First-Year Students of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences Began Project Work with the 'Factory' Game

At the start of the academic year, it is important for would-be managers to grasp the reality of how the complex world of business works, including its patterns, mechanisms, and hidden 'pitfalls'.

To achieve this, FESS conducts the 'Factory' business game – a comprehensive business simulator in which teams of participants manage a virtual company under strict time constraints. The game was invented by a FESS professor, an entrepreneur, and the Chief Technologist of the National Clearing Center of the Moscow Exchange Group, Vadim Butko. The game is used for training staff even in large companies.

What are the functions of a manager who makes decisions? How and on what basis should these decisions be effectively made? How to outpace competitors or smartly copy and improve their behavioral strategy? How to reduce costs? How to maximize profit? Is it worth investing large sums in modernization at this moment, or should the focus be on solving staffing problems? Can the company produce the necessary volume of its products in the next quarter? How will demand be shaped? Is it advisable to take another loan? What if there is a conflict or disagreement in your management team regarding the choice of the optimal strategy, and the time allotted for decision-making is almost up? How to successfully mimic, survive, and adapt in an aggressive environment? How to identify the weaknesses of opponents and effectively develop one's own competitive advantages? How to manage to outpace a strong competitor? How to expand the planning horizon for one's company, taking into account various factors and manage to become a market leader in rapidly changing circumstances? Students need to find the right answers to these and many other challenges throughout the game.

Vadim Butko – author of the 'Factory' Game business simulator.

The current second-year students are already engaged in professional work on the projects. In the first half of September, 19 projects were launched, involving more than 200 people, and now an additional 30 projects are starting. Among them are orders from Yandex, Rosatom, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Segezha Group, Russian Railways, but the project from Sberbank 'Dream Bank for Young and Affluent People' has generated the most interest.

The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences continues its collaboration with the Administration of the city of Sarapul (Udmurtia). The city has proposed a number of projects for development: Creative Economy; Comprehensive Territory Development; Transport Accessibility, Car Sharing; Development of Urban Communities for their Involvement in the Process of Changing the City; Event Activities, Festivals; Informal Employment and Legalization of Labor Relations; City Branding; Souvenir Products. Work on the Creative Economy project is already in full swing.

Now, 170 new first-year students of the Faculty are getting involved in project work.

Additionally, 16 second-year students went on a business trip to Saint Petersburg on 21 - 24 September, where they initiated project collaboration with the city's hoteliers.

Meanwhile, the third-year students are starting their most complex projects. Third-year students choose projects from companies where they want to work: the companies count the time spent on their projects as direct work experience. Employment through projects is the main method of student employment at the Faculty.

The business game 'Factory' is a comprehensive business simulator.

For the new academic year, the Faculty's Center for Project Solutions has set the task of maximally integrating artificial intelligence into its work. A division named 'Prosto AI' has been established within the Center, which will 'fit' AI capabilities to each project and conduct 'AI audits' of the work done. The Faculty will lead this direction jointly with the Western (Kaliningrad) branch of the Presidential Academy.