To take part in the simulation participants do not have to leave their place of work, making Merit a very cost-effective training tool, and one that requires minimal internal administration.

Participants need to form a team of up to 4 people – a minimum of 3 is recommended to benefit from the team-working aspects of the simulation, and select a team leader to become the main contact for the competition.

Having registered for the competition, the key components for taking part are:-

• A web browser to use the online software known as the Team Module. We recommend Chrome, but all modern browsers are supported. The Team Module enables decisions to be entered, information to be extracted and performance to be measured for the company being managed
• A powerpoint slideshow tutorial that covers all aspects of the simulation (also available as a PDF version to aid searching)
• Trial data for practising prior to the start of the competition

Once the competition commences the online software is used to communicate decisions to and from the Game Controller, the decisions being held in the team’s unique company database.

There are 8 rounds in the first phase of the competition, known as the Early Years. Each round is played over one week, and will normally require between 1 and 2 hours of each team member’s time per week.

The top teams from the early years will be invited to an intensive final held online, known as the Final Years, when the skills gained to date will be put to the test in an even more competitive environment over a further 8 rounds.