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FAQs Cross-functional Management Program for Future Leaders, Virtual Business Professional, India, Drucker Certificate, September 17th, 2022 - April 1st, 2023

(Please review Virtual Business - Professional for Executives/Corporations and query FAQs Virtual Business Professional and Professional Certificates along with this document. Please contact bizdev2@precisedonline.com for further exploration.)

How much does the India Drucker Program with Certificate cost?

Please contact bizdev2@precisedonline.com. Payment can be made through a credit card or through a bank transfer. Corporate clients can receive an invoice and tax-related documents of PrecisED, Inc.

What are the start and end dates for the India Drucker Certificate Program?

The program starts on September 17^th, 2022 and ends on April 1^st, 2023.

What is the 6-Month schedule for the India Drucker Program?

The 6-Month schedule is as follows. The final schedule might be tweaked by the instructor to accommodate special extenuating circumstances. The instructor will also impose deadlines for the completion of activities to keep the group's pace synchronized. This schedule comprises completing the online VB Pro Simulation and a Virtual Project.

6-Month Schedule India Drucker Certificate Program

Are projects included in this program?

A complementary and supplementary course consisting of hands-on customized projects is available to the graduates of the CFM Program. Projects may be virtual or on-ground. If on-ground, they will be completed in 3 days. The projects will be conducted in teams and will entail resolving organization-wide issues or developing a business plan wherein issues in all relevant functional areas will be addressed. Projects will be facilitated by an instructor.

Who was Peter F. Drucker?

Peter Drucker is widely considered the Father of Modern Management.

Why did PrecisED, Inc. forge a relationship with Drucker School of Management?

VB Pro imparts learning in a holistic and cross-functional manner. It emphasizes that all functions of organizations are critical, just like all organs are of a body. VB Pro’s philosophy matches Drucker’s philosophy on Management.

What is the Drucker School of Management?

Druker School of Management is one of the schools of Claremont Graduate University, which is part of the prestigious Claremont Colleges.

What do 2 Drucker heavyweights, Dean David Sprott and Professor Bernie Jaworski Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management and the Liberal Arts, Professor Rajiv Grover, the developer of VB Pro and Professor Pradeep Mehra one instructor for programs based on VB Pro have to say about VB Pro?

Click here to read a message from the Drucker School of Management's Dean, David Sprott, regarding the VB Pro Certificate Program

Click here to view a video from the Drucker School of Management's Dean, David Sprott, regarding the VB Pro Certificate Program

Click here to read Professor Bernie Jaworski’s views on VB Pro and Drucker’s Cross-functional Management Philosophy

Click here to view a video Professor Bernie Jaworski’s views on VB Pro and Drucker’s Cross-functional Management Philosophy.

Click here to read how Professor Pradeep Mehra will interact with participants in the program based on VB Pro

Click here to view the video on how Professor Pradeep Mehra will interact with participants in the program based on VB Pro

Click here to read Professor Rajiv Grover on VB Pro’s raison d’etre

Click here to view the video on Professor Rajiv Grover on VB Pro’s raison d’etre

Who is the instructor for this India Drucker Program, September 17^th, 2022 - April 1^st, 2023?

The instructor is Mr. Pradeep Mehra. Mr. Mehra is currently a top-notch teacher of various Strategy, Managerial Accounting, Entrepreneurship and related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has three and half decades of corporate experience with over two decades at CEO, CFO and Board levels. He was one of the top students at IIT and IIM.

Current Positions:

Full Professor with designation of Professor of Practice, School of Management and Entrepreneurship, Shiv Nadar University, NOIDA, India.
Member, Board of Directors of Atal Incubation Centre, supported by Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog

Education

MBA, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
B.Tech, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Certified Cost Accountant, Institute of Cost Accountants of India.

His full profile can be seen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradeep-mehra-6191722

What does the certificate from Drucker look like?

An image of a certificate from Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University is shown below.

How long does it take to complete the requirements for the certificate?

The certificate requires 6 months to complete.

6-Month Schedule, Cross-functional Management Program for Future Leaders, India, Drucker Certificate September 17th, 2022 - April 1st, 2023 with Virtual Business Professional

(This document is to be read in conjunction with VB Professional Detailed Description. For questions, please visit the FAQs on www.precisedonline.com. Please contact bizdev@precisedonline.com for further exploration.)

If the program you are in includes a project, a separate schedule will be made available to you.

The schedule-table below shows the Simulation Stories (SS), Learning Concepts (LCs), Test your Knowledge Quizzes (TYKs), Decision Making Questions DMQs, and Unforeseeable, Unpredictable or Uncontrollable Events (UUUs) of VB Pro that you have to complete on your own. The yellow highlighted sessions imply Virtual Meetings of all participants and the instructor. There are 7 such virtual meetings, one at the beginning of the program and one after each of the 6 stages in VB Pro.

There are 93 (LCs), 78 sets of (TYKs) with 604 quiz questions in all, 100 (DMQs), and 11 (UUU) in the VB Pro simulation. They all have to be completed individually. The schedule is for 6 months, 3 sessions/week of approximately 2 hours/session. Most participants will find some sessions easier or harder than others because of their background. So, variability in the time required to finish the content of a session is expected. Expiry dates will be set by the supervisor of the program to keep everyone on track.

The schedule will be adjusted by the instructor to accommodate extenuating circumstances.

