The Better Business Game

1
TheBetterBusinessGame

• The game that brings business dilemmas to life.

2
Results

• Round 1 Business decisions

3
Theme Miscellaneous

• Question 1 Women and minority-owned suppliers
• A new government programme is looking for
  business to help increase the number of women and
  minority-owned businesses. We have been asked to
  set targets for our suppliers to include a
  certain percentage of those businesses. It's been
  acknowledged that this may raise fears of
  positive discrimination, but the organisers of
  the programme are sure that we can manage a fair
  programme and help increase diversity in the
  small business sector.
• Institute a supplier diversity programme, with
  targets, across all suppliers
• Following a review, consider ways to enhance the
  diversity of our suppliers
• Leave our supply base as is. We can't get
  involved in market-distorting positive
  discrimination

A
B
C
4
Side A Business responses
Question 1 Women and minority-owned suppliers
5
Theme Miscellaneous

• Question 2 Poverty and the price of medicines
• Today, a coalition of charities and developing
  world nations has called upon big companies to
  consider pricing key medicines and other products
  within the reach of ordinary citizens living in
  poverty. There are many ways to ensure these
  'preferentially priced' products don't flow over
  borders into the western world. People are
  suffering right now and some people feel their
  claim is higher than that of our profit. How can
  we respond?
• Keep prices the same across the globe but support
  charities in poorest communities
• Preferentially price essential medicines in the
  least developed countries
• We will try to encourage developed world
  governments to subsidise medicines for developing
  countries

A
B
C
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Side B Business responses
Question 2 Poverty and the price of medicines
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Theme Miscellaneous

• Question 3 Local shops
• Some community groups in a very disadvantaged
  urban area have written to us. The area has high
  levels of unemployment and the quality of life is
  not improved by the lack of services and shops in
  the area. This cuts people off from employment
  opportunities and means everyone (including the
  elderly) has to travel for basic goods and
  services. Would we consider opening a shop there
  or providing our other services in the area? They
  will be well received by local residents.
• Let's provide a trial service and publicise our
  commitment to community development
• We can only provide a service if it is part
  subsidised by local government
• We can't provide unprofitable services

A
B
C
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Side A Business responses
Question 3 Local shops
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Theme Miscellaneous

• Question 4 Ceasing operations in a community
• Our operation in a small South American region is
  no longer economically viable so we will be
  closing down. We anticipate some concerns in the
  local area about the impact. We currently employ
  about 15 of the workforce in the local town, and
  a lot of shops etc. have opened there since we
  came in. How can we leave this community that we
  helped to build?
• Make a commitment to see every employee employed
  elsewhere and make a significant contribution to
  local community funds. We'll keep a watching
  brief for the future
• Let's run a dialogue with the local community and
  local government to see what we can do. However,
  we can't get tied down to supporting a town after
  we're no longer there
• Sorry - we find it's better to get out quickly
  and cleanly. You can't support a whole town!
  People will migrate naturally. We'll make sure
  any redundancy package is fair

A
B
C
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Side B Business responses
Question 4 Ceasing operations in a community
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Results

• Stakeholders

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• Question 1 Women and minority-owned suppliers
• A new government programme is looking for
  business to help increase the number of women and
  minority-owned businesses. We have been asked to
  set targets for our suppliers to include a
  certain percentage of those businesses. It's been
  acknowledged that this may raise fears of
  positive discrimination, but the organisers of
  the programme are sure that we can manage a fair
  programme and help increase diversity in the
  small business sector.

Shareholder response
Business response
A
A
B
B
C
C
Campaigner response
Customer response
A
A
B
B
C
C
13

• Question 2 Poverty and the price of medicines
• Today, a coalition of charities and developing
  world nations has called upon big companies to
  consider pricing key medicines and other products
  within the reach of ordinary citizens living in
  poverty. There are many ways to ensure these
  'preferentially priced' products don't flow over
  borders into the western world. People are
  suffering right now and some people feel their
  claim is higher than that of our profit. How can
  we respond?

Shareholder response
Business response
A
A
B
B
C
C
Campaigner response
Customer response
A
A
B
B
C
C
14

• Question 3 Local shops
• Some community groups in a very disadvantaged
  urban area have written to us. The area has high
  levels of unemployment and the quality of life is
  not improved by the lack of services and shops in
  the area. This cuts people off from employment
  opportunities and means everyone (including the
  elderly) has to travel for basic goods and
  services. Would we consider opening a shop there
  or providing our other services in the area? They
  will be well received by local residents.

Shareholder response
Business response
A
A
B
B
C
C
Campaigner response
Customer response
A
A
B
B
C
C
15

• Question 4 Ceasing operations in a community
• Our operation in a small South American region is
  no longer economically viable so we will be
  closing down. We anticipate some concerns in the
  local area about the impact. We currently employ
  about 15 of the workforce in the local town, and
  a lot of shops etc. have opened there since we
  came in. How can we leave this community that we
  helped to build?

Shareholder response
Business response
A
A
B
B
C
C
Campaigner response
Customer response
A
A
B
B
C
C
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How can knowing stakeholder opinions be useful in
decision making?