Coffee Shop Inc.

Simulation Overview

Everyone has thought about running their own coffee shop. Now, thanks to Forio, you can. Students face the changing environments over a five-year period in three levels of play. Students attempt to maximize their profit as the landscape becomes more competitive and complex, developing the skills necessary to be a successful business owner.

Time Requirement

• Introduction - 15 minutes
• Game Play - 75 minutes
• Debrief - 30 to 60 minutes

The Story

Nothing quite starts the day off like a fresh cup of coffee, and the wild profit margins often lure in up-and-coming entrepreneurs. But what does it take to run a successful business in the current market with competitors rising every day and the environment altering seemingly by the hour?

In Coffee Shop Inc., students must grow their own coffee shop through three levels of difficulty over a five-year period in an attempt to maximize profits and keep their dream alive. Within each type of market, they need to make decisions around vertical integrations, the number of new stores, marketing, and human resources as they face ever-changing external environments and new competitive landscapes.

Level 1 focuses on the start-up, as students choose a location, define their business and marketing strategy, as well as make human resources and operations decisions.

In Level 2, students must build their brand, as they must make decisions on staffing and roasting as well as the quality of beans.

Finally, in Level 3, players develop a global chain of coffee shops by opening owned and franchised stores.

Players must master the ability to deal with increasing complexity and new concepts as they receive extensive feedback on their decisions and results in the form of written comments, key performance indicator data, and an income statement.

Learning Focus

• Sound decision making
• Business ownership
• Employee and Customer Satisfaction
• Changing markets and Competitive challenges
• PESTLE analysis, competitive analysis, product differentiation, vertical integration

Topics Covered

• Strategy and Decision Making
• Entrepreneurship and Business Management
• Operations and Supply Chain
• Sales and marketing

See it in Action

This simulation is WCAG Compliant for the participants.

Each simulation comes with a Teaching Guidebook for the facilitator along with 1:1 facilitator training and free trials.

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This simulation is by Tim Rogmans