	Week	Week No.	Session No.	Content
1	Saturday, September 17, 2022	1	1	Saturday, September 17th 2022; Meet & Greet Dr. Rajiv Grover and the Instructor. Q & A: Workings of VB Professional and Program. Begin the simulation: a. Go to www.precisedonline.com b. Review the Student Manual and the Video under the Demo tab c. Login with your userid and password provided d. Click on "Courses" on the left navigation bar e. Click on "VB Pro-Corps" f. View Videos i. VB Pro: Raison d'etre and Philosophic Underpinnings ii. Overview of Drucker Management Philosophy iii. Drucker on, "Customer Obsession" g. Click on SS - You, the City, and the Gourmet Burger Business in the Table of Contents
2	Saturday, September 17, 2022	1	2
3	Saturday, September 17, 2022	1	3
4	Saturday, September 24, 2022	2	1	SS - You, the City and the Gourmet Burger Business SS - Your Strengths and Weaknesses LC - Resources, Capabilities and Core Competencies 1 TYK 1.1 (6 Questions) - Resources, Capabilities and Core Competencies Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Competition in the City LC - Competitive and Environmental Analyses 2 TYK 1.2 (5 Questions) - Competitive and Environmental Analyses Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Types of Potential Customers in Simile LC - Market Segmentation and Target Market 3 TYK 1.3 (6 Questions) - Market Segmentation and Target Market Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Beyond the Burger: Price, Location and Image LC - Marketing Mix 4 TYK 1.4 (6 Questions) - Marketing Mix Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Positioning 5 TYK 1.5 (6 Questions) – Positioning Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Who Will Buy and Why? 6 TYK 1.6 (5 Questions) - Value Proposition Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
5	Saturday, September 24, 2022	2	2	SS - Estimating the Cost of a Cheeseburger LC - Variable and Fixed Cost SS - How Many Need to be Sold to Make Profit? LC - Breakeven Analysis 7 TYK 1.7 (12 Questions) - Breakeven Analysis and Spreadsheet Modelling. Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Final Decisions: Location, Pricing, Service and Target Market
6	Saturday, September 24, 2022	2	3	1 DMQ 1.1 - Location Decision Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST AI Input - Pros and Cons of Location Decision LC - Pricing 2 DMQ 1.2 - Market Research Purchase Decision Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 3 DMQ 1.3 - Price Decision Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST AI Input - Pros and Cons of Price Decision 4 DMQ 1.4 - Service Concept Decision Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 5 DMQ 1.5 - Target Market Decision Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 8 TYK 1.8 (8 Questions) - Pricing Expiry September 30th 2022, 11:59 PM IST Feedback on Your Decisions 1 UUU 1.1 - Unforeseen Potential Environmental Changes – Zoning Finish Stage 1
7	Saturday, October 1, 2022	3	1	Saturday, October 1st 2022; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST; 2nd Discussion with the Instructor: Stage 1 Decisions
8	Saturday, October 1, 2022	3	2	BREAK
9	Saturday, October 1, 2022	3	3	BREAK
10	Saturday, October 8, 2022	4	1	Begin Stage 2 Stage 2 Video Drucker on, "Economic Benefits" SS - Opening Day - Promotion and Cost Figures 6 DMQ 2.1 - Opening Day Banner Promotion DecisionExpiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 7 DMQ 2.2 - Accounting Approach Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Direct and Indirect Costs 9 TYK 2.1 (3 Questions) - Direct and Indirect Costs Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Final Breakeven Quantity 2 UUU 2.1 Unpredictable Reactions - Influential Accounting Expert SS - Beginning to Keep the Books and Accounting 8 DMQ 2.3 - Delivery and Take-out Pricing Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 9 DMQ 2.4 - Delivery Orders Pricing Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Main Accounting Equation 10 TYK 2.2 (3 Questions) - Main Accounting Equation Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Opening Day - Purchases and Analysis LC - Revenue and Expense Reporting - Cash vs. Accrual Basis 11 TYK 2.3 (2 Questions) - Accrual vs Cash Basis Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Gross Profit 12 TYK 2.4 (3 Questions) - Gross Profit Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Day 1 Profit and Loss Statement and Cash Account LC - Bank Reconciliation 13 TYK 2.5 (2 Questions) - Bank Reconciliation Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Sales Tax LC - Sales Tax Payable 14 TYK 2.6 (2 Questions) - Analyzing Day 1 Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
11	Saturday, October 8, 2022	4	2	SS - Analyzing Day 1 and The Purchasing System SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 2 - Auto Expenses and Accounts Payable LC - Accounts Payable SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 3 3 UUU 2.2 - Unforeseen Synergies - Reporter Visit and Opening Day Banner Decision SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 4 - Employee Wages SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 5 - Unearned Revenue LC - Unearned (Deferred) Revenue SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 6 - 8 AI Input - Pros and Cons of Cash vs. Accrual Basis Accounting LC - Financial Statements 15 TYK 2.7 (4 Questions) - Liabilities Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 16 TYK 2.8 (9 Questions) - Financial Statements Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Data-driven Sales Forecast 10 DMQ 2.5 - Choice of Promotion Type - Couponing, Advertising or WOM Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 9 - 11 - Employee Salary LC - Payroll Liabilities 17 TYK 2.9 (3 Questions) - Payroll Liabilities Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
12	Saturday, October 8, 2022	4	3	SS - Ordering & Analyzing Day 12 - 30 11 DMQ 2.6 - Degree of Promotion Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 12 DMQ 2.7 - Ripe Tomatoes Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST AI Input - Pros and Cons of Ripe Tomatoes Decision 4 UUU 2.3 - Probabilistic Consequences of Risk-taking - Ripe Tomatoes Decision 13 DMQ 2.8 - Server Uniform Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST AI Input - Pros and Cons of Server Uniform Decision 14 DMQ 2.9 - Heirloom Tomatoes Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 15 DMQ 2.10 - Customer Satisfaction Trade-Off Decision Expiry October 14th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 5 UUU 2.4 - Probabilistic Consequences of Risk-taking - Customer Satisfaction Trade–off Decision Closure to Stage 2 Finish Stage 2
13	Saturday, October 15, 2022	5	1	Saturday, October 15th 2022; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST; 3rd Discussion with the Instructor: Stage 2 Decisions
14	Saturday, October 15, 2022	5	2	Begin Stage 3 Stage 3 Video Drucker on, "Evidence-based Decision Making" SS - The First 30 Days, Menu Expansion and Brand Image LC - Brand Management 18 TYK 3.1 (6 Questions) - Brand Management Expiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - To Research or Not and How 16 DMQ 3.1 - Research for Brand ImageExpiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST 17 DMQ 3.2 - Which Brand Image Would You Choose?Expiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST
15	Saturday, October 15, 2022	5	3	LC - Research Methods 19 TYK 3.2 (9 Questions) - Qualitative Techniques Expiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Brand Image Research & Menu 18 DMQ 3.3 - Brand Image Research Methodology Expiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Two Months after Opening 20 TYK 3.3 (15 Questions) - Month 2 Financial Statements Expiry October 21st 2022, 11:59 PM IST
16	Saturday, October 22, 2022	6	1	BREAK
17	Saturday, October 22, 2022	6	2	BREAK
18	Saturday, October 22, 2022	6	3	BREAK
19	Saturday, October 29, 2022	7	1	SS - Three Months after Opening 21 TYK 3.4 (9 Questions) - Quarter 1 Financial Statements Expiry November 4th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
20	Saturday, October 29, 2022	7	2	SS - 6 Months after Opening 22 TYK 3.5 (21 Questions) - Quarter 2 Financial Statements Expiry November 4th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
21	Saturday, October 29, 2022	7	3	SS - Competition, Patenting and Promotions 19 – 22 DMQ 3.4 - 3.7 - Engaging in Promotional Activities Expiry November 4th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 23 – 26 DMQ 3.8 - 3.11 - Engaging in Promotions Expiry November 4th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - 6-9 Months After Opening LC - Interviewing 23 TYK 3.6 (6 Questions) - Interviewing Expiry November 4th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
22	Saturday, November 5, 2022	8	1	SS - 9-12 Months 27 DMQ 3.12 - Pay Attorney for Restrictive Covenants Contract Expiry November 11th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets 6 UUU 3.1 - Luck of the Draw - Susie's Finance Skills 24 TYK 3.7 (4 Questions) - Restrictive Covenants Expiry November 11th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
23	Saturday, November 5, 2022	8	2	SS - Concept for Another Restaurant 28 DMQ 3.13 - Research the Service Hypothesis Expiry November 11th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Experimental Methods for Research LC - Survey Methods for Research
24	Saturday, November 5, 2022	8	3	SS - Research to Test Multiple-Servers & Eye-Contact Concepts 29 DMQ 3.14 - Methodology for Testing Multiple-Servers & Eye Contact Concepts Expiry November 11th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Motivating Learning for Data Analytics LC - Data Analytics 25 TYK 3.8 (38 Questions) - Data Analytics Expiry November 11th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
25	Saturday, November 12, 2022	9	1	26 TYK 3.9 (25 Questions) – Experimental data Expiry November 18th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
26	Saturday, November 12, 2022	9	2	SS - Insights from the Experiment SS - Survey for Assessing Attitudes Toward Social Media and Technology 30 – 37 DMQ 3.15 - 3.22 - Survey Data Expiry November 18th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
27	Saturday, November 12, 2022	9	3	SS - Insights from the Survey 7 UUU 3.2 - Unpredictable Bias - VC and Stats Skills Finish Stage 3
28	Saturday, November 19, 2022	10	1	Saturday, November 19th 2022; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST; 4th Discussion with the Instructor: Stage 3 Decisions
29	Saturday, November 19, 2022	10	2	Begin Stage 4 Stage 4 Video Ducker on, "Managing and Developing Employees" SS - New Restaurants New Funders 38 DMQ 4.1 - BH Chain or HB Chain Expiry November 25th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Organizational Forms 27 TYK 4.1 (6 Questions) - Organizational Forms Expiry November 25th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
30	Saturday, November 19, 2022	10	3	SS - Org Form & Type of Financing 39 DMQ 4.2 - To C-Corp or Not Expiry November 25th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - The Delaware C-Corp LC - Time Value of Money 28 TYK 4.2 (7 Questions) - Time Value of Money Expiry November 25th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Debt vs. Equity Financing 29 TYK 4.3 (4 Questions) – Debt vs. Equity Financing Expiry November 25th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
31	Saturday, November 26, 2022	11	1	SS - VC Interaction & a Loan 40 DMQ 4.3 - To Meet or Not to Meet Other VCs Expiry December 2nd 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Employment Law 30 TYK 4.4 (6 Questions) – Employment Law Expiry December 2nd 2022, 11:59 PM IST
32	Saturday, November 26, 2022	11	2	SS - Quick Success & Simple Digital Savvy LC - SEO 31 TYK 4.5 (10 Questions) – SEO Expiry December 2nd 2022, 11:59 PM IST
33	Saturday, November 26, 2022	11	3	LC - Social Media Engagement 32 TYK 4.6 (10 Questions) - Social Media Expiry December 2nd 2022, 11:59 PM IST
34	Saturday, December 3, 2022	12	1	SS - Motivating Employees & Setting the Culture 41 DMQ 4.4 - Tip Policy Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Motivating Employees 33 TYK 4.7 (6 Questions) - Motivating Employees Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 42 DMQ 4.5 - Views of Workers Theory X or Y Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 8 UUU 4.1 - Unpredictable Reaction - Workers to Tip Policy Decision
35	Saturday, December 3, 2022	12	2	LC - Job Description and Performance Evaluation 34 TYK 4.8 (6 Questions) - Job Description and Performance Evaluation Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Organizational Culture 35 TYK 4.9 (6 Questions) - Organizational Culture Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 43 DMQ 4.6 - Organizational Involvement in Culture Development Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 44 DMQ 4.7 - Type of Servers Hired Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
36	Saturday, December 3, 2022	12	3	SS - Growth and Convertible Debt 9 UUU 4.2 - Did your Decision to Involve the Organization in Developing a Culture turn out to be fruitful? LC - Financing Your Business SS - Negotiations and Series A 45 DMQ 4.8 - To Negotiate or Not with Sageio Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 46 DMQ 4.9 - Realto Board Seat: Yes or No Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Growth and Series B 47 DMQ 4.10 - Series B Financing Expiry December 9th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - HBH, Inc. on a Tear Finish stage 4
37	Saturday, December 10, 2022	13	1	Saturday, December 10th 2022; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST; 5th Discussion with the Instructor: Stage 4 Decisions
38	Saturday, December 10, 2022	13	2	Begin Stage 5 Stage 5 Video Drucker on, "Organizational Dynamics" SS - Rudderless Board? 48 DMQ 5.1 - Working Capital & New HBs Expiry December 16th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 10 UUU 5.1 - Did your Working Capital Decision and Relationship with Realto turn out to be Compatible? LC - Working Capital 36 TYK 5.1 (5 Questions) – Working Capital Expiry December 16th 2022, 11:59 PM IST SS - Work Load - Organization Design & Structure 49 DMQ 5.2 - HB Corporate Org Structure Expiry December 16th 2022, 11:59 PM IST 50 DMQ 5.3 - HB Restaurant Org Structure Expiry December 16th 2022, 11:59 PM IST LC - Organization Design 37 TYK 5.2 (7 Questions) – Organizational Design Expiry December 16th 2022, 11:59 PM IST
