I have to say I don't think I got a whole lot out of the business game. Some of the other people on my team were taking it all way too seriously. I though the talk on the actuarial profession could have been a bit more detailed. Overall, I enjoyed it though.
Overall I quite liked it yes. Obviously some of it I found more useful than other bits but then that's natural. the business games should have been good. But somehow I was a bit disappointed. We started off following all the rules from the strategic thinking (ie pick a small market others may neglect but with potential profitability etc). And failed miserably. So we resorted (in turns 3 and 4) to just putting tonnes of 5s everywhere and charging the lowest prices possible. And we went from 6th to 2nd in a year! We were in group A - apparently the winning team in group B (no disrespect to them and what i've heard may not even be true) basically just put 5s almost everywhere and cheap prices and related priorities and won by a mile. Somehow that doesnt seem very realistic - ie just go out all out crazy on all prodects and all markets and you'll do well - seems a bit dodgy. The case studies were quite good and the professionalism was fairly useful. Like you though arguably the best thing was simply to get to know a lot of ppl in similar positions etc. Also its a shame we cant do the test immediately while its in our heads....rather than wait 2 weeks - by which point I may (possibly!) have replaced the info with the beginnings of CT8... Were you in group A or B little Miss and DHA? I hardly met anyone in B... Had so much work in the office to come back to today though.
Hi Greg, I was in group B so didn't see you much, but I worked out who you were in the first session when you were asked to stand up for some question or other. I was in the winning team for the bussiness game in group B and I think you must have got your info from some bitter people We didn't just put lots of 5's and cheap prices How dare you! There was actually some good stategy going on and we reacted to what other teams did (plus there was a bit of luck!). Are we allowed to dicuss it here though considering people will be doing it again in the future?
possibly not no! Not that I imagine people would get that much info from reading this as they probably wouldnt really know what we were talking about! Yes of course - I did get picked on quite early didn't I? oh well it's all fun! I'm sure you got picked on at some point! Oh well, that's that over (except for the post course test). Onto CT8 and communications now... :-( was going to start looking at CT8 this morning but then I didnt get up till 11 and had to be out by half 12. Hmm...I suppose i could do some now...
Hey guys, Little Miss, I am glad you put Greg straight that we didnt just put all 5's!! I was about to and then read your reply...a lot of thought and planning went into those decisions....fashionable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought the 2 days were good overall...I thought people were very negative at the end in the final session which was disappointing. A few things could have been improved but generally a better 2 days than I had expected. Go RAFF!! lol
Yeah, I also felt there was a lot of negativity in the last session. Hopefully the feedback forms will show that people enjoyed the course overall though I think it is good people pointed out things to improve the course in the future, but it did mean we left on quite a negative note which was a shame.
The business game took about half the course though, which I didn't really like. I didn't learn a whole lot from it. Like I said, I'd prefer if some of the talks were more detailed, and more interactive. Overall, I don't really feel like the course made me a better actuary, or is an important part of my qualification.
I think during the final session etc there was negativity but in that typical way where it is much easier to criticise than to praise. That's sort of typical really but i dont think its a problem - there were things that perhasps could have been improved but yes overall it was fairly good. It's difficult to really say whther it will make me a "better actuary" as such - but its certainly not something that can do any harm and for something that doesnt take a huge amount of effort (2 days off work, maybe 10 hours study before, 5 or 6 after then a test - compared to other subjects...) it probably is quite worthwhile. I was fairly positive in my feedback form anyhow. G p.s. sorry Mike and Little Miss....I definitely wasnt having a go at your team in any way! I was in group A so had no idea what went on in group B...that was just what I had heard. Possibly from bitter people who came 6th! ) Though I do still think there were some flaws in the way the game worked...
