DEMAND:
BACKLOG:
COST:
ORDER QTY:
OUTBOUND INVENTORY:
MAIN INVENTORY:
INBOUND INVENTORY:
Submit
ITERATION:
1
New Game
Add to Scoreboard
Scoreboard
URLs
Logout
Enter Team Name:
Ok
Cancel
Copy and send these URLs to your team members:
Wholesaler URL:
Copy
Distributor URL:
Copy
Factory URL:
Copy
WELCOME TO THE ONLINE BEER GAME
INTRODUCTION The Beer Game was invented in the 1960s by Jay Forrester at MIT as a result of his work on system dynamics. It has been played worldwide by thousands of people, and has been the subject of many research papers. The game is a simulation of a simple production and supply chain, and the effect of delays and feedback. The game is played by teams of at least four players, often in heated competition, and is a great way to learn about the dynamics of supply chains. The game is also known as the "Root Beer Game" and is often used in teaching supply chain management. INSTRUCTIONS The only decision to be made in this multiplayer version of the game is the quantity of beer to order from the supplier. The game is played in rounds, and the goal is to minimize the total cost of the supply chain. The game is played in four stages: Retailer, Wholesaler, Distributor, and Factory. Each stage has its own inventory and backlog. In order to minimize your cost, you must balance the risk of stockout (cost of 2 per unit) vs. holding cost of inventory (cost of 1 per unit). In the original version, the challenge of the game is that each echelon has imperfect information transparency and is only able to see demand of its first-tier customer. You can enable/disable full supply chain transparency by toggling the "eye" button on and off, to see the difference in behavior and outcome when playing the different modes. Once the game is over, you can add your result to the scoreboard. You can also view the scoreboard to see how you compare to other teams. In order to start playing, you need to click the "URLs" button and send the generated URLs to your team members. Each team member will play a different role in the supply chain. Good luck!