ACC 8110 – Professor Licata
Balancing the Corporate Scorecard 2.0 is a discovery-based learning experience in a realistic context. It is an interactive simulation where the user must react to conditions and make decisions throughout the simulation.
Overview of the interactive simulation environment:
In “Welcome Aboard” Steve Tucker, chairman of GigaSoft (Sentra Software’s parent company), introduces himself and discusses the learner’s mission as the new CEO of Sentra Software.
In “Background Information” users may view a video of a consultant working with Sentra’s management team. You may also flip through a briefing book that will orient you to Sentra’s Balanced Scorecard process and provide background on Sentra’s market and finances. Most of the briefing material has been included in the handout provided.
In “Run Sentra” learners will try to guide Sentra Software through an effort to reinvent itself.
During the Simulation
Running Sentra consists of monitoring a set of 20 Balanced Scorecard metrics – spread across the four Balanced Scorecard perspectives (Financial, Customer, Internal Business Processes, and Learning & Growth) – and then making decisions in six areas:
• hiring/firing of customer service reps; • hiring/firing of consultants; • product pricing; • spending on IT; • spending on training; • product development allocation between power features and ease-of-use features.
Decisions can be made in any or all of these six areas each quarter. Click run to implement your decisions and view the consequences. The simulation lasts for 16 quarters – if you can stay alive that long!. During the simulation learners will receive lots of messages and coaching. On average it will take 4-7 attempts to succeed at navigating Sentra Software through its transition to serving a newly emerging, rapidly expanding market segment.
After the Simulation