The business simulation course “NaPuro Planspiel”, led by Prof. Dr. Erik G. Hansen, took place for second time during the winter term 2016/17 (13 to 14.12.2016) at the facilities of the Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD). The simulation was facilitated by Dr. Markus Ulrich (UCS Ulrich Creative Solutions, opens an external URL in a new window) and Dr. Daniela Schrack (Institute for Environment in Companies and Regions, JKU, opens an external URL in a new window).

Master and PhD students from different disciplines participated in pair teams and engaged in the management of a fictitious company in the “cleaning robots” industry during five rounds. Teams applied their management knowledge and personal skills to develop and implement a strategy that involved decisions about production, marketing, finance, stakeholders, the environment, product quality and social requirements.

The focus of the business simulation is to help students gain insights about the complexities of market and business dynamics and to experience the potential of an effective quality and sustainability management system. Specifically, students were able to identify and understand the implications of particular measures for product and company improvement in terms of sustainable and quality performance.