Welcome to …Welcome to …

Setup and DecisionsSetup and Decisions

Each team consists of four players: a retailer, a wholesaler, a distributor, and a factory.

Game TimeGame Time

Each game lasts 30 to 50 weeks. Each player makes one decision each week:

The retailer orders cases of beer from the wholesaler The wholesaler orders cases of beer from the

distributor The distributor orders cases of beer from the factory The factory schedules production

All orders must be eventually filled. If you can’t fill an order with inventory, the order is

backlogged until you can fill it.

NoteNote

ObjectiveObjective

Each week, every player incurs the following expense:

$0.50 for each case in inventory, shown by a positive ending inventory

$1.00 for each backlogged case, shown by a negative ending inventory

Beginning + Arriving – Order In = Beginning + Arriving – Order In = EndingEnding

Your objective is to finish with the lowest cost.

Retailer’s Game PlayRetailer’s Game Play

Retailer

Beginning= 4

+ Arriving= 4

- Demand= -4

Ending= 4

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

dem=4 order order order order sched brew brew

shippedshipped shippedshipped shippedshipped4

4

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

It is now week 1.The order for this week is 4. Please enter an order…

SUB

3

Player chooses an order quantity

Timer counts down remaining seconds

2

Incoming shipment received by warehouse

3

-3

3

Customer’s demand arrives

…then clicks “submit”

=33 4

It is now week 2. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…

Retailer’s Game PlayRetailer’s Game Play

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

order order order order sched brew brew

shippedshipped shippedshipped shippedshipped4Time Left: 60

Beergame: classic

SUB

4

Retailer

Beginning= 4

+ Arriving= 3

- Demand= -3

Ending= 4

3

dem=3

It is now week 2. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…

Order moves forward

3

4

Beginning4+

Arriving3-

Demand3=

Ending4

Ending inventory is evaluated

Ending inventory is positive

3

Full order ships

3

4

Ending inventory updates to become initial inventory

4

3

?3

It is now week 3. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is ?. Please enter an order…

Weekly expense is calculated4 * $0.50 = $2.00

Player considers next order quantity Only has 60 seconds to enter a decision for that week If no change is made, the default order quantity is equal to the demand The maximum order quantity is 99

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

demand order order order order sched brew brew

4 4 shippedshipped shippedshippedshipped

4

WEEK3

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUB

Wholesaler’s Game PlayWholesaler’s Game Play

Wholesaler

Beginning= 8

+Arriving= 4

-Order In= -4

Ending= 8

43

Player chooses an order quantity

Timer counts down remaining seconds

Week advances onceall players submit

their orders

4

Incoming shipment received by warehouse

3

-5

3

Retailer’s order arrives

…then clicks “submit”

5

It is now week 3. Your costs last week were 4.0The order for this week is 4. Please enter an order…It is now week 4. Your costs last week were 4.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

demand order order order order sched brew brew

4 4 shippedshipped shippedshippedshipped

4

WEEK4

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUBWholesaler

Beginning= 8

+Arriving= 3

-Order In= -5

Ending= 8

3

Wholesaler’s Game PlayWholesaler’s Game PlayOrder moves forward

3

6

Beginning8+

Arriving3-

Demand5=

Ending6

Ending inventory is evaluated

Ending inventory is positive

5

3

Ending inventory updates to become initial inventory

6

Turn EndsTurn Ends

5

?

Player considers next order quantity Only has 60 seconds to enter a decision for that week If no change is made, the default order quantity is equal to the Order In amount The maximum order quantity is 99

3

Week updates

It is now week 4. Your costs last week were 4.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…It is now week 5. Your costs last week were 3.0The order for this week is ?. Please enter an order…

6

Full order ships

5

6

Weekly expense is calculated6 * $0.50 = $3.00

Weekly costsupdate

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

order orderorder order sched brew brew

shippedshipped 4 4 shippedshippedshipped

4

WEEK5

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUB

demand

Distributor

Beginning= 6

+Arriving= 4

-Order In= -4

Ending= 6

4

Distributor’s Game PlayDistributor’s Game Play3

Player chooses an order quantity

Timer counts down remaining seconds

Week advances onceall players submit

their orders

6

2

-8

2

Wholesaler’s order arrives

…then clicks “submit”

