Practicing Business Acumen through Enterprise Sustainability Decisions

Context

In courses and programs focused on engineering management, technical leadership, or professional development for non-business audiences, the Green Business Lab helps participants step back from technical detail and examine how engineering and scientific decisions shape enterprise performance, sustainability outcomes, and long-term viability.

What participants do

Participants work as an executive team responsible for running the entire company. While making enterprise-level decisions across product development, operations, finance, marketing, and supply chain, teams view the business as an interconnected system, examining how technology and process choices affect financial results, environmental and social impact, brand credibility, stakeholder expectations, and long-term sustainability.

What participants practice

Through iterative decision cycles, participants practice:

  • Shifting from technical problem-solving to enterprise-level decision-making
  • Evaluating how technology and process innovations affect sustainability, cost, risk, and performance across the company
  • Interpreting financial and operational results in ways relevant to technical and sustainability-related decisions
  • Developing a coherent narrative that explains company performance, sustainability trade-offs, and strategic direction
  • Considering how innovation choices influence customer trust, brand loyalty, and stakeholder confidence over time

Closing

Lens-specific debrief questions help participants connect technical and sustainability-related decisions to enterprise performance and articulate a clear rationale and forward-looking vision to the Board.

The business acumen sustainability simulation game.

Working together, participants practice skills by integrating perspectives, aligning priorities, and discussing decisions within a shared strategic context.

  • Executives plan their marketing business strategy.
    Set a long-term direction and implement a strategy for the company based on company values and market analysis.
  • Marketing and supply chain are taught in the sustainability simulation game.
    Connect concepts such as life cycle thinking, industrial ecology, circularity, and sustainable systems to the company's business strategy and objectives.
  • Track supply chain strategy in the sustainability simulation game.
    Analyze the essential elements of company financials, including the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement, and how they relate to a triple bottom line.
  • Teams use the marketing business simulation game.
    Understand how each business function contributes to company performance and how to optimize cross-functional effectiveness.
Diagram of the sustainability simulation game work process.
View the "Process" graphic
Description of the sustainability simulation game work flow.
Download the "Process" PDF

The following table describes in detail 3 Lab formats: Event, Short-Format Module, Multi-Week Integration.
Labs with longer formats have more options for available features, content, and interactivity.

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Team Activity
Formats for Business Acumen
Event Short-Format Module Multi-Week Integration
Design and manufacture a product and make operational decisions.

1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions, including circularity.

1.Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions, including circularity.

3. Design the product to earn green labels or certifications that align with the company’s business strategy.
Market the product. 1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement sustainability decisions that are aligned with the company strategy.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement sustainability decisions that are aligned with the company strategy.

3. Make sure that supply chain performance aligns with company quality standards.
Promote the company and product through Social Media. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Post comments about the company and product to the Lab’s internal Social Media feed and comments on the other posts.
Engage with stakeholders designed into the Lab. This is an optional activity described in the Intermediate format. 1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

2. Engage interactively with stakeholders played by the instructor via the Lab’s internal email app (optional).

Make leadership decisions for your company.

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 1. Make decisions for 1 leadership topic.

1. Make decisions for up to 3 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

1. Make decisions for up to 8 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

2. Make decisions for custom topics (optional).

Propose a solution to a business opportunity related to engineering management.

 

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format.

1. Propose a solution to a business opportunity that relates to course content. Here are some examples:

  • Implement a process to reduce environmental impact.
  • Propose and adopt new technology.
  • Implement a process to increase energy efficiency.
  • Reduce the environmental impact of your supply chain.
  • Create training for employees to develop skills for new technologies.

2. Propose a business solution to custom topics (optional).

 

Complete Debrief Questions & Surveys about company, team, and peer performance.

(For the In-Depth format, we can create custom surveys based on instructor input.)

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Acumen Debrief Questions.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Acumen Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Acument Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

3. Team Evaluation Survey.

4. Answer custom Debrief Questions or Surveys that we create for the instructor, based on their input (optional).
Make a final presentation to the Board of Directors. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Present company business strategy, progress-to-date, and future direction to a volunteer Board of Directors.
Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Participants explore topics in greater detail and interactively as time allows.

View this page as a PDF
Data that describes the sustainability simulation game.

Focus Areas

Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

The Green Business Lab logo for the simulation.

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