39	Saturday, December 10, 2022	13	3	SS - Digital Marketing LC - Common Digital Marketing Terms LC - Digital Marketing Tools Assessment LC - Adroll
40	Saturday, December 17, 2022	14	1	BREAK
41	Saturday, December 17, 2022	14	2	BREAK
42	Saturday, December 17, 2022	14	3	BREAK
43	Saturday, December 24, 2022	15	1	BREAK
44	Saturday, December 24, 2022	15	2	BREAK
45	Saturday, December 24, 2022	15	3	BREAK
46	Saturday, December 31, 2022	16	1	BREAK
47	Saturday, December 31, 2022	16	2	BREAK
48	Saturday, December 31, 2022	16	3	BREAK
49	Saturday, January 7, 2023	17	1	LC - AdWords LC - Facebook 38 TYK 5.3 (10 Questions) – Digital Marketing Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 51 DMQ 5.4 - Digital Marketing Tool Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
50	Saturday, January 7, 2023	17	2	SS - Poor Contract 52 DMQ 5.5 - Sue the Wine Merchant or Not Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 53 DMQ 5.6 - Final Decision - To Sue or Not Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Contract Law 39 TYK 5.4 (5 Questions) - Contract Law Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
51	Saturday, January 7, 2023	17	3	LC - Agency & Intentional Torts 40 TYK 5.5 (5 Questions) - Agency & Intentional Tort Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Org (Kitchen) Conflict 54 DMQ 5.7 - Resolving Conflicts Due to Matrix Org Structure Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 11 UUU 5.2 - Did Authoritative Command Conflict Resolution Style Work? LC - Conflict 41 TYK 5.6 (7 Questions) – Conflict Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Lawsuits 55 DMQ 5.8 - Bev's Defamation - Go to Court or Settle Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 56 DMQ 5.9 - Advice for Friendly Fast-food Chain Expiry January 13th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
52	Saturday, January 14, 2023	18	1	LC - Defamation 42 TYK 5.7 (6 Questions) - Defamation Expiry January 20th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Working with Attorneys 43 TYK 5.8 (4 Questions) - Working with Attorneys Expiry January 20th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
53	Saturday, January 14, 2023	18	2	LC - Negligence 44 TYK 5.9 (5 Questions) - Negligence Expiry January 20th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Power Politics LC - Power Politics 45 TYK 5.10 (7 Questions) - Power Politics Expiry January 20th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
54	Saturday, January 14, 2023	18	3	SS - Analyzing Data from the Web LC - Digital Analytics 46 TYK 5.11 (10 Questions) - Digital Analytics Expiry January 20th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
55	Saturday, January 21, 2023	19	1	SS - Leadership, Organization Communication and Teams 57 DMQ 5.10 - Leadership Style Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Leadership 47 TYK 5.12 (10 Questions) - Leadership Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
56	Saturday, January 21, 2023	19	2	LC - Teams 48 TYK 5.13 (7 Questions) - Teams Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Organizational Communication 49 TYK 5.14 (7 Questions) - Organizational Communication Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
57	Saturday, January 21, 2023	19	3	SS - Power Struggles 58 DMQ 5.11 - Time to Nail Realto? Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Property Law 50 TYK 5.15 (6 Questions) - Property Law Expiry January 27th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
58	Saturday, January 28, 2023	20	1	SS - Patenting a New Grill 59 DMQ 5.12 - Patent - Whose Name? Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Intellectual Property 51 TYK 5.16 (6 Questions) - Intellectual Property Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST
59	Saturday, January 28, 2023	20	2	SS – Exit Strategies 60 DMQ 5.13 – To IPO or Not Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC – Mergers & Acquisitions 52 TYK 5.17 (6 Questions) – Mergers & Acquisition Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC – IPO 53 TYK 5.18 (5 Questions) – IPO Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST
60	Saturday, January 28, 2023	20	3	LC – Types of Stocks 54 TYK 5.19 (6 Questions) – Types of Stocks Expiry February 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST Smoking a Cigar after IPO Finish Stage 5
61	Saturday, February 4, 2023	21	1	Saturday, February 4, 2023; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST 6th Discussion with the Instructor: Stage 5 Decisions
62	Saturday, February 4, 2023	21	2	Begin Stage 6 Stage 6 Video Drucker on, "Social and Moral Responsibility: Amidst Economic, Technological and Global Regulations and Trends" SS - Success Invites Problems 61 DMQ 6.1 - Across-the-Board Raises Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 62 DMQ 6.2 Who would you promote - Loyalist or Pure-performer? Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - A Little Paranoia Sets In 63 DMQ 6.3 - Your Value-add< Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 64 DMQ 6.4 Would You Engage in Such Messaging Regarding Your Successes? Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Employee Raises - Decision Making Process? LC - GDP 55 TYK 6.1 (5 Questions) – GDP Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Inflation 56 TYK 6.2 (5 Questions) – Inflation Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Unemployment 57 TYK 6.3 (5 Questions) – Unemployment Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
63	Saturday, February 4, 2023	21	3	65 DMQ 6.5 - Raises - Local Manager or Template Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 66 DMQ 6.6 - Keeping Up with Knowledge Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 67 DMQ 6.7 - Salary Increase through Price Increase Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 68 DMQ 6.8 Who Would You Promote, Innovator Manager A or Maintainer Manager B? Expiry February 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
64	Saturday, February 11, 2023	22	1	LC - Economic Production and Growth LC - Economic Business Cycles 58 TYK 6.4 (8 Questions) – National Production and Growth, Business Cycles Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
65	Saturday, February 11, 2023	22	2	LC - Monetary System and Monetary Policy 59 TYK 6.5 (9 Questions) – Monetary and Fiscal Policy Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
66	Saturday, February 11, 2023	22	3	LC - Fiscal Policy 60 TYK 6.6 (8 Questions) - Fiscal Policy Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 69 DMQ 6.9 - Dynamic Pricing? Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 70 DMQ 6.10 Will You Tell the Board that the Idea and the Plan for HB Expresses Were CFO's? Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 71 DMQ 6.11 To Borrow or Not to Borrow Expiry February 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
67	Saturday, February 18, 2023	23	1	SS - Scaling-up: Good Problems to Have LC - Computer Hardware and Software Fundamentals LC - Instruction Set, Programming and System Software LC - Application Software
68	Saturday, February 18, 2023	23	2	61 TYK 6.7 (26 Questions) – HW/SW Part 1 Expiry February 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
69	Saturday, February 18, 2023	23	3	LC - The Internet, the World Wide Web and Web Languages LC - Web Services, Cloud Services and Virtual Machines LC - Computer Networks 62 TYK 6.8 (23 Questions) - HW/SW Part 2 Expiry February 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
70	Saturday, February 25, 2023	24	1	72 DMQ 6.12 - Keeping up with Technology Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST 73 DMQ 6.13 - Cost-cutting or Revenue-generating Applications Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST 74 DMQ 6.14 Would You Tell the Board About Customer Data Insights Project or Continue in Secrecy? Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Increasing Revenues Through Food Delivery 75 DMQ 6.15 - Type of Delivery Service Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST
71	Saturday, February 25, 2023	24	2	SS - All In With Technology LC - Big Data and Big Data Storage Technologies LC - Data Visualization LC - Machine Learning & Data Mining 63 TYK 6.9 (9 Questions) - Big Data Part 1 Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST
72	Saturday, February 25, 2023	24	3	LC - Natural Language Processing LC - Artificial Neural Networks & Face Recognition Systems 64 TYK 6.10 (6 Questions) - Big Data Part 2 Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST 76 DMQ 6.16 - Implementing AaaS Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST 77 DMQ 6.17 - Privacy & Customer Data Expiry March 3rd 2023, 11:59 PM IST
73	Saturday, March 4, 2023	25	1	SS - Sourcing Commercial Appliances from China LC - Supply Chains 65 TYK 6.11 (9 Questions) – Global Supply Chains Expiry March 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
74	Saturday, March 4, 2023	25	2	LC - International Economics 66 TYK 6.12 (8 Questions) – International Economics Expiry March 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 78 DMQ 6.18 - E Term or DDP Expiry March 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 79 DMQ 6.19 - Salesforce Organization Expiry March 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
75	Saturday, March 4, 2023	25	3	LC - Business to Business (B2B) Marketing LC - Personal Selling and Sales Management SS - Growing HB Restaurants Globally LC - Global Organizations and Trade 67 TYK 6.13 (7 Questions) - Overview: Global Organizations and Trade Expiry March 10th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
76	Saturday, March 11, 2023	26	1	LC - Political, Legal, and Cultural Environments 68 TYK 6.14 (6 Questions) - Political, Legal, and Cultural Environments Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Global Management Issues 69 TYK 6.15 (7 Questions) - Global Management Issues Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Solutions for Global Business 70 TYK 6.16 (7 Questions) - Solutions for Global Issues Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
77	Saturday, March 11, 2023	26	2	80 DMQ 6.20 - India or China Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 81 DMQ 6.21 - Mode of Entry Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 82 DMQ 6.22 - American Food Higher Margin Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - China Is It 83 DMQ 6.23 - HBH American Culture in China Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 84 DMQ 6.24 - Local or Expat Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
78	Saturday, March 11, 2023	26	3	SS - Employee Management: Always Problematic? LC - Employee Benefits 71 TYK 6.17 (6 Questions) - Benefits Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Compensation 72 TYK 6.18 (6 Questions) - Compensation Expiry March 17th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
79	Saturday, March 18, 2023	27	1	LC - Safety 73 TYK 6.19 (6 Questions) - Safety Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Labor Relations 74 TYK 6.20 (6 Questions) - Labor Relations Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
80	Saturday, March 18, 2023	27	2	85 DMQ 6.25 - Grill Flare-up Resolution Style Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 86 DMQ 6.26 - Would You Start a Silent Campaign to Blame Chen and Realto? Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 87 DMQ 6.27 - Would You Ask the CFO to Complete the Report Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 88 DMQ 6.28 - What Would You Do Regarding "Flex-Time" for Religious Week? Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
81	Saturday, March 18, 2023	27	3	SS - Technology vs. Employees 89 DMQ 6.29 - Transfer $ from CITO to CHRO Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 90 DMQ 6.30 - Employee Involvement in Benefits Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 91 DMQ 6.31 - Inappropriate Selection: Who Cares Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST 92 DMQ 6.32 Who Would You Recommend to Buddy - Networker Who Would Help You or Performer? Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - Chen Gets Powerful (Insubordination?): If, When and How to Neutralize LC - Financial Statement Analysis 75 TYK (5 Questions) - 6.21 Financial Statement Analysis Expiry March 24th 2023, 11:59 PM IST
82	Saturday, March 25, 2023	28	1	LC - Tax Reporting 76 TYK 6.22 (9 Questions) - Tax Reporting Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Financial Reporting 77 TYK 6.23 (9 Questions) - Financial Reporting Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST LC - Corporate Governance 78 TYK 6.24 (6 Questions) – Corporate Governance Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST
83	Saturday, March 25, 2023	28	2	93 DMQ 6.33 - Unethical Financial Statements Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 94 DMQ 6.34 Would You Take This Opportunity to Get Back at Chen Who Has Been Performing Well but Has Been a Thorn in Your Flesh? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 95 DMQ 6.35 - Strategy to Neutralize Chen Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST
84	Saturday, March 25, 2023	28	3	SS - Even More Value-based Decisions 96 DMQ 6.36 Would You Give your Daughter's Teacher a Break? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 97 DMQ 6.37 Would You Give the Immobile VP a Raise? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 98 DMQ 6.38 Would You Agree to Train Your Managerial Staff in the Major Functional Areas of Business? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 99 DMQ 6.39 Which Charity Would You Support? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST 100 DMQ 6.40 Would You Allow Volunteering on Company-Time or Facilitate Volunteering on Employee-Time? Expiry March 31st 2023, 11:59 PM IST SS - The Principles You Have Used in Making Decisions SS - The End: You are Now Ready to Run a Large Corporation Finish Stage 6
85	Saturday, April 1, 2023	29	1	Saturday, April 1st, 2023; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST 7th Discussion with the Instructor: PIU & Graduation!

