nir-vana innovation network

This Italian company was established in 2005 and it is the result of a combination of informatics and management/business engineering. They are experts in designing and development of simulation tools for the academy and corporate activities that allow reproducing the dynamics and logics of a particular economic scenario. Over the years they have developed several projects such as a web in basket innovative platform for the management of recruitment/assessment procedures. The company has also developed skills game, a web-based system for competency evaluation that allows to achieve hard-skill competency rating based on specific thematic areas of business interest.

The company is looking for partners in the academic sector interested in the business games it offers. The business games are a simulation tool, a team game consisting of training tools for management simulations that allow participants to experience the dynamics and logic of different economic scenarios. The simulations put participants into a competitive situation and they have to use all their problem solving, creativity, strategic analysis, and decision-making skills in order to win. The business games are innovative tools which can be integrated into university and polytechnic courses, MBA programs, business school programs and summer schools. They offer to students of business theory a higher level of engagement with business issues.

The business game studio (BGS) platform was created by the Italian company using Java technology. The platform is characterized by a Java class library (BGL, business game library) which allows users to customise the various components of a generic business game, to create different economic models on the same software platform. Through the business game studio, students can test their management and decision-making skills and can also develop a strategic vision, by facing situations of risk and uncertainty to acquire a systemic knowledge of the enterprise and of the relationships within the environment. Input variables are the strategic choices for the various business areas (production, marketing, research & development, human resources, finance, etc.), on which each team (4 or 5 students) has to take decisions round by round. The students can check in real time the forecast on the basis of the decisions taken. Logical and mathematical relationships are calculated by the simulator in order to evaluate the strategies of the teams and the results of the simulation round. Students can view and check the key performance indicator, economic and financial results (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, indices, etc.) achieved by the virtual companies at the end of each round of simulation. The simulation system identifies the team that obtains the highest ”market value” as the winning team. This variable is calculated on the basis of tangible (asset value) and intangible asset (intellectual capital performance). The economic model can be customized for the target market and on the basis of the client needs. The parameters can be modified during the game, inserting “unexpected events” in order to test the problem solving skill of the students.

The company is looking for commercial partners abroad. and for partners for academic level in order to license the tools. In this case the cooperation will be carried out under license agreements. The company is also looking for intermediaries that will represent to the end-users the tools offered under commercial agency agreements.

Advantages & innovations

The tools offered have the following advantages: - flexibility as the platform allows a high degree of customization of the business game. Based on the specific needs of clients, it is possible to configure the competitive scenario, strategic variables, the measurement system of performance indicators, the economic parameters, the number of rounds, and much more. - Efficiency and tools customization. Furthermore, it is a cheap tool. - User-friendly web interface. The web interface is designed to be easily use, eye-catching, personalized and equipped with all the main tools. - Continuous platform innovation. The company boasts a collaboration with partners of international relevance such as Manpower, Adecco, E&Y, Leroy Merlin, Unicredit, Simens, NTTdata. These experiences have improved the quality of the products but also stimulated the addition of innovative technological elements to the company's platform. On the student/user side the advantages are considerable: simple and engaging games; “competition” amongst virtual companies; the learning experience more effective and involving than traditional teaching alone; games are dynamic as reality; the simulations allow students to experience changing economic scenarios and develop flexibility; learn different and complex concepts in an easy and involving way; learn about group dynamics. Otherwise, the innovative aspects are: - powerful simulator. The logical structure of each simulation game is constituted by a set of strategic levers (input) and by a set of logical-mathematical relations (output) calculated by the simulator. It offers a near-reality experience that can't be achieved with any other instrument and it is considered as a real substitute to the classic interview in recruitment procedures.

Stage of development

Already on the market

Partner sought

Regarding the license agreements, the company is looking for partners such as universities, polytechnics, master of business administration (MBA) program, business schools and summer schools in order to license the tools. The company is planning its expansion strategy to promote their products in European and international markets under commercial agency agreements. The intermediary should have a good connection to the potential target group.