There seems to be a business news story just about every day concerning the latest global conglomerate under attack. This aggression is usually from an “activist investor” group trying to assert its will and influence on the strategy and shareholder value of what it terms as “undervalued” organizations. Pepsi, Baxter, and H-P are just a few of the organizations that have been or will be changed forever because an activist investor group intervened to “unlock potential.”But just a few years ago, many large companies were engaging in M&A strategies in order to grow, gobbling up companies and integrating them to create scale and efficiencies. So what’s really going on here?

Last night, I had the pleasure of enjoying another fantastic and beautiful meal at my most favorite restaurant on the planet earth: Nahm’s Thai Cuisine in Alpharetta, Georgia.  In our line of business – delivering award-winning simulation-centric business acumen, business leadership, and strategic business selling learning engagements – we have the opportunity to travel the world and eat some of the most interesting and delicious food in the world.

In our core business simulation, Advantexe Global Enterprise Simulation (AGES) participants take control of a struggling company and try to turn it around by re-inventing the business strategy and executing the next strategy through distinct operational decisions that create differentiation.

One of the fundamentals of business strategy is that in order to survive and grow, organizations must create and execute sustainable competitive advantage through a unique value proposition to customers.  In Advantexe's business simulation workshops, participants learn-by-doing by choosing a value proposition and executing their strategy in their respective competitive market.