Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning(Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
Not a member yet
2919 research outputs found
Sort by
It\u27s Only a Game: Reliability Theory a Better Way to Explain Decision Making in Business Simulation Games
No full textEducational simulation games are designed to create an environment that is characterized by complexity and uncertainty. As simulation game developers, we expect that the players of our games will use rational analysis as the preferred decision process. Anecdotal evidence seems to contradict this expectation. When faced with the complex decision environment of a simulation most players seem to forget the analytical tools they acquired during their education and resort instead to adhoc intuition or heuristic processes. It has been suggested that when college students play simulation games they use intuition or heuristics rather than analytical tools because they never really learned how to use such tools. We would like to propose an alternative explanation. In response to the uncertain and complex environment of a simulation game, student teams seek a straightforward yet reliable decision-making model. Because they are not confident they can correctly apply the analytical tools to make the simulation decisions, they rationally choose to ignore the methods they have learned and employ simplifying rules and heuristics. A behavioral theory developed in the economic literature called reliability theory suggests that this decision making response should not be surprising. Applying reliability theory to business simulation decision making explains much of the behavior we see in student simulation team decision making behavior and sheds light on the frustration that we often feel as users of educational simulation games. If reliability theory accurately describes decision making in simulation games, it suggests a number of interesting questions we must ask ourselves. Are simulation games just too complex for students to confidently apply what they have learned? When faced with significant uncertainty and complexity, is intuition more valuable than analysis
Solving the Simulation Paradox – How Educational Games Can Support Research Efforts
No full text"On the one hand, an educational game represents a realistic, experience-based teaching and learning method which aims at the gaining of insights through the experiencing - mostly in teams - of conflict- and problem-based situations. On the other hand, on condition that the displayed excerpt of reality is sufficiently detailed, an educational game can equally be a (supportive) research method, which - especially with the included time-lapse function - can achieve knowledge gains especially from the decisions and their resulting actions of the involved individuals and groups. The aim of this paper is to give a short introduction into a synergistic modeling approach to solve a disruptive effect, named by the author as simulation paradox. This describes the active influence through communicating the results of a data analysis after a simulation, which possibly leads to an adjusted behavior of the simulated individuals in reality and will potentially affect decision focused simulation studies negatively. Within this paper, a clear linguistic distinction between the terms simulation and educational game is essential. Already at this point it should be noted that within this paper a simulation and an educational game are not the same.
The Uniformity of Distractor Response Distributions in Multiple-Choice Questions
No full textThere exists considerable theory regarding desirable properties for multiple-choice questions; i.e., properties multiple-choice questions should exhibit. Despite the ubiquity of banks of multiple-choice questions accompanying virtually every introductory textbook in business–and having done so over numerous editions–little research has been published empirically evaluating the extent to which the questions do exhibit desirable properties. The questions’ distractors, i.e., incorrect options, have been subject to even less investigation compared with the staple criteria of item difficulty and item discrimination. The present study investigates the extent to which the distributions of responses to distractors exhibit the desirable property of uniformity, i.e., are the distractors equally attractive
The Distance MBA: A Need for Guiding Philosophy and Theories
No full textOnline MBA programs have become ubiquitous, as they have been meeting the huge demand of pursuing MBA degrees by students who cannot or choose not to access traditional brick and mortar MBA classes. The literature about distance MBA programs has focused on practical advice on how to teach online MBA courses. The need for more of a focus on philosophy and theory is called for to fill potential theoretical gaps. A trial and error approach to distance MBA education with little consideration being given to theoretical framework would be a fragile construct. In this paper, we review theories that add productive frameworks to the philosophy and practice of distance MBA programs. We start with reviewing learning theories such as objectivism, constructivism, behavioral theory, cognitive theory, social learning theory, and vicarious experiential learning, which indicate MBA courses can be taught effectively from a distance. Next we present and critique distance education theories including theory of independent study, theory of transactional distance, theory of interaction and communication, andragogy, and equivalency theory, noting applications to distance MBA courses. We conclude with recommendations for implementing the theories examined into useful conceptual frameworks, as well as giving insights into the limitation of those theories for further application and research purposes
Managing Organizations: Experiential MBA Course Teaches Alternatives To The Machine Model