8

It is now week 6. Your costs last week were 3.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…It is now week 5. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is 4. Please enter an order…

Incoming shipment received by warehouse

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

order dem=8order order sched brew brew

shippedshipped 4 4 shippedshippedshipped

4

WEEK6

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUB

demand

Distributor

Beginning= 6

+Arriving= 2

-Order In= -8

Ending= 6

3

Distributor’s Game PlayDistributor’s Game Play

Order moves forward

3

0

Beginning6+

Arriving2-

Demand8=

Ending0

Ending inventory is evaluated

Ending inventory is positive

8

3

Ending inventory updates to become initial inventory

0

Turn EndsTurn Ends

7

?

Player considers next order quantity Only has 60 seconds to enter a decision for that week If no change is made, the default order quantity is equal to the Order In amount The maximum order quantity is 99

3

Week updates Full order ships

8

0

Weekly expense is calculated0 * $0.50 = $0.00

Weekly costsupdate

It is now week 6. Your costs last week were 3.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…It is now week 7. Your costs last week were 0.0The order for this week is ?. Please enter an order…

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

order order order order 4 1

shippedshipped shippedshipped 4 4shipped

WEEK7

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUB

order orderdemand

Factory

Beginning= 4

+Arriving= 4

-Order In= -4

Ending= 4

4

Factory’s Game PlayFactory’s Game Play3

Timer counts down remaining seconds

Week advances onceall players submit

their orders

81

-8

1

…then clicks “submit”

=8 8

It is now week 7. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is 4. Please enter an order…It is now week 8. Your costs last week were 4.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…

Player schedulesproduction

Distributor’s order arrivesFinished product

enters warehouse

Retailer

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

order order order order 4 1

shippedshipped shippedshipped 4 4shipped

WEEK8

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

SUB

order orderdemand

Factory

Beginning= 6

+Arriving= 1

-Order In= -8

Ending= 6

3

Factory’s Game PlayFactory’s Game PlayProductionmoves ahead

3

-1

Beginning6+

Arriving1-

Demand8=

Ending-1

Ending inventory is evaluated

Ending inventoryis negative7

3

-1

Turn EndsTurn Ends

9

?3

Week updates6

7

-1

Weekly costsupdate

Partial order ships

Beginning inventory updatesto reflect backlogged orders

It is now week 8. Your costs last week were 2.0The order for this week is 4. Please enter an order…

Player considers next order quantity Only has 60 seconds to enter a decision for that week If no change is made, the default order quantity is equal to the Order In amount The maximum order quantity is 99Weekly expense is calculated

|-1 |* $1.00 = $1.00

It is now week 9. Your costs last week were 1.0The order for this week is 3. Please enter an order…

44

Game’s EndGame’s End

Retailer

Beginning= 4

+ Arriving= 4

- Demand= -4

Ending= 4

Wholesaler

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Distributor

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

Factory

Beginning

Arriving

Order In

Ending

dem=4 order order order order sched brew brew

shippedshipped shippedshipped shippedshipped4

4

Time Left: 60Beergame: classic

The game is now over. Waiting for results...Press Play Again to start a new game.

SUB

A reset buttonappears

??

4

Play Again

The game will end after running a predetermined

number of simulated days

Press to replay

Week 7 Week 8

Retailer Example4 weeks after your order, demand will be satisfied if available from upstream partner

DownstreamDemandCurrent

UpstreamSupplyArrivingNext Week

DemandSatisfied

2 weeks to Wholesaler

Week 7 Week 8

Wholesaler Example

DownstreamDemand forNext Week

UpstreamSupplyArrivingNext Week

2 weeks to Factory

2 weeks toGet toRetailer

Week 7 Week 8

Distributor Example

DownstreamDemand forNext Week

UpstreamSupplyArrivingNext Week

2 weeks to Factory

2 weeks toGet toWholesaler

Week 7 Week 8

Factory Example2 weeks after your order, demand will be satisfied

DownstreamDemand forNext Week

4

Brews for 2 weeks then arrives

2 weeks toGet toDistributor

Order fromDistributor2 weeks ago