Students learn about business firsthand as they become zoo managers and make business decisions.
They learn what the zoo's goals are and how a rain forest exhibit would help the zoo achieve these goals. Students study the rain forest, its make-up, its animals, and its fragile balance. They seek to reproduce a rain forest in their zoo, but to do so, they must examine the costs incurred by the zoo and compare them with the revenues received. After examining the budget, students conduct profit analyses on different concessions they might produce in order to boost revenue. As a culminating activity, students produce and play the Rain Forest Game.