FAQs Virtual Business Professional & Professional Certificates

(Please review Virtual Business - Professional for Executives/Corporations. Please contact bizdev@precisedonline.com for further exploration.)

What is Virtual Business Professional Simulation? And how is it different from existing simulations for business courses?

Virtual Business Professional Simulation (VB Pro) is a computer-based educational package where learning occurs experientially and immersively. It is designed for executives to learn the essentials of business in an effective and efficient manner. V. “Seenu” Srinivasan, Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University endorses that the learnings from VB Pro can essentially be described as the key takeaways of the core of an MBA Program. However, it is differentiated from the core of an MBA program by 2 facts. One, the learnings are imparted in a cross-functionally integrated manner, and two, VB Pro can be completed more efficiently in 6 months.

Unlike many existing business simulations, VB Pro is not minutely focused on enlivening certain specific academic concepts. VB Pro conveys a comprehensive set of business concepts. It is designed to ensure that each and every participant learns. It is for this reason that the simulation is individually run.

The four essential components that define the core of the Simulation are – Simulation Story (SS), Learning Concepts (LCs), Test Your Knowledge (TYK) questions, and Decision Making Questions (DMQs).

What are SSs (Simulation Stories), LCs (Learning Concepts),TYKs (Test Your Knowledge) questions, and DMQs (Decision Making Questions)?

SSs are Simulation Stories. These are short descriptions of situations in the virtual business. Running a business means making decisions. SSs set the stage for decisions that have to be made. Decisions are in the form of choices in DMQs. Decisions require business knowledge. This knowledge is presented as LCs (Learning Concepts). LCs are available at the behest of the participants in real-time. For participants to feel confident that they have understood an LC well, they answer a set of quiz questions called TYK (Test Your Knowledge) based on that LC. For example, there are 6 questions in the first TYK on the LC, Resources, Capabilities and Core Competencies and 5 questions in the second TYK on the Competitive and Environmental Analysis.

How does VB Pro progress?

The general flow is as follows. The Simulation starts with SSs and then moves on to one or more LCs. LCs are followed by a set of questions, TYKs. After completion of the necessary number of LCs and TYKs, there are one or more DMQs. In some situations, participants may be asked to provide some pros and cons for their decision choices. The idea is to promote some thinking behind decisions. These pros and cons are in the form of short answers which are, then processed using AI/NLP techniques.

It is well known that being in the right place at the right time is a phenomenon every individual or organization encounters. We can face Unforeseeable, Unpredictable, and Uncontrollable events in the environment. Some of these events may make our past decisions look smart or stupid. Such external events, called UUU, are simulated by a spin of a wheel.

What is the difference between TYKs and DMQs?

TYKs are based on the LCs. They just test the acquisition of knowledge. They, therefore, have right or wrong answers. For each right answer, 1 point is added to the participant’s TYK score. There are no negative points for wrong answers.

DMQs are questions that require judgment in applying the knowledge. DMQs do not have right or wrong answers but are evaluated for quality. A decision is good 1) if it incorporates all the information available at the time of making the decision and 2) if it is consistent with other decisions previously made. DMQs in the first 5 Stages of VB Pro are evaluated for quality. DMQs in Stage 6 are used for inferring your values as you work in an organization as a leader, follower, and colleague.

Do wrong answers in TYKs have negative points?

No, there are no negative points for incorrect answers.

How are decisions evaluated, and what is MDQI?

Each decision that is made has an Importance rating, and each of the choices of a decision has a Quality rating. MDQI, Management Decision Quality Index, is an index that is used to measure the overall impact of the quality of all your decisions and of the interactions among the decisions. MDQI moves up or down with every decision made. This movement of MDQI is calculated as the product of Ix and Qx. Ix is the Importance of Decision x, and Qix is the rating of the Quality of the choice i of decision x. MDQI starts with a base of 100.

Importance is measured on a 3-point scale, with 3 points being awarded to a very strategic decision and 1 point to a tactical decision with low downside risk. Quality of Choice is rated as -1, 0 or +1 to correspond to a Poor, OK or Good choice.

What are Consistency Scores?

Consistency Scores are points added or subtracted to your MDQI score based on consistency or inconsistency between 2 or more decisions.

What’s the philosophy behind Virtual Business Professional Simulation? How does the philosophy of Virtual Business Professional (VB Pro) match Peter F. Drucker’s Management philosophy?

The philosophy VB Pro is educating in an integrated cross-functional manner. VB Pro comprises 93 Learning Concepts in the following areas.

1) Conceptualizing and Vetting a Business Idea including Internal and External Analysis, Break-even Analysis, Target Market Selection and Development of Value Propositions; 2) Basic Accounting and Finance culminating in Financial Statements – P&L, Stockholders Equity, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Financial Statement Analysis; 3) Marketing – 4Ps, Brand Management, SEO and Social Media; 4) Human Resources Laws and Principals; 5) Organizational Behavior – Culture, Politics, Conflict and Leadership; 6) Venture Financing and Capitalization Tables; 7) Exit Strategies – Mergers and Acquisitions, IPO; 8) Business Laws; 9) Research and Data/Digital Analytics; 10) Global Supply Chains and Management; 11) Economics; 12) Corporate Governance; 13) IT and Big Data.

Bu these Learning Concepts are not necessarily presented by subject area. They are presented as and when required as determined by the situation in the virtual organization. Such a presentation of LCs and DMQs makes VB Pro exhibit a holistic cross-functional pedagogy.

The overall learnings can be said to fall into the 3 essential categories, Economic Benefits, Development of Employees and Environmental Sensitivity. These 3 buckets are the same as what Drucker proposed as essential to the management of organizations. In general, VB Pro’s philosophy of satisfying the existing and future, expressed and latent needs of customers gels well with Drucker’s holistic management.

When and how do I come to know which TYK questions I got right or wrong?

Immediately upon submitting your answers to the set of questions within one TYK, your answers are graded, and the right answers are then flashed on your screen. However, your instructor might follow a different process. Expiry dates may be set for each TYK. Right answers, in that case, are then available on clicking on a link right below the relevant TYK in the Table of Contents of your Simulation. The link can be clicked only once and right answered viewed only once. Note: Expiry Date implies that the TYK cannot be attempted after the expiry date. Unanswered TYKs get a 0.

When and how do I get feedback on my decisions or choices on DMQs?

Feedback on your decisions is available as soon as the instructor enables it. If already enabled, you will get the feedback as soon as you make the decision. Or else, it is available after the date it is enabled. Generally speaking, feedback for decisions is enabled after the stage is completed by all participants in a cohort.

How many TYKs and DMQs are there in VBs?

VB Pro has 78 sets of TYKs (Test Your Knowledge) with 604 quiz questions in total corresponding to the 93 Learning Concepts (LCs), and 100 Decision Making Questions (DMQs).

VB Select has 17 sets of TYKs consisting of 85 questions and 15 DMQs.

VB Small has 31 sets of TYKs consisting of 203 questions and 29 DMQs

What is the maximum MDQI one can get?

The minimum and maximum MDQI for VB Pro is 72 and 217.

What is MLI?

MLI stands for Management Luck Index. It is well known that being in the right place at the right time is a phenomenon every individual or organization can encounter. We can face Unforeseeable, Unpredictable, and Uncontrollable events in the environment. Some of these events may make our past decisions look smart or stupid. Such external events, called UUU, are simulated by a spin of a wheel. The probability of the event occurring is determined by the size of the sector/pie. Participants are awarded points based on the impact of the UUU event on the organization.

MLI starts with a base of 100 and moves up or down depending upon the event’s occurrence and the type of event.

Does MLI count as “performance”?

No. Participants do enjoy getting luck points, though.

Can I revisit TYKs once submitted?

TYKs, once submitted, cannot be revisited to view or change the answers. The right answers can be viewed only once.

Can I change my decisions in DMQs once submitted?

No. DMQ choices cannot be changed once made but can be viewed.

Can I revisit an SS page anytime?

SS pages can be viewed as many times as desired. You can revisit any SS page that you have previously visited.

Can I revisit an LC page?

LCs can be viewed as many times as desired. You can revisit any LC that you have previously visited.

How do I come to know of my progress and performance?

You can check your progress and performance by clicking on “Dashboard” on your left navigation bar.

How is the Profitability Score Calculated?

Profitability is calculated in Stage 2 only because the notions of “Economic Benefits” are ingrained in this stage only. This is keeping with the overall philosophy of the course – once taught and learned, concepts are not recycled.

The Profitability Score is based on wastage which is determined by the difference between the actual demand and purchased amount. (All ingredients used have to be fresh per your value proposition. The other cost and margin factors are more or less the same for all participants.)

If D_ij is the demand for individual i’s burgers in time period j and Pij is the amount purchased, the indicator of profitability used is (D_ij –Pij)**2 . (The higher the (Dij –P_ij)**2 the lower the profitability.) A Relative Profitability Index in % form is calculated.

Estimating daily demand is a painstaking task, but it shows the difference between individuals on the attribute of being able to “keep one’s nose to the grindstone.” The demand is different for different price points and there are small random fluctuations across I and j.

How can I judge my overall performance?

The best approach to evaluate your performance in VB Pro is to answer questions such as these for yourself. “How much did I learn from VB Pro.” “Am I better off as a general manager than before?” Compare your knowledge and your capabilities to use the knowledge before and after going through the simulation. Participants come in with varied backgrounds. So, to some extent, comparing yourself to others is not the best way to evaluate your learning/performance. Some may score higher than you just because of their backgrounds. But moving forward, you may be in a better place to use the knowledge you gained in VB Pro, which is what matters.

Nonetheless, VB Pro provides you with scores on TYKs, MDQI, and Profitability. The TYK scores reported are the percent of TYKs that were correct. MDQI score is the percent of the maximum MDQI score that you could have received. Profitability score is based on the wastage of inventory as measured by (Dij –Pij)**2 -- where Dij is the demand for individual i (you) on day j and Pij is the amount you purchased (your prediction) for day j. Your scores for each of these measures are exhibited in the dashboard. The Profitability score is calculated only once at the end of Stage 2. The other 2 scores are continuously updated.

What are AI/NLP Inputs?

To ensure that individuals think through before making decisions, participants are sometimes asked after they have made a decision to list the pros and cons of their decision. These pros and cons are in the form of short sentences. The pros and cons are evaluated using Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing. Pros and cons are asked for some decisions only. This is in keeping with the spirit that VBs are educational tools. Once lessons are taught, they are not repeated more than necessary.

Are AI/NLP inputs presented in all VB Simulations?

Some VB Simulations do not have AI/NLP input opportunities.

What are UUU?

It is well known that being in the right place at the right time is a phenomenon every individual or organization can encounter. We can face Unforeseeable, Unpredictable, and Uncontrollable events in the environment. Some of these events may make our past decisions look smart or stupid. Such external events, called UUU, are present in some VBs and are simulated by a spin of a wheel.

What is the role of an instructor in VB Pro?

