"Taking the Initiative" consists of a simulated exercise of a real world activity in which teams of students set up their own business and run it with the objective of achieving maximum returns for the duration of the exercise.

Some programme details:

Typically six teams compete in a specific market, with a numnber of markets operating simultaneously.

Each team has to make decisions about their business. These decisions being sent electronically to CTP for processing. Results of the trading activity are sent back to the school who distributes them to the individual teams. The results are in the form of a trading statement showing sales achieved, stock levels, cash and how much profit has been made etc. together with some competitive market details. Teams then assess what influence their decisions have had.

As the exercise progresses many new elements are introduced, all of which require the students to use their collective enterprise and creative talents to try to influence their sales and overall performance. They will be required to respond to crises and potential threats to their business. Opportunities to bid for special orders or better sales location will arise and they can negotiate wholesale prices with their supplier. The exercise typically culminates in the production of a television advertisment .

The simulations that we use have been used to great effect in many conference-style events to date.

IceCream for example is based on a secnario that the teams are university students who, rather than doing an employed job, decide to set up an ice cream business based in a local seaside town. They have to purchase supplies of ice cream, rent stalls in three different locations in the town, and decide on pricing, stock levels, and promotional material. They have to manage the financial aspects of the business, including loans, wages, fees, and other costs and to make the best possible profit.

IceCream provides a highly realistic "small business" simulation. Young people readily understand the underlying concepts and market. Costs, sales volumes and possible profits reflect the real world. Business crises and opportunities can be introduced to present extra challenges as appropriate.

The exercise is introduced to the students by CTP staff at an initial briefing session, who also are available to answer any initial queries.

Having discussed each week's trading students enter their data into a spreadsheet, with all spreadsheets for a particular play being sent electronically to CTP. CTP process the data and return the results in electronic format to the school's central point.

Advertising, radio jingles, television advertisements, reponses to invitations to tender and business crisies are all handled electronically in a similar way. The effectiveness of any marketing work is assessed along with other business responses. All of which influence individual team's business performances as well as the market as a whole.