Entrepreneurship: A Game Of Risk and Reward Phase II: The Start-Up

Abstract

ENTREPRENEURSHIP is a single person or single team, multi-phase business game. Its purpose is to provide a business game environment for participants who wish to play a computerized game that replicates some of the decisions which entrepreneurs must make and will, in turn, receive the possible rewards associated with these risks. This game simulates the development of the first five years of a technology-related firm. The game opens at the opportunity recognition stage with a simulated decision-cycle of one week. After an opportunity has been selected, the decision and reporting cycle becomes monthly until after the product has been developed and introduced into the marketplace. Thereafter, the decision making will be on a quarterly basis. The reporting cycle will follow the same time frames as the decision cycles. Any time the firm does not have the cash on hand to meet its payroll, the firm is deemed “Bankrupt.” The primary benefit of this game is that it provides an opportunity for the player to perform an autopsy of the firm’s failure. If the firm fails, the players are allowed to play it again, hopefully using what was learned in the failure to their benefit. If the player success-fully completes the first five years, the game terminates and the player is congratulated as being a successful (simulated) entrepreneur.