An instructor facilitates virtual or face-to-face discussions on individual decisions or interactions among a few decisions. Many reports are available to the instructor around the decisions made by the participants. Instructors can find out from these reports who made what decisions or a collection of decisions. The instructor can then facilitate a discussion by calling on participants to justify and discuss the rationale of their choices.

Mostly, discussions will be held at the end of each stage.

Besides the feedback on decisions, instructors provide participants with personal feedback based on PIUs (Principles-in-Use). Principles-in-Use are values you, consciously or unconsciously, hold and practice in an organization.

Instructors also nudge stragglers. Discussions at the end of a stage cannot be held if all participants are not at the same point in the simulation. To this end, instructors might set expiry dates on Test Your Knowledge quizzes. After expiry, TYKs can no longer be attempted.

Instructors are also the guides for projects.

What kind of reports and information are available to instructors?

Several reports are available to instructors. Instructors are trained on the usage of these reports. Reports allow instructors to follow the progress and performance of every participant on all performance factors.

What are PIUs?

Principles-in-Use are values you, consciously or unconsciously, hold and practice in an organization. Eight PIU scores on four dimensions and the corresponding snake diagram are available as feedback on finishing Stage 6 of VB Pro (Corps and Univ.)

What types of certificates are available with VB Professional?

At any given point in time, several institutions may provide certificates. The certificate you get depends on the institution you signed up with. Please contact us at bizdev2@presicedonline.com if you are interested in being awarded a certificate. An image of a certificate from Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University is shown below.

How long does it take to complete the requirements for a certificate?

Generally speaking, a certificate requires 6 months to complete. The number of hours per week depends on whether a project is part of the certificate program. You might be enrolled in a certificate program that is based only on the VB Pro simulation or in a program that includes a project.

What does a typical 6-month schedule look like?

Please click on the link below to see a typical schedule. This schedule has a project embedded in the program. If the program that is being offered to you does not include a project, you can deduct those hours from the schedule.

An exemplar of a 6-Month Schedule for Virtual Business Professional Certificate Programs with Projects

What is a typical fee per individual for a Certificate Program?

The program fee depends on the country in which it is being offered, the cost of a local instructor, the institution issuing the certificate, the number of participants (in an in-company type of offering), and the intensity of the projects required. Nonetheless, it is estimated that an average open enrollment cost/individual with projects in a developing country would be around US Dollars 1,200 plus taxes if applicable. In high-cost nations, the amount per individual would probably be a minimum of US Dollars 1,500 plus taxes if applicable.

What is the fee structure for the course? Is it paid up before start or in installments?

Each Certificate Program offering will have its own fee structure depending on whether it is an in-company program or an open-enrollment one. In situations where payments are being made by individuals, payments in installments are possible. The installment plan comprises the following amounts. 5% at the time of registration, five 15% payments at the beginning of each month and a final 20% at the beginning of the 6th month. Installment payment will normally imply 10% more than an upfront payment.

What happens if a participant is unable to complete the entire course for any reason?

If, for some reason, a participant cannot pay after registering, the following remedies are available. Certificates will be provided only after total payment and completion of projects, if applicable, and VB Pro Simulation.

Paid	Inability to Pay Amount	Remedies
Registration Fee	5%	N/A
Beginning of Simulation	15%	Apply Registration Fee for another offering
Beginning of Month 2	15%	Eligible to continue with the next cohort or individually. Full paid carried forward.
Beginning of Month 3	15%	Eligible to continue with the next cohort or individually. Full paid carried forward.
Beginning of Month 4	15%	Complete the Project with the team. Complete VB Pro Simulation whenever payments can be made.
Beginning of Month 5	15%	Complete the Project with the team. Complete VB Pro Simulation whenever payments can be made.
Beginning of Month 6	20%	Complete the Project with the team. Complete VB Pro Simulation whenever payments can be made.

In addition to the feedback built into the system, will the instructor provide any form of personalized attention to any participant?

Yes, all the discussions after each stage are focused on providing qualitative feedback to participants. The final discussion after the 6th stage is all about Principles-in-Use. PIU are values participants, consciously or unconsciously, hold and practice in an organization. Eight PIU scores on four dimensions and the corresponding snake diagram are available as feedback.

What if I fall behind?

The instructor will keep you on track by nudging you along. Worse comes to worst, you will not be able to complete the TYK that has expired. It is expected that a busy executive will miss a few TYKs here and there. Since the focus of the program is on decision-making, decisions can still be made, even if some TYKs are left unfinished.

An Exemplar of a 6-Month Schedule for Virtual Business Professional Certificate Programs with Projects

(This document is to be read in conjunction with Virtual Business - Professional for Executives/Corporations. Please contact bizdev@precisedonline.com for further exploration.)

The VB Pro Certificate Program can be executed with or without a project. You could be participating in an in-company program or an open-enrollment program. The topic of the project will be determined on a program-by-program basis. So also, will be the time commitment required for the project.

Typically, projects will be conducted in teams of approximately 4 individuals and will require about 20 hours of work off-line. More details of projects will be available in the description of the specific program that you are part of.

In the example of a 6-month schedule shown below, two formal presentations of projects, one at the time when the Problem Definition is complete and one at the end as a final "Defense," are shown. Each presentation will be about 15-20 minutes. All participants are expected to attend these 2 project presentation sessions to provide their feedback to the presenters. Topics can be chosen with the help of an instructor either off-line or during a 2-hour session fitted in this program.

The generic schedule-table below shows the Simulation Stories (SS), Learning Concepts (LCs), TYKs, DMQs, and UUUs of VB Pro that you have to complete on your own. The yellow highlighted sessions imply Virtual Meetings of all participants and the instructor. There are 7 such virtual meetings, one at the beginning of the program and one after each of the 6 stages in VB Pro.

A specific schedule will be available for your particular VB Pro Certificate Program.

There are 93 Learning Concepts (LCs), 78 sets of Test Your Knowledge (TYKs) with 604 quiz questions in all, 100 Decision Making Questions (DMQs), and 11 Unforeseeable, Unpredictable or Uncontrollable Events (UUU) in the VB Pro simulation and they have to be completed individually. The schedule is for 72 sessions of approximately 2 hours/session. It is estimated that an average participants could expect to spend approximately 5 hours/week for 6 months. Most participants will find some sessions easier or harder than others because of their background. So, variability in the time required to finish the content of a session is expected. Expiry dates will be set by the supervisor of the program to keep everyone on track.

