STARTUP WARS — ADAPTABLE COLLEGE COURSE MODULE Entrepreneurial decisions under uncertainty Prepared September 17, 2026 Companion page: https://www.startupwars.com/business-simulations-for-colleges/ ABOUT THIS SAMPLE This original teaching example is provided by Startup Wars for instructor adaptation. It is not an institution-approved syllabus, a validated assessment, or a promise of automatic grading or a built-in product assignment. Review the scenario yourself and adapt the workload, terminology, rubric, academic integrity expectations, and accessibility arrangements to your course. COURSE DETAILS TO COMPLETE Course and section: Instructor: Learning outcome(s): Student preparation: Scenario and activity boundary: Simulation access instructions: Activity date / completion deadline: Memo deadline: Debrief date and format: Course grade weight: Student support and accommodation route: Academic integrity and permitted collaboration / AI-use policy: SUGGESTED SYLLABUS INSERTION In this module, you will apply entrepreneurship concepts to a simulated food business. You will make an inventory decision, explain a credible alternative, compare your prediction with the results you observe, and propose a next step. Your written reasoning and reflection will be assessed using the rubric below. Simulation profit alone does not determine your grade. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of the activity, students should be able to: 1. Justify a resource decision using a relevant business objective. 2. Explain connections between inventory, customer demand, operations, and cash. 3. Distinguish an observed result from an assumption about its cause. 4. Propose a specific next test based on evidence and acknowledged limitations. SCENARIO Food Truck series: https://www.startupwars.com/entrepreneurship-simulations/food-truck-startup-business/ The series covers perishable inventory, customer demand, events, staffing, cash flow, and daily operations. Confirm the precise scenario and available decisions during your preview. This module does not prescribe in-product steps. INSTRUCTOR PREPARATION - Preview the simulation on the devices your students will use. - Confirm enrollment, account setup, access period, and support arrangements. - Introduce revenue, costs, demand, inventory, and cash as needed. - Choose a decision boundary and the results students should record. - Set individual work and discussion-group expectations separately. - Provide the memo prompts and rubric before students begin. - Check accessibility needs and course policy with the relevant campus staff. SUGGESTED SEQUENCE Adapt timing after your own preview; no universal completion time is promised. One option is to introduce the task in one class, assign simulation work between classes, and discuss the results in the following class. 1. PREPARE Introduce the business objective. Discuss the tension between having stock available, preserving cash, and holding perishable inventory. 2. PREDICT AND DECIDE Before making an inventory choice, each student records: - The choice and business objective. - One credible alternative. - A prediction and the assumptions behind it. Students then work through the instructor's chosen activity boundary. 3. OBSERVE Each student records relevant results available in the scenario. Use actual observed information. Do not invent a number or claim a result that was not visible. Note any missing information that limits the interpretation. 4. WRITE AND DISCUSS Students complete the memo and bring it to a class or online discussion. The instructor gives feedback using the rubric. Invite students to revise their explanation or next test after the debrief if it fits the course. STUDENT HANDOUT: ONE-PAGE DECISION MEMO Student: Scenario / activity boundary: 1. DECISION AND ALTERNATIVE What did you choose? Which credible alternative did you reject, and why? 2. PREDICTION AND EVIDENCE What did you predict? Cite a relevant result you observed. Clearly label assumptions, observations, and any information you could not obtain. 3. CONNECTED BUSINESS FUNCTIONS How did your choice connect at least two business functions? For example, explain the relationship between an inventory commitment, cash, and operations. 4. REFLECTION AND NEXT TEST What would you change next? What evidence would help test your explanation? Identify a limitation or another possible explanation for the outcome. SAMPLE INSTRUCTOR-SCORED RUBRIC Score each criterion from 0 to 3; four criteria; 12 points possible. 0 means no assessable evidence for that criterion. Adapt the weighting and grade conversion to your syllabus. Profit alone is not the assessment target. BUSINESS REASONING 3 Strong: Explains the decision, a credible alternative, and the tradeoff. 2 Developing: Explains a choice but only partly compares the alternatives. 1 Starting: States a choice with little explanation. USE OF EVIDENCE 3 Strong: Connects relevant observed results to the decision; separates facts from assumptions. 2 Developing: Includes evidence but its connection to the decision is incomplete. 1 Starting: Relies on impressions or unsupported claims. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL THINKING 3 Strong: Explains how the choice affects at least two business functions. 2 Developing: Names two functions but only partly explains their relationship. 1 Starting: Considers one function in isolation. REFLECTION AND NEXT ACTION 3 Strong: Identifies a limitation and proposes a specific, justified next test. 2 Developing: Suggests a change with limited evidence or a vague test. 1 Starting: Repeats the outcome without a useful next action. DEBRIEF QUESTIONS - Which assumption most affected your inventory choice? - Could another explanation account for the result you saw? - What would change with more demand, less cash, or less time? - Which piece of course theory helped explain the decision? - What evidence would you need before making the same decision in a real firm? INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK One strength: One question to investigate: One next action: EVALUATION AND ADOPTION Simulation catalog: https://www.startupwars.com/entrepreneurship-simulations/ Educator resources: https://www.startupwars.com/for-educators/ Pricing: https://www.startupwars.com/pricing/ Product accessibility: https://www.startupwars.com/product-accessibility-vpat/ Educator demo: https://www.startupwars.com/contact-us/ Confirm licensing, course setup, student access, and any required LMS workflow with Startup Wars and your institution before assigning the activity.