• How did your company do at the end of the first time you completed the simulation
compared with at your last run-through?
The first time I ran the simulation the company ended up being bought out. A lot of the
family members left after the IPO because they disagreed with it. The company changed in
the fourth generation to create more natural products. There were fights within the family
because it can be hard working with family and when people have different views on what
should be done.
• How did the company's growth change over the course of the three run-throughs?
As I went thought the simulations each time I realized as hard as it was there needed to be
people brought in with higher skill sets to keep the business running successfully. I would
have liked to keep things within the family but that wasn’t the best choice in many cases.
They were successful in some run throughs and other times bought out because the people
involved couldn’t handle it anymore.
• Which of your decisions do you think affected the company and its growth more than
others?
I made the decision to bring in a new CEO and that was tough because there were family
members available, but they were definitely unfit for the position. Having a CEO who knew
what they were doing at this point of the business was important because they had already
grown so much.
o Were these decisions made with the family in mind? Explain why or why not.
• They were sometimes but since I wasn’t personally part of the family,
I was able to see decisions from an out standers/business view and
made more decisions based on that. It is important to take steps to
keep a business running and growing.
o Which decisions served your company well and how?
• The company cared heavily about staying within the community. For
example, they utilized local resources, members of the community
and sold through local stores. They did become bigger and bigger
though, so they needed to expand these initiatives. I had suggested
volunteering for community projects and other things to show the
community they still cared when they needed to expand further.
o Are there any decisions or actions you would take differently now that you
know more about how they affect a business? Explain why or why not.
• There isn’t anything I can pinpoint that I would change.