Week/Session	Content
1/1	Meet & Greet Dr. Rajiv Grover and Instructor. Q & A Workings of VB Professional and Program Begin the simulation: Go to www.precisedonline.com Review the Student Manual and the Video under the Demo tab Login with your userid and password provided Click on "Courses" on the left navigation bar Click on "VB Pro-Corps" View Videos VB Pro: Raison d'etre and Philosophic Underpinnings Overview of Drucker Management Philosophy Drucker on, "Customer Obsession" Click on SS - You, the City, and the Gourmet Burger Business in the Table of Contents
1/2	SS - You, the City and the Gourmet Burger Business SS - Your Strengths and Weaknesses LC - Resources, Capabilities and Core Competencies 1 TYK 1.1 (6 Questions) - Resources, Capabilities and Core Competencies SS - Competition in the City LC - Competitive and Environmental Analyses 2 TYK 1.2 (5 Questions) - Competitive and Environmental Analyses
1/3	SS - Types of Potential Customers in Simile LC - Market Segmentation and Target Market 3 TYK 1.3 (6 Questions) - Market Segmentation and Target Market SS - Beyond the Burger: Price, Location and Image LC - Marketing Mix 4 TYK 1.4 (6 Questions) - Marketing Mix LC - Positioning 5 TYK 1.5 (6 Questions) – Positioning SS - Who Will Buy and Why? 6 TYK 1.6 (5 Questions) - Value Proposition
2/4	SS - Estimating the Cost of a Cheeseburger LC - Variable and Fixed Cost SS - How Many Need to be Sold to Make Profit? LC - Breakeven Analysis 7 TYK 1.7 (12 Questions) - Breakeven Analysis and Spreadsheet Modelling.
2/5	SS - Final Decisions: Location, Pricing, Service and Target Market 1 DMQ 1.1 - Location Decision AI Input - Pros and Cons of Location Decision LC - Pricing 2 DMQ 1.2 - Market Research Purchase Decision 3 DMQ 1.3 - Price Decision AI Input - Pros and Cons of Price Decision 4 DMQ 1.4 - Service Concept Decision 5 DMQ 1.5 - Target Market Decision 8 TYK 1.8 (8 Questions) - Pricing Feedback on Your Decisions 1 UUU 1.1 - Unforeseen Potential Environmental Changes – Zoning Finish Stage 1
2/6	2nd Discussion with Instructor
3/7	Begin Stage 2 Stage 2 Video Drucker on, "Economic Benefits" SS - Opening Day - Promotion and Cost Figures 6 DMQ 2.1 - Opening Day Banner Promotion Decision 7 DMQ 2.2 - Accounting Approach Decision LC - Direct and Indirect Costs 9 TYK 2.1 (3 Questions) - Direct and Indirect Costs SS - Final Breakeven Quantity 2 UUU 2.1 Unpredictable Reactions - Influential Accounting Expert SS - Beginning to Keep the Books and Accounting 8 DMQ 2.3 - Delivery and Take-out Pricing 9 DMQ 2.4 - Delivery Orders Pricing LC - Main Accounting Equation 10 TYK 2.2 (3 Questions) - Main Accounting Equation
3/8	SS - Opening Day - Purchases and Analysis LC - Revenue and Expense Reporting - Cash vs. Accrual Basis 11 TYK 2.3 (2 Questions) - Accrual vs Cash Basis LC - Gross Profit 12 TYK 2.4 (3 Questions) - Gross Profit SS - Day 1 Profit and Loss Statement and Cash Account LC - Bank Reconciliation 13 TYK 2.5 (2 Questions) - Bank Reconciliation
3/9	SS - Sales Tax LC - Sales Tax Payable 14 TYK 2.6 (2 Questions) - Analyzing Day 1 SS - Analyzing Day 1 and The Purchasing System SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 2 - Auto Expenses and Accounts Payable LC - Accounts Payable SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 3 3 UUU 2.2 - Unforeseen Synergies - Reporter Visit and Opening Day Banner Decision SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 4 - Employee Wages SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 5 - Unearned Revenue LC - Unearned (Deferred) Revenue SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 6 - 8 AI Input - Pros and Cons of Cash vs. Accrual Basis Accounting
4/10	LC - Financial Statements 15 TYK 2.7 (4 Questions) - Liabilities 16 TYK 2.8 (9 Questions) - Financial Statements SS - Data-driven Sales Forecast 10 DMQ 2.5 - Choice of Promotion Type - Couponing, Advertising or WOM SS - Ordering and Analyzing Day 9 - 11 - Employee Salary LC - Payroll Liabilities 17 TYK 2.9 (3 Questions) - Payroll Liabilities
4/11	SS - Ordering & Analyzing Day 12 - 30 11 DMQ 2.6 - Degree of Promotion Decision 12 DMQ 2.7 - Ripe Tomatoes Decision AI Input - Pros and Cons of Ripe Tomatoes Decision 4 UUU 2.3 - Probabilistic Consequences of Risk-taking - Ripe Tomatoes Decision 13 DMQ 2.8 - Server Uniform Decision AI Input - Pros and Cons of Server Uniform Decision 14 DMQ 2.9 - Heirloom Tomatoes Decision 15 DMQ 2.10 - Customer Satisfaction Trade-Off Decision 5 UUU 2.4 - Probabilistic Consequences of Risk-taking - Customer Satisfaction Trade–off Decision Closure to Stage 2 Finish Stage 2
4/12	3^rd Discussion with Instructor
5/13	Begin Stage 3 Stage 3 Video Drucker on, "Evidence-based Decision Making" SS - The First 30 Days, Menu Expansion and Brand Image LC - Brand Management 18 TYK 3.1 (6 Questions) - Brand Management SS - To Research or Not and How 16 DMQ 3.1 - Research for Brand Image 17 DMQ 3.2 - Which Brand Image Would You Choose?
5/14	LC - Research Methods 19 TYK 3.2 (9 Questions) - Qualitative Techniques SS - Brand Image Research & Menu 18 DMQ 3.3 - Brand Image Research Methodology
5/15	SS - Two Months after Opening 20 TYK 3.3 (15 Questions) - Month 2 Financial Statements SS - Three Months after Opening 21 TYK 3.4 (9 Questions) - Quarter 1 Financial Statements
6/16	SS - 6 Months after Opening 22 TYK 3.5 (21 Questions) - Quarter 2 Financial Statements
6/17	SS - Competition, Patenting and Promotions 19 – 22 DMQ 3.4 - 3.7 - Engaging in Promotional Activities 23 – 26 DMQ 3.8 - 3.11 - Engaging in Promotions SS - 6-9 Months After Opening LC - Interviewing 23 TYK 3.6 (6 Questions) - Interviewing SS - 9-12 Months 27 DMQ 3.12 - Pay Attorney for Restrictive Covenants Contract LC - Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets 6 UUU 3.1 - Luck of the Draw - Susie's Finance Skills 24 TYK 3.7 (4 Questions) - Restrictive Covenants
6/18	SS - Concept for Another Restaurant 28 DMQ 3.13 - Research the Service Hypothesis LC - Experimental Methods for Research LC - Survey Methods for Research SS - Research to Test Multiple-Servers & Eye-Contact Concepts 29 DMQ 3.14 - Methodology for Testing Multiple-Servers & Eye Contact Concepts
7/19	SS - Motivating Learning for Data Analytics LC - Data Analytics 25 TYK 3.8 (38 Questions) - Data Analytics
7/20	26 TYK 3.9 (25 Questions) – Experimental data
7/21	SS - Insights from the Experiment SS - Survey for Assessing Attitudes Toward Social Media and Technology 30 – 37 DMQ 3.15 - 3.22 - Survey Data SS - Insights from the Survey 7 UUU 3.2 - Unpredictable Bias - VC and Stats Skills Finish Stage 3
8/22	4^th Discussion with Instructor
8/23	Begin Stage 4 Stage 4 Video Ducker on, "Managing and Developing Employees" SS - New Restaurants New Funders 38 DMQ 4.1 - BH Chain or HB Chain LC - Organizational Forms 27 TYK 4.1 (6 Questions) - Organizational Forms SS - Org Form & Type of Financing 39 DMQ 4.2 - To C-Corp or Not LC - The Delaware C-Corp LC - Time Value of Money 28 TYK 4.2 (7 Questions) - Time Value of Money
8/24	LC - Debt vs. Equity Financing 29 TYK 4.3 (4 Questions) – Debt vs. Equity Financing SS - VC Interaction & a Loan 40 DMQ 4.3 - To Meet or Not to Meet Other VCs LC - Employment Law 30 TYK 4.4 (6 Questions) – Employment Law
9/25	SS - Quick Success & Simple Digital Savvy LC - SEO 31 TYK 4.5 (10 Questions) – SEO LC - Social Media Engagement 32 TYK 4.6 (10 Questions) - Social Media
9/26	SS - Motivating Employees & Setting the Culture 41 DMQ 4.4 - Tip Policy LC - Motivating Employees 33 TYK 4.7 (6 Questions) - Motivating Employees 42 DMQ 4.5 - Views of Workers Theory X or Y 8 UUU 4.1 - Unpredictable Reaction - Workers to Tip Policy Decision LC - Job Description and Performance Evaluation 34 TYK 4.8 (6 Questions) - Job Description and Performance Evaluation LC - Organizational Culture 35 TYK 4.9 (6 Questions) - Organizational Culture 43 DMQ 4.6 - Organizational Involvement in Culture Development 44 DMQ 4.7 - Type of Servers Hired
9/27	SS - Growth and Convertible Debt 9 UUU 4.2 - Did your Decision to Involve the Organization in Developing a Culture turn out to be fruitful? LC - Financing Your Business SS - Negotiations and Series A 45 DMQ 4.8 - To Negotiate or Not with Sageio 46 DMQ 4.9 - Realto Board Seat: Yes or No SS - Growth and Series B 47 DMQ 4.10 - Series B Financing SS - HBH, Inc. on a Tear Finish Stage 4
10/28	5th Discussion with Instructor
10/29	Begin Stage 5 Stage 5 Video Drucker on, "Organizational Dynamics" SS - Rudderless Board? 48 DMQ 5.1 - Working Capital & New HBs 10 UUU 5.1 - Did your Working Capital Decision and Relationship with Realto turn out to be Compatible? LC - Working Capital 36 TYK 5.1 (5 Questions) – Working Capital
10/30	SS - Work Load - Organization Design & Structure 49 DMQ 5.2 - HB Corporate Org Structure 50 DMQ 5.3 - HB Restaurant Org Structure LC - Organization Design 37 TYK 5.2 (7 Questions) – Organizational Design
11/31	SS - Digital Marketing LC - Common Digital Marketing Terms LC - Digital Marketing Tools Assessment LC - Adroll
11/32	LC - AdWords LC - Facebook 38 TYK 5.3 (10 Questions) – Digital Marketing 51 DMQ 5.4 - Digital Marketing Tool
11/33	SS - Poor Contract 52 DMQ 5.5 - Sue the Wine Merchant or Not 53 DMQ 5.6 - Final Decision - To Sue or Not LC - Contract Law 39 TYK 5.4 (5 Questions) - Contract Law LC - Agency & Intentional Torts 40 TYK 5.5 (5 Questions) - Agency & Intentional Tort
12/34	SS - Org (Kitchen) Conflict 54 DMQ 5.7 - Resolving Conflicts Due to Matrix Org Structure 11 UUU 5.2 - Did Authoritative Command Conflict Resolution Style Work? LC - Conflict 41 TYK 5.6 (7 Questions) – Conflict SS - Lawsuits 55 DMQ 5.8 - Bev's Defamation - Go to Court or Settle 56 DMQ 5.9 - Advice for Friendly Fast-food Chain LC - Defamation 42 TYK 5.7 (6 Questions) - Defamation LC - Working with Attorneys 43 TYK 5.8 (4 Questions) - Working with Attorneys
12/35	LC - Negligence 44 TYK 5.9 (5 Questions) - Negligence SS - Power Politics LC - Power Politics 45 TYK 5.10 (7 Questions) - Power Politics
12/36	PROJECT: PROBLEM DEFINITION PRESENTATIONS
13/37	SS - Analyzing Data from the Web LC - Digital Analytics 46 TYK 5.11 (10 Questions) - Digital Analytics
13/38	SS - Leadership, Organization Communication and Teams 57 DMQ 5.10 - Leadership Style LC - Leadership 47 TYK 5.12 (10 Questions) - Leadership
13/39	LC - Teams 48 TYK 5.13 (7 Questions) - Teams LC - Organizational Communication 49 TYK 5.14 (7 Questions) - Organizational Communication
14/40	SS - Power Struggles 58 DMQ 5.11 - Time to Nail Realto? LC - Property Law 50 TYK 5.15 (6 Questions) - Property Law SS - Patenting a New Grill 59 DMQ 5.12 - Patent - Whose Name? LC - Intellectual Property 51 TYK 5.16 (6 Questions) - Intellectual Property
14/41	SS – Exit Strategies 60 DMQ 5.13 – To IPO or Not LC – Mergers & Acquisitions 52 TYK 5.17 (6 Questions) – Mergers & Acquisition LC – IPO 53 TYK 5.18 (5 Questions) – IPO
14/42	LC – Types of Stocks 54 TYK 5.19 (6 Questions) – Types of Stocks Smoking a Cigar after IPO Finish Stage 5
15/43	6^th Discussion with Instructor
15/44	Begin Stage 6 Stage 6 Video Drucker on, "Social and Moral Responsibility: Amidst Economic, Technological and Global Regulations and Trends" SS - Success Invites Problems 61 DMQ 6.1 - Across-the-Board Raises 62 DMQ 6.2 Who would you promote - Loyalist or Pure-performer? SS - A Little Paranoia Sets In 63 DMQ 6.3 - Your Value-add 64 DMQ 6.4 Would You Engage in Such Messaging Regarding Your Successes?
15/45	SS - Employee Raises - Decision Making Process? LC - GDP 55 TYK 6.1 (5 Questions) – GDP LC - Inflation 56 TYK 6.2 (5 Questions) – Inflation
16/46	LC - Unemployment 57 TYK 6.3 (5 Questions) – Unemployment 65 DMQ 6.5 - Raises - Local Manager or Template 66 DMQ 6.6 - Keeping Up with Knowledge 67 DMQ 6.7 - Salary Increase through Price Increase 68 DMQ 6.8 Who Would You Promote, Innovator Manager A or Maintainer Manager B?
16/47	LC - Economic Production and Growth LC - Economic Business Cycles 58 TYK 6.4 (8 Questions) – National Production and Growth, Business Cycles
16/48	LC - Monetary System and Monetary Policy 59 TYK 6.5 (9 Questions) – Monetary and Fiscal Policy
17/49	LC - Fiscal Policy 60 TYK 6.6 (8 Questions) - Fiscal Policy 69 DMQ 6.9 - Dynamic Pricing? 70 DMQ 6.10 Will You Tell the Board that the Idea and the Plan for HB Expresses Were CFO's? 71 DMQ 6.11 To Borrow or Not to Borrow
17/50,51	SS - Scaling-up: Good Problems to Have LC - Computer Hardware and Software Fundamentals LC - Instruction Set, Programming and System Software LC - Application Software 61 TYK 6.7 (26 Questions) – HW/SW Part 1
18/52,53	LC - The Internet, the World Wide Web and Web Languages LC - Web Services, Cloud Services and Virtual Machines LC - Computer Networks 62 TYK 6.8 (23 Questions) - HW/SW Part 2
18/54	72 DMQ 6.12 - Keeping up with Technology 73 DMQ 6.13 - Cost-cutting or Revenue-generating Applications 74 DMQ 6.14 Would You Tell the Board About Customer Data Insights Project or Continue in Secrecy? SS - Increasing Revenues Through Food Delivery 75 DMQ 6.15 - Type of Delivery Service
19/55,56	SS - All In With Technology LC - Big Data and Big Data Storage Technologies LC - Data Visualization LC - Machine Learning & Data Mining 63 TYK 6.9 (9 Questions) - Big Data Part 1
19/57	LC - Natural Language Processing LC - Artificial Neural Networks & Face Recognition Systems 64 TYK 6.10 (6 Questions) - Big Data Part 2 76 DMQ 6.16 - Implementing AaaS 77 DMQ 6.17 - Privacy & Customer Data
20/58,59	SS - Sourcing Commercial Appliances from China LC - Supply Chains 65 TYK 6.11 (9 Questions) – Global Supply Chains LC - International Economics 66 TYK 6.12 (8 Questions) – International Economics 78 DMQ 6.18 - E Term or DDP 79 DMQ 6.19 - Salesforce Organization
20/60	LC - Business to Business (B2B) Marketing LC - Personal Selling and Sales Management SS - Growing HB Restaurants Globally LC - Global Organizations and Trade 67 TYK 6.13 (7 Questions) - Overview: Global Organizations and Trade
21/61,62	LC - Political, Legal, and Cultural Environments 68 TYK 6.14 (6 Questions) - Political, Legal, and Cultural Environments LC - Global Management Issues 69 TYK 6.15 (7 Questions) - Global Management Issues LC - Solutions for Global Business 70 TYK 6.16 (7 Questions) - Solutions for Global Issues
21/63	80 DMQ 6.20 - India or China 81 DMQ 6.21 - Mode of Entry 82 DMQ 6.22 - American Food Higher Margin SS - China Is It 83 DMQ 6.23 - HBH American Culture in China 84 DMQ 6.24 - Local or Expat
22/64,65	SS - Employee Management: Always Problematic? LC - Employee Benefits 71 TYK 6.17 (6 Questions) - Benefits LC - Compensation 72 TYK 6.18 (6 Questions) - Compensation LC - Safety 73 TYK 6.19 (6 Questions) - Safety LC - Labor Relations 74 TYK 6.20 (6 Questions) - Labor Relations
22/66	85 DMQ 6.25 - Grill Flare-up Resolution Style 86 DMQ 6.26 - Would You Start a Silent Campaign to Blame Chen and Realto? 87 DMQ 6.27 - Would You Ask the CFO to Complete the Report 88 DMQ 6.28 - What Would You Do Regarding "Flex-Time" for Religious Week? SS - Technology vs. Employees 89 DMQ 6.29 - Transfer $ from CITO to CHRO 90 DMQ 6.30 - Employee Involvement in Benefits 91 DMQ 6.31 - Inappropriate Selection: Who Cares 92 DMQ 6.32 Who Would You Recommend to Buddy - Networker Who Would Help You or Performer?
23/67	SS - Chen Gets Powerful (Insubordination?): If, When and How to Neutralize LC - Financial Statement Analysis 75 TYK (5 Questions) - 6.21 Financial Statement Analysis
23/68	LC - Tax Reporting 76 TYK 6.22 (9 Questions) - Tax Reporting
23/69	LC - Financial Reporting 77 TYK 6.23 (9 Questions) - Financial Reporting
24/70	LC - Corporate Governance 78 TYK 6.24 (6 Questions) – Corporate Governance
24/71	93 DMQ 6.33 - Unethical Financial Statements 94 DMQ 6.34 Would You Take This Opportunity to Get Back at Chen Who Has Been Performing Well but Has Been a Thorn in Your Flesh? 95 DMQ 6.35 - Strategy to Neutralize Chen SS - Even More Value-based Decisions 96 DMQ 6.36 Would You Give your Daughter's Teacher a Break? 97 DMQ 6.37 Would You Give the Immobile VP a Raise? 98 DMQ 6.38 Would You Agree to Train Your Managerial Staff in the Major Functional Areas of Business? 99 DMQ 6.39 Which Charity Would You Support? 100 DMQ 6.40 Would You Allow Volunteering on Company-Time or Facilitate Volunteering on Employee-Time? SS - The Principles You Have Used in Making Decisions SS - The End: You are Now Ready to Run a Large Corporation Finish Stage 6
24/72	7th and Final Discussion with Instructor
25	SLACK
26	PROJECT PRESENTATIONS GRADUATION!

