Having got over their initial surprise that ladies were allowed to participate in the decidedly primitive sounding ‘Man’ games, as well as their chagrin that the post-mid-term weekend was going to be a different fun and games from what they had in mind, the PGP-1 Junta made use of the maxim, what cannot be cured is not necessarily AIDS, and turned up in great numbers at the Audi. During this session, what was expected of the 408-strong batch was explained in reasonable detail.

The entire batch had been divided into 5 sections- A to E, with 8 groups in each section. There were 10-11 people in each group. The game was designed like this- each group was a firm competing with the other 7 firms in each section or market. Each firm was an oil company, who’s activities included buying crude, processing it to petrol, diesel and other saleable products and then selling them to maximize profits. The game was played through a simulation software in which firms had to enter in their operating numbers (quantity of crude bought, quantity processed, details of processing, dealer discounts, marketing expenses etc) and depending on the numbers entered by all the groups across the market, the sales and profits for the firms would be generated. Firms had to use the information given in the case they had been handed the day before to make their decisions. The game was divided into 5 parts or financial quarters. With each passing quarter, an additional variable would be added which would increase the complexity of the game, thus requiring greater decision making on the part of the firms. While each firm was competing with only one other firm in just one market initially, later on competition spread to other firms and each firm could enter multiple markets. Similarly, decisions regarding technology up gradation, changes, land and property acquisitions, bank loans etc also had to be taken with each passing quarter. The objective of the game was to show healthy profits.

Most students started on an enthusiastic, albeit sleepy note. The excesses at South City Mall the night before had evidently taken a toll. The first quarter saw each group hobnobbing excitedly, calculators being passed, numbers being crunched, regression analysis, lots of Excel… you get the drift, while those quintessential parasites- the Free Riders, caught their Zs. Firms had been given 90 minutes to finalize their quarterly decisions and then feed in the numbers. Once they had confirmed the figures, they had to report to the Professor’s room and collect that quarter’s Balance Sheet along with other firms’ sales and expenses data. They would also be informed of whatever modifications had been made in the game for the upcoming quarter there. The routine thus became something like this- yak yak yak, type type type, run run run, wait wait wait and get the balance sheet. The process would then be repeated. With each passing stage, a lot of attrition damage was seen as more and more members of the firm (who incidentally were all CXO’s) would either fall by the wayside, proving Darwin right, or do an Eric Cartman (Screw you guys, I’m goin’ home). Why the running to the office and waiting there to get the results was involved when everything could have been done online is a mystery that will probably test the best of mankind for considerable time to come.

The Man games spread over 2 days, effectively consuming the entire weekend. The first 3 quarters were played on Saturday and the next 2 on Sunday. Once the 5 quarters were complete, all firms were asked to prepare a presentation on their performance and the decisions they took which brought it about. At the hour of reckoning, only the firms with the maximum and minimum profit in a particular market were asked to present. In most cases, this meant firms with the least and most losses. Prizes for the best firm in each market were given at the end of the presentations. There was also a Champion of Champions, i.e. the best overall firm. Fittingly, the honor went to Sinchan “302 oblique 46” Mukherjee’s team which made the maximum overall profits. The presentations saw CEO’s proudly proclaiming their Free-riding and groups making innuendoes regarding their profits. And most loss-making firms echoed Vince Lombardi’s truly insightful sentiment, “We didn’t lose the game; We just ran out of time.” Sadly folks, even life doesn’t last forever.

Reactions to the Man Games were varied. Some students confessed to having enjoyed themselves, while others complained on having lost a much deserved weekend. There were students who were surprised that they had not shown the kind of Management aptitude that they had expected themselves to have and there were students who justified their far-from-stellar performance saying that it was necessary in order for them to show marked improvement at the end of their second year. Some felt that the Man Games were an essential part of the Management programme while others didn’t take the exercise seriously. In the words of one such creative non-performer, “All in all, it was just another trick in the hall.”

For JokaTimes,

Saagar Sinha

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