No full textThe nineteenth-century industrial or “machine” model for managing organizations remains the dominant structure in America today. Productivity, worker satisfaction, and America’s place in a global economy suffer as an end result of using this structure – aside from the ethical issues associated with treating people as replaceable parts of a machine. This MBA program offers a course that teaches alternatives to the industrial model based on the work of Argyris, Herzberg, McGregor and others. The course concepts include how motivation differs from movement induced by rewards, and why factors that give satisfaction (such as achievement and recognition rather than material) are long-lasting, more fulfilling, and motivate people more. The course is set up so students personally experience the course concepts. Students work individually on self-analysis, reflection and experience. Students complete an in-depth personal motivation paper. In groups, they use a group project to experience first-hand how course concepts including theories of leadership, conflict management, and decision-making work in a real-life situation. Students plan and teach the class an approved experiential learning exercise of their choice. The exercise is of secondary importance to the primary focus of understanding and experiencing group processes. Desired outcomes for the course include developing awareness and learning the value of a new organizational structure based on course concepts – and learning how meeting the needs of the self and others benefit the individual and the organization. Students set their own learning goals on the first day, and this becomes an integral part of the course. We may conduct an experiential exercise relating to course concepts, depend-ing on time and other constraints
A Team Based Information Literacy Exercise
No full textThe American Library Association defines information literacy as the set of skills needed to acquire, evaluate, and use information [American Library Association, 2006a]. It is essential for business students to develop information literacy along with the other competencies identified by AACSB. This paper presents a team exercise designed to help students expand their ability to gather and evaluate information from both library and Internet sources and to make judgments about the usefulness of the information providers. For schools that are accredited by the AACSB, outcomes assessment has become an important part of “Assurance of Learning” programs. The exercise provide in this paper includes a grading rubric that provides for the assessment of students’ information literacy
Understanding the Relative Influence of Several Factors in ERP Simulation Performance: An Exploration of Ecological Validity
No full textThis study evaluates the relative factors that influence business simulation game outcomes through exploring ecological validity. A regression model analysis was conducted to access the impact of real-world industry factors that influence performance outcomes in a business simulation game. The factors represent a composite of typical company industry measures to evaluate profitability. The study extends beyond prior literature performance outcome measures of return on investment (ROI), and return on assets (ROA) to evaluate business simulation performance. The results showed that 77% of the variance associated with performance outcome is explained by this study’s independent variables. The implications for this study is the first of a two-part research effort to examine the question of whether the ERP business simulation game, ERPSim exhibits natural market structures. The part one study provides the basis to understand the factors that influence profitability in the simulation game. These results lay the ground work to complete the ecological validation of the ERPSim. The findings strongly indicate important real-world factors to predict profitability outcomes in the ERPSim business simulation game. Thus, providing evidence to compare business simulation market share and profitability levels between ERPSim and PIMS (Profit Impact of Marketing Strategies) manufacturing industry project data for eco-logical validity
Using Accumulated Profits to Assess Performance in Simulations
No full textThe issue of how to grade student performance in simulation environments has received considerable attention in the ABSEL literature. One line of argument, questions using accumulated profits as a basis for assessing performance. This article reviews and extends an earlier study and then discusses using accumulated profits to evaluate performance from a number of perspectives
Existing and Emerging Business Simulation-Game Design Movements
No full textBusiness Simulation-Game design is arguably a creative art and like painting and architecture there are several movements that describe the artistic style of individual business simulation-games. This paper describes that several aspects of Fine Art movements are relevant to business simulation-game design. These (realism, aesthetics and functionalism) can be used to position Business Simulation-Games and define existing and emergent simulation movements. The paper suggests these movements are the established Real World movement and the emergent movements of Teach and Murff’s Small Simulations, Serious Games and Hall’s Corporate Cartoons. Each of these movements is positioned in the realism, functionalism and engagement (aesthetics) space and parallels drawn with the relevant Fine Art movements. Besides positioning the movements the paper critiques individual movements based on their position in the realism, functionalism and engagement space
The Ginseng Game
No full textThe Ginseng Game is designed to teach the principles generally associated with the tragedy of the commons and specifically with competition in industries susceptible to resource depletion. The game explicitly uses competitive forces to encourage groups to escalate commitment to short term profits while visually conveying resource depletion. Student teams must use the available information, “out of the box” critical thinking, problem solving, coordination, and cooperation to achieve the objective of long term industry sustainability. The game and debriefing can be run in a single class session. It can be delivered with or without computer presentation (game computations must be performed with the game’s MS Excel spreadsheet). The instructor calculates industry harvest and team performance data with an excel spreadsheet and may display that information with or without the aid of a presentation system