What's Involved for years 10 & 11?

ABW involves an intensive one week experiential learning program. During this week students (typically Year 10 or Year 11 students) undertake a series of activities which replace their normal weekly curriculum.

Students are formed into teams of ten, each of which becomes a simulated "company" for the duration of the program. Within the team, students allocate amongst themselves the key roles within the company. These roles are set out according to which simulation program the school is using.

The weeks activities incorporate five main themes:

1. Information provision
   Information is provided at plenary sessions in which the nature of the week is explained, informational videos are shown and guest speakers from business outline their own experiences and link these with the concepts covered in the videos. These sessions provide opportunities for interaction between the students and business speakers as students seek to clarify ideas and concepts in order to run their simulated companies.
   
   
2. Company Meetings
   Each team meets regularly as a 'company' to plan their business strategy. The companies operate within a computer-based simulation. To start, the companies take over a manufacturing enterprise or hotel in mid-operation. Thus it comes into existence with a certain stock of assets and an operating history. Each team then runs their own company through quarters totalling two years against other student companies.
   
   For each quarter each team needs to make a complex set of decisions about its future strategy. The decisions involve such issues as the number of units to be produced or hotels to lease in any quarter, the price, the labour force required and how they should be trained. Other issues concern advertising and marketing expenditures, the markets into which the product or service is to be sold and so on.
   
   The simulation sets up for the students a range of demands. For example, producing high volumes of product reduces funding available for marketing. As well, it introduces competitive forces within the firm - the marketing team wants to maximise its activities, but this would have to be at the expense of production or profit.
   
   All sets of decisions are processed within the computer simulation (run by a teacher) and a report is provided to each company on a range of outcomes such as the actual volume of sales, their market share (the companies are competing with each other) and their share price.
   
   
3. Advertising
   Development in the Manufacturing and IT simulation companies are required to create a specific product or service they intend to manufacture and sell. In most cases they construct a mock-up of their product. In the case of the Hospitality simulation, participants are required to identify their competitive advantage and market that particular aspect. All students regardless of simulation used are then required to produce a video advertisement for the product or hotel competitive advantage. This aspect of the program appeals to the more creative among the company members but also involves those with technical flair. This aspect of the program is the primary responsibility of the "marketing team" within the company.
   
   
4. Trade Display
   The program ends on the final day with a Trade Display in which each company is required to display its product or service. This will involve creating a display area with appropriate graphics, and, in the case of the manufacturing simulation, a mock-up of the product. The more creative and the more practical members of the company can show their talents and skills in the trade display and video commercial.
   
   
5. The Company Report
   On the final day each company must make its company report in which it describes its performance over the simulated two years. This involves both a written and an oral presentation.
   
   The written report typically will involve a financial report, including graphical representations of performance over time or in different markets and a self- assessment by the company of their performance.
   
   In the oral report, the major features of the company's achievements are presented as an address to shareholders. This is supported by graphs and diagrams either produced electronically or via overheads.
   
   
6. Judging
   The final day of the program includes displays and presentations to an audience of fellow participants, supporters, sponsors and panels of judges. Every effort is made to show the companies' work in the best possible light. Companies are encouraged to use the combined initiative and resourcefulness of their team members to showcase their product, process or service.

Basically, the company reports, both oral and written should use the information provided by the computer simulation. The video advertisement and trade display focus on any new product, process or service.

Depending on the simulation being used and the range of activities at the ABW Program, the tasks may include the following:

For Hospitality Management Simulation:

For Manufacturing & IT Simulation: