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Invite people to think like business owners - so they can base their future decisions and actions on sound business principles and understand the potential consequences. This will help them to start to act like business owners rather than employees.

Help people to think like business owners

Apples & Oranges

What is it?

Apples and Oranges is a business simulation which can be run over 1 day or longer (depending on any additional content you wish to build in) and for groups of between 9 and 24 participants, working in teams. Participants take over the running of a business for a few years as it goes through various internal and external challenges. Apples and Oranges comes in three variants - Manufacturing, Service and Retail.

Apples and Oranges enables participants to learn about the fundamentals of business finance as the topic is brought to life through a simple, profound model of a business. They will then understand how their actions affect business performance, and can identify improvements than can be made in their own organisation.

What does it cover?

Apples and Oranges comes in three main variants, each addressing concepts relevant to that business sector (manufacturing, service and retail). Each version covers:

• Reading financial statements
• Monitoring cash flow
• Improvements in resource utilisation
• Measuring the result of change in financial terms
• Identifying critical drivers which affect business performance
• Analysis of financial ratios and key performance indicators to identify potential performance improvements
• Exploration of cause and effect relationships in business
• Consideration of the application of these to the client's business.

Manufacturing version

The Manufacturing version includes concepts such as key performance indicators (KPIs), balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, working capital, operational efficiency, value drivers, return on equity, and continuous improvement. Participants gain from:

• Understanding how their daily decisions affect financial performance
• Continuously identifying business improvements
• Understanding how profit is created
• Understanding what working capital really is, and how it should and could be managed
• Learning how small, incremental changes can have a significant improvement in sustainable business performance

Service version

The Service version includes concepts such as key performance indicators (KPIs), balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, working capital, staff utilisation, delivery efficiency, multi-skilling, tangible and intagible assets, market value, and value drivers. Participants gain from:

• Understanding how improving staff utilisation and better planning can improve the bottom line
• Appreciating the issues which arise when expanding to better meet customer demands
• Understanding how the customer base configuration (volume, loyalty, image, price, payment terms) affects cash flow, short term profitability and long term market value
• Understanding the meaning of working capital, and how the use of assets and people affects profitability

Retail version

The Retail version includes concepts such as key performance indicators (KPIs), balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, working capital, market profile, customer satisfaction, resource management, and value drivers. Participants gain from:

• Understanding inventory capital management and how the use of assets affects profitability
• Making decisions on issues (such as distribution optimisation, stockroom efficiency, scheduling of staff, store traffic strategy, checkout efficiency, customer service and signage, and pint-of-sale display) contribute to organisational performance
• Understanding the impact on customer satisfaction and profitability of deploying people in the most effective way.

Who is it for?

The simulation is suited to a wide range of roles, particularly in organisations and is well suited to those people with a limited understanding of finance but who would benefit from a greater understanding of the concepts and language used.

What are the benefits?

Participants in Apples and Oranges are better able to:

• Read and interpret financial statements
• Identify critical elements affecting profitability
• Understand how their daily decisions affect business performance
• Share a common vision and language around business and finance in the organisation
• Identify opportunities for continuous business improvement.

Contact us

We at X Learning have many years of experience in running Apples & Oranges in many business sectors in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. More widely, Apples & Oranges has been run successfully on thousands of occasions around the world through Celemi's business partners. You can see client testimonials at Celemi.

Please contact us to find out more and to discuss your requirements.

Email: office@xlearning.co.uk

Phone: 0191 4067130 or 01908 764360

Click on the links below to download the generic and sector-specific brochures (opens in a new window).

We are an accredited Celemi Solution Provider.