Virtual Business – Professional for Executives/Corporations

Virtual Business – Professional for Executives/Corporations
A Computer-based Simulation for Integrated Business Education

The Virtual Business – Professional (VB Pro) is a computer-based self-paced simulation that is designed for geographically dispersed users (students and executives) to individually and experientially learn the relevant and essential business concepts by running a virtual business. The targeted audience will generally be non-business/technical professionals (e.g., attorneys, engineers) in organizations and non-business students in colleges. VB Pro is also being adopted as a capstone course for business majors. Other VB simulations are available at www.precisedonline.com.

The following concepts are learned from the simulation: 1) Conceptualizing and vetting a business idea including Internal and External Analysis, Break-even analysis, Target Market selection and development of a Value Proposition; 2) Basic Accounting and Finance culminating in Financial Statements – P&L, Stockholders Equity, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Financial Statement Analysis; 3) Marketing – 4Ps, Brand Management, SEO and Social Media; 4) Human Resources Laws and Principals; 5) Organizational Behavior – Culture, Politics, Conflict and Leadership; 6) Venture Financing and Capitalization Tables; 7) Exit Strategies – Mergers and Acquisitions, IPO; 8) Business Laws; 9) Research and Data/Digital Analytics; 10) Global Supply Chains and Management; 11) Economics; 12) Corporate Governance; 13) IT and Big Data. Details of the Learning Concepts covered in VB Professional can be reviewed from the Table of Contents of the book ALL THE BUSINESS Your CEO Would Love You to Know.

VB Pro incorporates specially created user-friendly software packages that can be used without learning programming. These software packages encompass spreadsheets, basic accounting and basic statistics. All these packages have been custom-programmed at the right place so that users can use them seamlessly and effortlessly as and when required.

VB Pro simulation starts as an idea for a tiny restaurant with a gourmet burger as the product and continues until the business grows to be a publicly-traded diversified global company. This burger/restaurant scenario has been intentionally selected as almost everybody is familiar with such products/businesses. The knowledge gained from the simulations, however, is generalizable to other industries – services, B2B.

The design of all the VB simulations is as follows. Participants individually run the business. While running the business, they are required to make decisions. To make these decisions, they need the applicable business theories. These theories can be accessed by them in real-time at their behest by clicking on an internal link. After reading the theories, users are tested for their understanding of the theories through Test Your Knowledge, TYK, questions. Following the testing, users make their own decisions – that are in the form of answers to Decision Making Questions DMQs.

The general flow in every simulation is that it starts with Simulation Stories (SSs) that are short descriptions of situations in the virtual business and then moves on to one or more Learning Concepts (LCs). LCs are followed by a set of questions, TYKs. After completion of the necessary number of LCs and TYKs, there are one or more DMQs.

Making their own decisions means that they do not role-play any type of manager – they make decisions as they deem fit. For example, one user may believe that money is not the only critical criterion in a particular decision; employee satisfaction is too. The user is, therefore, allowed and expected to make decisions based on his/her beliefs. Unlike TYKs that have right or wrong answers, DMQs do not have right or wrong answers. A decision is good 1) if it incorporates all the information available at the time of making the decision and 2) if it is consistent with other decisions previously made. It is poor otherwise.

Learning occurs on a need-to-know basis wherein the concepts from different functional areas are presented in an integrated fashion to the user as and when the need arises. Such real-time problem-driven learning leads to students knowing why the concepts are being learned and, hence, leads to better retention by the students. This real-time problem-driven philosophy can be best described by paraphrasing an old adage, “decision-making is the mother of information-seeking.” In other words, in the traditional model of learning, theories are taught, and then an effort is made to seek applications. In this flipped model of the simulations, users are immersed in an application, and theories are presented to help make decisions.

Besides the real-time problem-driven design of the VB – Professional, other design elements are: 1) All intricate or complex principles and theories are explained in an intuitive manner. For example, in the area of data analytics (a rapidly growing function), an intuitive understanding of why what and when statistical tests are required, if at all, and of how to interpret the results are emphasized. 2) Most business concepts and theories are presented in short modules of about 20 minutes. Finally, 3) Unlike traditional “simulations,” which are focused on one area and are suitable for applying knowledge gained from other courses, VB Pro educates participants cross-functionally across business disciplines as per Peter F. Drucker’s management philosophy.

Metrics

Each Decision that is made has an Importance rating, and each of the Choices of a decision has a Quality rating. MDQI, Management Decision Quality Index, is an index that is used to measure the overall impact of the quality of all your decisions and of the interactions among the decisions. MDQI moves up or down with every decision made. This movement of MDQI is calculated as the product of Ix and Qx. Ix is the Importance of Decision x, and Qix is the rating of the Quality of the Choice i of Decision x. MDQI starts with a base of 100. Importance is measured on a 3-point scale, with 3 points being awarded to a very strategic decision and 1 point to a tactical decision with low downside risk. Quality of Choice is rated as -1, 0 or +1 to correspond to a Poor, OK or Good choice. 60 DMQs in Stages 1 to 5 are used to calculate MDQI.

