Threshold Competitor : A Management Simulation

by Philip H. Anderson; David A. Beveridge; Timothy W. Scott

• ISBN13: 9780136755395
• ISBN10: 0136755399
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference

Summary

Allows participants to put management principles into practice by acting as a company's management team, deciding its mission, goals, policies, and strategies. Threshold Solo Competitor is a play-alone version that allows participants to play the game by themselves, at their own pace.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Chapter 1 Overview	1	(4)
What is Threshold?	1	(1)
Purposes of Threshold	1	(1)
How to Approach the Simulation	2	(1)
Tips on Succeeding with Threshold	2	(1)
How to Use This Manual	3	(2)
Chapter 2 Review of Management Functions	5	(6)
Planning	5	(3)
Mission Statement	6	(1)
Statement of Goals	7	(1)
Strategies and Policies	7	(1)
Other Planning Activities	8	(1)
Organizing and Staffing	8	(1)
Leading	9	(1)
Controlling	10	(1)
Chapter 3 The Threshold Business Environment	11	(4)
Your Company's Products	11	(1)
History of Your Company	11	(1)
Current Status of Your Company	12	(1)
Your Company's Marketplace	13	(2)
Chapter 4 Using the Company Disk	15	(28)
Chapter Overview	15	(1)
What You Need	15	(1)
Computer System Requirements	15	(1)
Other Needs	16	(1)
Navigating Around Threshold	16	(1)
Using a Mouse vs. No Mouse	16	(1)
Using the PgUp and PgDn Keys	16	(1)
Using the "Hot" Keys	16	(1)
The Company Disk	16	(1)
Starting the Threshold Program	17	(3)
Start Your Computer	17	(1)
Using the DOS Version of Threshold	18	(1)
Setting Up the Windows Version of Threshold	18	(2)
Using the Windows Version of Threshold	20	(1)
The Initial Time You Start the Threshold Program	20	(1)
Entering a Company Name	21	(1)
Entering a Password	21	(1)
The Threshold Program	21	(1)
Entering a Decision	22	(1)
Saving Your Decisions	23	(1)
Correcting an Error	23	(1)
Moving the Cursor Around Threshold's Decision Screens	23	(1)
Using the Tab Key	23	(1)
Using the Mouse	23	(1)
Moving From Screen to Screen	24	(4)
Using the PgUp and PgDn Keys	24	(2)
Using the Menu Bar	26	(2)
Using Threshold's "Hot" Keys	28	(1)
Menu Bar Operations	28	(7)
The File Menu	28	(2)
The Decision Menu	30	(1)
The Reports Menu	31	(1)
The Info Menu	32	(1)
The Print Menu	33	(2)
Seeing the Forecasted Results of Your Decisions	35	(1)
Seeing the Actual Results of Earlier Quarters	36	(1)
Using a Hard Disk	36	(2)
Making a Backup Disk	38	(1)
Making a Backup Disk Using DOS Commands	39	(1)
Making a Backup Disk Using Windows	39	(1)
Trouble Shooting	39	(1)
Complete System Failure	40	(1)
Threshold Program Failure	40	(1)
Viruses	40	(1)
Data Entry Errors	40	(1)
Re-Process a Previous Quarter	40	(3)
Chapter 5 Making Decisions	43	(15)
Overview of Decisions	43	(1)
The Business Plan	43	(1)
Developing a Business Plan	43	(1)
Marketing Decisions	44	(1)
Price	44	(1)
Television Advertisements	45	(1)
Newspaper Advertisements	45	(1)
Magazine Advertisements	45	(1)
Sales Forecast Estimate	45	(2)
Market Research Decisions	47	(2)
Price by Company	47	(1)
Television, Newspaper, Magazine and Product Quality Reports	47	(1)
Units Sold by Company	48	(1)
Future Sales Potential	48	(1)
Production Decisions	49	(5)
Buy Raw Materials	49	(1)
Investment in Product Quality	49	(1)
Number of Units to Produce	50	(1)
Workers to Hire, Fire, Lay Off	51	(1)
Buy or Sell Plant Capacity	52	(1)
Human Resource Development	53	(1)
Finance Decisions	54	(2)
Short-Term Loans	54	(1)
Long-Term Mortgages	55	(1)
Short-Term Investments	55	(1)
Management Dilemmas	56	(1)
Cost Parameters Report	56	(2)
Chapter 6 Threshold Reports	58	(16)
Operations Reports	58	(5)
Inventory Reports	58	(2)
Labor Report	60	(1)
Cost of Production	61	(2)
Selling and Administrative Expense Report	63	(1)
Income Statement	64	(2)
Balance Sheet	66	(2)
Assets	67	(1)
Liabilities	67	(1)
Owners' Equity	68	(1)
Cash Flow Statement	68	(3)
Industry Performance Report	71	(3)
Appendix A Quarter 0 Decisions	74	(1)
Appendix B Quarter 0 Reports	75	(4)
Appendix C Sample Market Research Report for a Three Team Industry	79	(1)
Appendix D Initial Cost Parameters	80	(1)
Appendix E Threshold Limits and Time Lags	81	(1)
Appendix F Threshold "Hot" Keys	82	(1)
Appendix G Management Dilemmas	83	(12)
1. Why Does It Have To Be Emily?	84	(1)
2. Can You Steal Garbage?	85	(2)
3. The Older Employee	87	(1)
4. The Alcoholic Employee	88	(1)
5. Wildcat Strike	89	(1)
6. The Substitute Raw Materials	90	(1)
7. Where There's Smoke There's Fire.	91	(2)
8. Did You Hear the One About...?	93	(2)
Appendix H Sample Industry Performance Report	95	(1)
Appendix I Company Decision Worksheet	96	(1)
Appendix J Flow Chart of Threshold Decisions	97	(1)
Index	98