ROI Simulation

In the simulation, participants will:

• Review scenarios, financial statements, market data, and project proposals.

• Create spreadsheets to forecast cash flows, calculate ROI, NPV, and IRR.

• Test how changes in key assumptions (sales growth, cost of capital) affect project viability.

• Decide whether to proceed with, modify, or reject proposed investments.

• Craft and present a compelling business case to secure approval from a simulated board or management team.

• Answer challenging questions and justify their assumptions under pressure.

• Evaluate the recommendations of other teams and provide critical feedback.

• Use round-by-round feedback to refine their analytical approach and strategic thinking.

• Confidently calculate and interpret key investment appraisal metrics.

• Build a structured, defensible financial forecast to support an investment case.

• Critically assess business proposals by identifying key drivers, risks, and underlying assumptions.

• Communicate the financial and strategic rationale for an investment clearly and persuasively to non-financial stakeholders.

• Make principled capital allocation decisions under conditions of uncertainty and limited resources.

• Understand how investment decisions impact and are influenced by different areas of a business.

• Develop the analytical rigor and business acumen required for roles in FP&A, consulting, project management, and entrepreneurship.

1. Introduction and Briefing Participants receive a company profile and their first investment scenario with background data.

** 2. Analysis Stage** Using provided templates and tools, participants analyze the opportunity, build their financial model, and run scenarios.

3. Decision Submission Teams submit their final recommendation (Accept/Reject) along with key supporting metrics and a brief rationale.

4. Presentation and Negotiation Selected teams present their business cases to a mock "investment committee" (instructor or other teams), followed by Q&A.

5. Results and Feedback The simulation platform reveals the outcome of the decision based on the underlying model. Instant feedback is provided on the quality of the analysis, the chosen metrics, and the communication.

6. Debrief and Learning Recap The facilitator leads a discussion on key takeaways, common pitfalls, and the application of concepts to the real world. This cycle repeats with increasingly complex scenarios.

• Who is the ROI Simulation designed for? This simulation is perfect for undergraduate and graduate business students, early-career professionals in finance and analytics, and managers in any department who need to justify budgets and projects.

• What prior financial knowledge is required? A basic understanding of financial statements and core business concepts is helpful. The simulation includes introductory guides and videos on key formulas (ROI, NPV) to get everyone up to speed.

• How long does the simulation take to complete? The core experience can be run in an intensive 2-3 hour workshop. For deeper learning, a multi-round format spanning 4-8 hours is recommended.

• Is this an individual or team-based activity? It is highly effective in both formats. Team-based play encourages debate and collaboration, mirroring real-world decision-making processes.

• What industries or scenarios does it cover? Scenarios are diverse, covering tech startups, manufacturing capex, retail marketing campaigns, and sustainability initiatives, ensuring broad applicability.

• Can we use our own company data or cases? Absolutely. For corporate training, the simulation can be customized with internal templates, hurdle rates, and specific project types relevant to your organization.

• How is performance scored and assessed? Performance is multi-dimensional, scored on the accuracy of calculations, the reasonableness of assumptions, the strategic strength of the recommendation, and the clarity of the final presentation.

• What roles does this prepare participants for? It builds essential skills for Financial Analysts, Business Analysts, Project Managers, Consultants, Product Managers, and any role involved in strategic planning and resource allocation.

• Correct application of financial formulas and logical forecasting.

• The strength and justification of the inputs driving the financial model.

• Identification of key risks and the incorporation of sensitivity analysis.

• The alignment of the final recommendation with business goals and constraints.

• Clarity, structure, and persuasiveness of the written and oral business case.