Test-Your-Knowledge (TYK) Questions are based on the business concepts and theories that have been presented. TYK questions appear after the Learning Concepts have been read. They have right or wrong answers. These answers are recorded and can be used to evaluate participants’ performance.

Artificial Intelligence (Natural Language Processing) is selectively used to gauge participants’ decision-making processes. Participants are asked to provide some pros and cons of their decision choices. These pros and cons are evaluated using NLP. After a certain number of pros and cons elicitations, it is assumed that critical thinking has been promoted. Users are no longer bothered by repeatedly asking to enumerate their thinking.

Being in the right place at the right time is part and parcel of any business. Many unforeseen environmental changes, unnoticed skills and personalities of new hires, or unforeseen interactions with influential individuals or corporations can help or hurt a business. Such events are called UUU (face Unforeseeable, Unpredictable, and Uncontrollable). An index called Management Luck Index (MLI) has been created. To simulate whether a participant reaps profits by chance, the participant spins a wheel with different outcomes with different probabilities. There are several situations throughout the simulation where participants can win or lose by chance. The categories of outcomes, the probabilities, and the impact on MLI depend on the situation and are spelled out in detail when those situations arise.

Besides TYKs answers and MDQI, another quantifiable indicator can be used to monitor users’ business acumen. This one relates to the profitability of the start-up in its initial stage, as judged by the student’s ability to predict demand on a daily basis. Profitability is calculated in Stage 2 only because the notions of “Economic Benefits” are ingrained in this stage only. This is keeping with the overall philosophy of the course – once taught and learned, concepts are not recycled.

If Dij is the demand for individual i’s burgers in time period j and Pij is the amount purchased, the indicator of profitability used is (D_ij –P_ij)**2 . (The higher the (D_ij –P_ij)**2 the lower the profitability.) A Relative Profitability Index in % form is calculated.

Overall Performance can be judged on 3 factors, TYKs, MDQI and Profitability. Three percentages will be provided to you, one each for TYKs, MDQI and Profitability.

Users can view their progress and performance by clicking on “Dashboard” on the Navigation Bar on the left. Shown below are pictures of what a participant can see upon clicking on the “Dashboard.” Similarly, several reports are available for supervisors/instructors. These reports pertain to users’ progress, TYK performance, and DMQ choices.

The DMQ reports are such that discussions can be readily facilitated by the instructor.

VB Pro also provides feedback to participants on their Principles-in-Use (PIU). PIUs are values you, consciously or unconsciously, hold and practice in an organization. 40 DMQs in Stage 6 are used to calculate the PIU scores. Eight PIU scores on four dimensions and the corresponding snake diagram are available as feedback on finishing Stage 6 of VB Pro.

Some Endorsements

VB Collegiate and Professional contain the essential content from a core of an MBA program. The rigor is ideally suited for time-starved engineers, attorneys, or other motivated individuals.

V. “Seenu” Srinivasan

Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus

Graduate School of Business, Stanford University

Cost-effective + highly efficient; integrated AI/NLP and statistical and business software.

Peter Letsou

Professor of Law and Former Dean

University of Memphis Law School

I actually really enjoyed this. Optimal for theory acquisition and sharpening decision-making skills. I recommend group debrief sessions.

Corinne Dulles

VP, Optimal Strategix Group

Switzerland

Student Reports

Principles-in-Use (PIU)

Instructor Reports

Graded Questions x User Report

TYK DMQ Progress Report

Virtual Business – Leadership for Aligning Culture & Strategy: The Drucker Way

Virtual Business Simulations for Academics

Virtual Business Simulations for Academics
A Computer-based Simulations for Integrated Business Education

Virtual Business Simulations are computer-based self-paced educational packages where learning occurs experientially and immersively. Unlike many existing business simulations, VBs are not minutely focused on enlivening certain specific academic concepts. VBs convey a comprehensive set of business concepts. Virtual Business Simulations are differentiated by the amount and type of content they have.

There are several VB Simulations, each targeted at a different usage situation/target market and imparting a different set of learnings.

Simulation	Target	Learning
VB Professional - Corps - Univ	Professionals: Technical, Specialists, and others seeking a refresher course.College Students in Capstone Courses	“Top 10” Must-have in “Top 10” Business-functions. Key Take-aways of a Core of an MBA Program. Details of the Learning Concepts covered in VB Professional can be reviewed from the Table of Contents of the book ALL THE BUSINESS Your CEO Would Love You to Know.
VB Select	Marketing Professionals,College Students in Marketing Courses	Profitable Value Propositions: Internal and External (3Cs) Analysis, Target Market Selection, Break-even, P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow, Shareholders Wealth.
VB Services	Services Marketing Specialists, College Students in a Services Course	Same as VB Select but specific to Services.
VB Account-based Marketing	B2B Marketing Specialist,College Students in a B2B Course	Same as VB Select but specific to B2B.
VB Entrepreneurship	Aspiring Entrepreneurs	From Start-up Idea to Exit Strategies (M&A, IPO).
VB Small	Aspiring Owners of Small Business	Essential knowledge to run a small business.
VB Marketing	College Students	Principles of Marketing.
VB Management	College Students	Principles of Management.

VBs are designed to ensure that all participants receive the same education irrespective of the decisions made. In addition, the simulations are designed to make certain that each and every participant learns. It is for this reason that the simulations are individually run and not in teams.

VB Simulations incorporate specially created user-friendly software packages that can be used without learning programming. These software packages encompass spreadsheets, basic accounting and basic statistics. All these packages have been custom-programmed at the right place so that users can use them seamlessly and effortlessly as and when required.

VBs start as an idea for a tiny restaurant with a gourmet burger as the product and continue to grow. The path and degree of growth is determined by the type of simulation. VB Pro, for example grows the corporation to a publicly-traded diversified global company. This burger/restaurant scenario has been intentionally selected as almost everybody is familiar with such products/businesses. The knowledge gained from the simulations, however, is generalizable to other industries – services, B2B.

Learning occurs on a need-to-know basis in that the concepts from different functional areas are presented in an integrated fashion to the user as and when the need arises. Such real-time problem-driven learning leads to students knowing why the concepts are being learned and, hence, leads to better retention by the students. This real-time problem-driven philosophy can be best described by paraphrasing an old adage, “decision-making is the mother of information-seeking.” In other words, in the traditional model of learning, theories are taught, and then an effort is made to seek applications. In this flipped model of the simulations, users are immersed in an application, and theories are presented to help make decisions.

Besides the real-time problem-driven design of VBs, other design elements are: 1) All intricate or complex principles and theories are explained in an intuitive manner. For example, in the area of data analytics (a rapidly growing function), an intuitive understanding of why what and when statistical tests are required, if at all, and of how to interpret the results are emphasized. 2) Most business concepts and theories are presented in short modules of about 20 minutes. Finally, 3) Unlike traditional “simulations,” which are focused on one area and are suitable for applying knowledge gained from other courses, VB Pro educates participants cross-functionally across business disciplines as per Peter F. Drucker’s management philosophy

Metrics

Each Decision that is made has an Importance rating, and each of the Choices of a decision has a Quality rating. MDQI, Management Decision Quality Index, is an index that is used to measure the overall impact of the quality of students’ decisions and of the interactions among the decisions. MDQI moves up or down with every decision made. This movement of MDQI is calculated as the product of Ix and Qx. Ix is the Importance of Decision x, and Qix is the rating of the Quality of the Choice i of Decision x. MDQI starts with a base of 100. Importance is measured on a 3-point scale, with 3 points being awarded to a very strategic decision and 1 point to a tactical decision with low downside risk. Quality of Choice is rated as -1, 0 or +1 to correspond to a Poor, OK or Good choice.

Artificial Intelligence (Natural Language Processing) is selectively used to gauge participants’ decision-making processes. Participants are asked to provide some pros and cons of their decision choices. These pros and cons are evaluated using NLP. After a certain number of pros and cons elicitations, it is assumed that critical thinking has been adequately promoted. Users are no longer bothered by repeatedly asking to enumerate their thinking.

Being in the right place at the right time is part and parcel of any business. Many unforeseen environmental changes, unnoticed skills and personalities of new hires, or unforeseen interactions with influential individuals or corporations can help or hurt a business. Such events are called UUU (Unforeseeable, Unpredictable, and Uncontrollable). An index called Management Luck Index (MLI) has been created. To simulate whether a participant gains or loses by chance, the participant spins a wheel with different outcomes with different probabilities. There are several situations throughout the simulation where participants can win or lose by chance. The categories of outcomes, the probabilities, and the impact on MLI depend on the situation and are spelled out in detail when those situations arise. MLI is generally not used for evaluating students though students seem to enjoy this feature.

Students can view their progress and performance by clicking on “Dashboard” on the Navigation Bar on the left. Shown below are pictures of what a participant can see upon clicking on the “Dashboard.” Similarly, several reports are available for supervisors/instructors. These reports pertain to users’ progress, TYK performance, and DMQ choices.

The DMQ reports are such that discussions can be readily facilitated by the instructor.

VB Pro (Corp and Univ) also provides feedback to participants on their Principles-in-Use (PIUs). PIUs are values, consciously or unconsciously, held and practiced by individuals in organizations. Eight PIU scores on four dimensions and the corresponding snake diagram are available as feedback on finishing Stage 6 of VB Pro (Corps and Univ.)

Some Endorsements

VB Professional contain the essential content from a core of an MBA program. The rigor is ideally suited for time-starved engineers, attorneys, or other motivated individuals. It is great as a Capstone Business Course for both the Bachelors and Masters programs.

V. “Seenu” Srinivasan

Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus

Graduate School of Business, Stanford University

Cost-effective + highly efficient; integrated AI/NLP and statistical and business software.

Peter Letsou

Professor of Law and Former Dean

University of Memphis Law School

I actually really enjoyed this. Optimal for theory acquisition and sharpening decision-making skills. I recommend group debrief sessions.

Corinne Dulles

VP, Optimal Strategix Group

Switzerland

Student Reports

Performance Rank Report

Principles-in-Use Index (PIUI)

Instructor Reports

Graded Questions x User Report

TYK DMQ Progress Report

Ranking Report

FAQs Virtual Business Simulations for Academics

Please review Virtual Business Simulations for Academics. Please contact bizdev@precisedonline.com for further exploration.)