonable argument can be made that  model transparency (which Simulate promotes) improves Trustworthiness and encourages Simplification.  So, using Simulate to develop and share your models gives managers what they are looking for!

Where are Data-Driven Managers Headed?

From Sloan Management Review

Once again, great news for us — the  Simulate community!  Data-driven managers are moving right into our sweet spot!  We’ve always been able to support Today’s top two: historic trend analysis and forecasting, and standardized reporting.  But Simulate’s strength, especially when you consider the flexibility that comes with the UI designer, is in the top 3 “In 24 Months”: data visualization, simulations and scenario development, and analytics applied within business processes.  So be in front of the curve –  develop your Simulate skills now!

If you have comments, post them here.  If you’re working on a simulation and have questions about how to make the most of it, post a question on the support board.



Learn how to share iThink and STELLA models online


In this 40-minute live web seminar, Jeremy Merritt (ISee Systems) and our own Michael Bean demonstrate how easy it is to create web-based simulations and learning environments. Learn first-hand how to use isee NetSim and Forio Simulate to publish, share and access iThink and STELLA models online.

Click HERE to access.



2010 Webinar Videos


We recorded four of the webinars we held in 2010 and invite you to watch them for free by clicking on the links below.

Using SD Models to Create Online Simulations

http://forio.com/sd_webinar_09_2010.htm

With Simulate™, Forio’s online simulation development environment, you can put your SD models online, create beautiful intuitive, easy to use interfaces with a drag-and-drop designer, save and compare runs, and control user access.

In this 50-minute hands-on session we discuss how to:

- import Vensim, iThink and other SD models

- design interfaces in minutes

- let users easily save and compare runs

- set user access privileges

- embed sims on other web pages

Creating Multi-player Simulations

http://forio.com/sd_webinar_10_14_2010.htm

With Simulate™, Forio’s web-based simulation development environment, you can rapidly create multi-player simulations. Drag-and-drop design tools and support of models from Excel and System Dynamics packages make authoring sims easy.

In this 50-minute hands-on session we discuss how to:

- design interfaces for multiple roles

- use Excel to define game and player logic

- assign users to roles and teams

- use advanced facilitator and player features

Marketing Simulation Showcase

http://forio.com/2010_webinar_marketing.htm

Michael Bean presents our latest simulations for boosting student engagement and learning in Marketing. These simulations have been co-developed with faculty from Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management, University of Michigan, and other leading business schools.

In this 50-minute webinar, we will review four of our most popular marketing simulations:

SoftStrat: The Software Platform Migration Game

by Prof. Mohan Sahwney, Kellog School of Management

Covers technology migration, cannibalization, budgeting

Managing Channels and Segments for Profitability

by Prof. Das Narayandas, Harvard Business School

Covers sales force, channels, segmentation, competition, and positioning

The Big Picture Marketing Management Simulation

by Prof. Christie Nordheilm, University of Michigan

Covers customer retention, customer acquisition, segmentation, targeting, and positioning

Universal Rental Car Pricing

by Tom Nagle, The Monitor Company

Covers pricing, capacity management, demand elasticity, product and service differentiation

How to Build Educational Business Games

http://forio.com/webinar_2010_education.htm

Expert simulation developer Billy Schoenberg hosts a 50-minute webinar using Simulate™, our web-based development environment to create simulations using the drag-and-drop design tools.

Topics covered include how to:

- provide faculty summaries of class results for easy review or grading

- add faculty control over class scenarios so that the simulation can be used many times

- create both student and faculty login pages with different views of the simulation

- create multi-choice, short answer, and long answer surveys or quizzes within the simulation

- include facilitator guides, student guides, and videos into the simulation



Marketing Simulation Showcase: 4 online simulations that teach marketing concepts


In this 50 minute video, Michael Bean reviews four of our most popular marketing simulations:

1. SoftStrat: The Software Platform Migration Game by Prof. Mohan Sahwney, Kellog School of Management: covers technology migration, cannibalization, budgeting

2. Managing Channels and Segments for Profitability by Prof. Das Narayandas, Harvard Business School: covers sales force, channels, segmentation, competition, and positioning

3. The Big Picture Marketing Management Simulation by Prof. Christie Nordheilm, University of Michigan: covers customer retention, customer acquisition, segmentation, targeting, and positioning

4. Universal Rental Car Pricing by Tom Nagle, The Monitor Company: covers pricing, capacity management, demand elasticity, product and service differentiation




Featured Simulation: The Near Beer Game


Having been run nearly 25,000 times, the Near Beer Game is one of the most popular simulation in the Forio Simulate community.  It’s called the Near Beer Game because, although it’s not identical to the original Beer Game developed at MIT, it teaches many of the same lessons. It also teaches one extra lesson not in the original game: even with perfect information, even when there are no breakdowns in communication, you’ll still feel the bullwhip effect due to procurement and manufacturing delays. See what all the excitement is about by playing the game for yourself at http://forio.com/simulate/mbean/near-beer-game .