- Details
- Hits: 4690
It all appears calm at the top of the table for Period 7. Atkins' India's 'Spartan' hold their first place but Atkins' China 'One Atkins' move up two places to second, Mott Mac's 'Nott MacDonalds' drop one to third, Atkins' India's 'Singularity' rise one to fourth, Arup's 'SUPERnOVA' drop two to fifth and Atkins' India's 'ATRIUM' rise two to sixth. So there is some movement in the top six but nothing dramatic.
Below the waterline kicking hard, are teams from Atkins India, Arup, AECOM, Amey and Fluor BV with others not far behind.
With an average improvement of around 15% with a standard deviation of 10% there is great movement outside the top six with many teams moving more than twenty five places. Notable movements that a quick scan reveals are AECOM's 'AECOM and get some', Arup's 'Mind over matter' and 'Arup Funk', Flour BV's 'EPIC', NPS's 'Summit Construction Group', Waterman's 'Bridge over troubled Water' and Buro Happold's 'MERITocracy'. There are others with equally big movements and all this indicates that the leading group can't sit smugly secure. It is still game very much on.
However there are others going in the other direction. It all depends on the quality of decisions taken in your team.
- Details
- Hits: 4764
With the results of Period 6 in, the average improvement is almost 12%, and the range is big, with a standard deviation of nearly 10%. This has given rise to great changes in the ranking. 'BraiNY InnOVAtors' from Arup have shown the biggest rise in ranking with 'je t'amey' from Amey next with both rising over 50 places. This shows that such gains are possible. 'je t'amey' is up there starting to threaten the leading six. Some eighteen teams have risen over thirty places. Inevitably some have gone the other way!
Five of the top six from the last round are still there. 'Spartans' from Atkins India rise to first, 'Nott MacDonalds' from Mott MacDonald rise to second, 'SUPERnOVA' from Arup stay at third, 'One Atkins' from Atkins China stay fourth while 'Singularity' from Atkins India drop from first to fifth. 'NEXGEN' from Atkins India are now sixth replacing 'Lord of the @tkins' who has slipped to seventh.
There are a great number of interdependent decisions to be made each round making good decisions for all or most of them are what improves performance. Virtually all decisions require balance there is always a down side for example raising spend on marketing will improve the number of bidding opportunities but increases overheads. Cutting back on head office overheads saves some spend but reduces efficiency which will reflect in performance, for example not enough measurement staff will reduce the recovery from contracts. Balanced decision making takes judgement. Judgement requires data and information from team member and teamwork to make the right compromises. Also watch the turnover to capital ratio if your capital isn't working hard enough you may find better things to do with it.
The ranking isn't stable there will be more turbulence and getting the decisions balanced will improve ranking, this is possible the rising teams demonstrate that.
- Details
- Hits: 4733
MERIT 2016 has started with 119 teams, representing 37 companies, from 9 countries, and promises to be as competitive as ever. This is the 26th MERIT game and MERIT has a not only a long record but a well recognised record of providing excellent introductory training in company, business and financial management. Teams' understanding of the issues involved and the interdependence of the decisions that influence their company's success will be considerably developed over the next seven rounds. Key in the management of each team's simulated company, as it is in the management of real companies, is leadership, teamwork and disciplined decision making. The teams acting as a Board of Directors, with each member having a specific responsibility, needs to be well organised to take informed decisions and this requires good leadership. Decisions require compromise and an individual director's or team member's recommendations will be compromised for the greater good of the company. This requires teamwork and to quote a player from last year 'teamwork is much harder to achieve than it sounds at the outset'. Lessons in teamwork, disciplined decision making and leadership will give an insight to the pressures of senior level management and history shows these to be the most important and lasting lessons from the MERIT experience. It is an opportunity to think like directors, act like directors, be directors.
After Period 12 (Round 8), the leading six teams will be invited to face an even more competitive experience, when the final will be held at Loughborough University's prestigious hotel and conference centre Burleigh Court on 12/13 May. For the finalist they will also have the opportunity to 'live like directors!'
The results from the first round are not good predictors of the eventual outcome given the turbulence that will develop but a good start is always helpful. In these early rounds teams are working out the market level that will produce winning bids. If they have bid too low they may have a lot of contracts but little, or no, or even less profits to retain for company growth and dividends to pay shareholders. Bidding too high doesn't produce any contracts.
After this round the leaders are 'Singuarity' and 'Spartans' both from Atkins India followed by 'SUPERnOVA' from Arups, 'One Atkins' from Atkins China, 'Nott MacDonalds' from Mott MacDonalds' then 'Lord of the@kins' from Atkins India.
So the first round has Atkins very well placed with both Atkins India and Atkins China in the leading six, but the temptation is to say so far the percentage changes in the total rating are likely to be large enough not to rule out any team.
Atkins India have yet to win MERIT, Atkins China haven't been Champions yet either but won the Sponsors Award last year. Atkins UK have been Champions once with three Sponsors Awards, while Arup have been Champions three times with two Sponsors Awards. Mott MacDonald have been Champions three times and have won three Sponsors Awards.
It is still all to play for.