Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning(Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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Experiential Education in a Student-Run Startup: A Case Study of a For-Profit For-Credit Advertising Agency
No full textThe purpose of this research project is to provide a detailed case study of the creation and five-year-long evolution of a vi-sion for a curricular innovation. Jacht Ad Lab is based on themodel of situated learning as proposed by Lave and Wenger (1991), a framework that can serveas a response to the pres-sures and changing demands of both the institutions where we teach and the industries that employ our graduates. The goal is to illustrate the potential that the concept of experiential educa-tion known as legitimate peripheral participation can offer for learning in new ways within communities of practice
Purposeful Haze: A Team Project in Organizational Behavior
No full textThis paper describes a team project that is used as an experien-tial exercise in an undergraduate organizational behavior course. The project involves teams of 4-5 students creating an original product that reflects their comprehensive understand-ing of the course content. In order to reflect a more realistic workplace scenario, the project instructions are deliberately vague, and students are warned that the grading process is in-herently subjective. At the end of the course, the teams present their project and share their lessons learned from working as a team. The specifics of this experiential exercise as well as the instructor’s lessons learned will be presented along with project examples and anecdotal feedback from the students. Implica-tions for teaching teamwork and creative confidence in a busi-ness or management curriculum are discussed
Intercorrelations of Measures of Forecasting Accuracy and a Recommendation
No full textForecasting plays several roles in business games. Regarding sales forecasting, and more specifically the accuracy of sales forecasting, several definitions have been conceptualized and applied. Despite their conceptual differences, if the measures yield high intercorrelations then, empirically at least, the choice among them may be a matter of indifference. The present research summarizes numerous forecasting accuracy measures, estimates their intercorrelations, and concludes with some considerations for working toward a consensus and a recommendation
The Role of Gender in Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills Training
No full textIn recent years, the number of women-owned firms has expand-ed at 1½ times the rate of U. S. businesses overall. But given this impressive trend, women-owned businesses still generate fewer profits and revenues than businesses owned by men, and employ fewer people than male-owned firms. Prior research has offered several explanations for this trend including lower self-efficacy among women, type of firms owned by women, choice of industry in which they operate, work-life balance is-sues for women, and limited networks. A growing body of liter-ature also suggests that in order to establish sustainable and growth oriented ventures, entrepreneurs must develop and uti-lize leadership skills. Yet, little research has been conducted to investigate whether these skills develop the same way for both genders when using traditional and technologically-driven ap-proaches. In this research, we grapple with the challenge of how to effectively develop entrepreneurial leadership competen-cies among women. Using a quasi-experimental design, we empirically test the relationship, based on gender, between ped-agogy style and perceived leadership effectiveness. The results suggest that the use of game-based simulations that emphasize role play may be particularly valuable for improving the per-ceived effectiveness of women entrepreneurs
Can Action Complexity be Used to Measure the Effectiveness of an Educational Game?
No full textWe distinguish between design complexity, which is an attribute of an exercise, and action complexity, which is the extent to which participants of an exercise act in a variety of ways. We propose that the action complexity of an exercise be measured by calculating the χ2 of the difference between the minimum-action and actual-action states of key decisions by the participants of the exercise. We suggest applications, and consider if action complexity might be used to measure the effectiveness of an educational game. We describe the design of our multinational business game, and find in a 235-undergraduate, one-semester administration of the game to two subpopulations that, as hypothesized, (a) the action complexity of participants’ nationality in the game corresponds with the participants’ personal performance scores at the midpoint and endpoint of the games’ duration, and (b) the same measure also corresponds with the relative personal performance scores of the two subpopulations. We conclude that action complexity may be a better measure of the effectiveness of an educational game than conventional surveys and test scores, and may also be better than the number of decisions per period, an established design complexity measure
STIB: The Systemic Thinking Inventory For Business
No full textThis paper presents a scale to measure systemic thinking among business students called the Systemic Thinking Inventory for Business (STIB). Based on literature related to cognitive styles, three dimensions of systemic thinking were identified -Locus of Attention, Inter-Relatedness and Flexibility. A 16-item instru-ment was developed to capture the three dimensions. The scale\u27s validity and reliability were assessed through an explor-atory factor analysis and the three dimensional structure was supported. Pre- and Post-simulation analysis of scores on STIB showed that students significantly improve their locus of atten-tion as they progress through the simulation. Individual-based simulations were also found to exhibit a diminished level of flexible thinking. An attempt to link STIB scores to simulation performance indicates that the Inter-Relatedness dimension of systemic thinking was positively related to average time spent making a decision as well as average stock price. Implications and future research are also discussed
Vicarious Observational Learning through Visual Media: The 12 Angry Men Film as an Organizational Behavior Primer
No full textThe classic 1957 black and white film 12 Angry Men is used as a primer for an organizational behavior course, a mechanism that sets the stage for and reinforces the unfolding of the course over the duration of the semester. This use of film as visual media is placed in the context of vicarious observational learning theory. Adopting the framework of whole person experiential learning, the paper illustrates the use of the cognitive dimension through the use of course concepts, the emotional dimension through the dramatic elements of the film, and then behavioral skill preparation as the group dynamics illustrated in the movie are dissected and put into the mode of potential application in any group or team setting. An example of a 14-item course handout that is utilized by students as they view the film is provided and discussed
Teaching Values: an Experiential Approach
No full textTeaching values provides a particularly difficult challenge, relative to teaching concepts. We define concepts as the knowledge structures and thought processes by which students classify elements of a situation and identify the patterns of cause and effect. Values are defined as the relative importance students place on their interests and objectives. While it is relatively easy for a teacher to illustrate the importance of concepts to students’ interests and objectives, it is much more difficult for teachers to influence the interests and objectives themselves. While concepts are attempts to objectively represent reality, interests and objectives tend to be seen as subjective expressions of each student’s unique personality. However, students’ interests and objectives can be influenced by education, and some interests and objectives are more desirable than others from the perspective of society, employers, and the students’ own well-being. This paper addresses the problem of teaching values from the perspective of motivational theory and Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Kolb’s theory suggests that the degree of involvement in an experiential exercise will determine the degree to which students internalize the consequences of their decisions, and hence, are motivated to reassess their values
Concepts in Contrast: Demonstrating Disparate Leadership Styles through The Last Castle
No full textThe Last Castle provides a unique opportunity to contrast two opposing leadership styles and examine a wide range of organi-zational behavior concepts through examples exhibited by both the antagonist and protagonist. In the movie, famed and highly decorated army general Eugene Irwin is sent to a maximum security military prison for disobeying an order that yielded a negative outcome. Colonel Winter, the prison warden admires Irwin prior to meeting him, but their leadership values clash because Winter uses suspect methods in order to maintain disci-pline in the prison. Although General Irwin tries to avoid a leadership role, the unjust treatment of the inmates cannot be ignored. As any capable leader would, Irwin takes command of the situation. In general, various scenes in the movie show traits, motives, behaviors, and style. In particular, students can examine specific personality traits, leadership motives, charis-ma and transformational characteristics, consideration and structure, leadership grid styles, contingency and situational leadership, crisis leadership, and leadership ethics. This presentation includes a six-page handout designed to systemati-cally guide students through an analysis of the movie as it aligns with organizational behavior and leadership concepts. Although the handout corresponds to a particular textbook, the concepts and vocabulary can be readily adjusted to many or-ganizational behavior and leadership textbooks
Foreign Exchange Trading
No full textThis simulation examines the way in which foreign exchange rates are established. Participants act as currency traders within a competitive market to determine what pricing strate-gies are most profitable