The Impact of SimVenture on the Development of Entrepreneurial Skills in Management Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 379-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Williams
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business And Management

The purpose of this study was to bridge a gap in our understanding of the role business simulation games can play in the development of entrepreneurial capabilities in undergraduate students. While entrepreneurship education has come a long way from being a branch of business and management studies, to its current status as a core discipline in its own right, the debate on the pedagogy of entrepreneurship education continues. The best results in entrepreneurship education are achieved when students are exposed to action-oriented experiential learning that encourages problem-solving, creativity and peer evaluation. Game-based learning is an emerging pedagogy that brings together the evolving nature of young learners and experiential learning. Grounded in the theory of experiential learning and action research methodology, this study investigates how a particular business simulation game, SimVenture, develops not only students' business and management skills but also their entrepreneurial attitude and values. The findings suggest that the business simulation allowed students to face their limitations, overcome some of them and make significant progress in their learning. Using SimVenture improved students' appreciation of business in general and the challenges entrepreneurs have to face in running a business.

The Impact of International Business Strategy Simulation Games on Student Engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Rogmans ◽  
Wasseem Abaza
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
International Business ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
The Impact

Background. Despite the increasing use of business simulation games in management education little is known about their effectiveness as learning tools. Aim. The aims of this study were to assess the effectiveness of an international business simulation game in enhancing levels of student engagement. Methods. We investigated student engagement levels after using a simulation game, as measured through quantitative self-reports obtained through a survey among students. The results were compared to engagement levels experienced in more traditional classroom based case discussions with the same students in the same course. The study was carried out across six class sections taught by two professors over two semesters. Results. The results show that average student engagement levels were higher during the traditional case study class than during the class using the simulation game. The standard deviation of the reported levels of student engagement was higher for the simulation game than for the traditional class, indicating that student responses were more extreme (either positive or negative) for the class using the simulation game. Students who were generally more motivated to learn reported higher levels of engagement with the simulation, whereas students with low levels of motivation who found the game complex became less engaged. Conclusion. Simulation games are not always necessarily effective in enhancing engagement among all students. The choice between traditional and experiential learning methods may be partly determined on the basis of the level of student motivation and other student characteristics.

A case for early semester utilization of business simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Angolia ◽  
April Helene Reed
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Use ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to encourage the use of simulations early in a semester, rather than as a course capstone activity, in an effort to utilize simulations as a foundational experience. The intent is to support teaching and learning, as opposed to using simulations as a capstone assignment or assessment tool.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review synthesizing higher education business simulation effectivity and evaluation methods provides support for the analysis of 60 undergraduate supply chain management students and 96 surveys conducted over two years. The research question explores effectiveness based on the point of time during a semester a simulation was used.FindingsThe analysis of simulation effectiveness, based on the impact of course enjoyment and assistance with learning key course competencies, showed no significant differences for simulations used early in a semester or as an end-of-semester capstone event.Practical implicationsSimulations are effective tools regardless of when they are employed, but there may be significant benefits to using a simulation early in a semester by capitalizing on the tool’s inherent experiential learning functionality, active learning theory and the Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle. Early use of simulations provides common student experiences and creates a foundation for educators to develop a deeper understanding of course concepts. Additional instructor effort is needed to develop external, course specific student work to supplement and enhance the simulation experience. Early use also creates post-simulation debriefing benefits that may be precluded by the end-of-semester simulation events.Originality/valueEvidence suggests that simulations are primarily utilized as course capstone events and/or serve as comprehensive tools to integrate/assess a semester’s worth of conceptual learning. This work fills a gap in the research concerning time frames within a semester when simulations are traditionally employed, presenting a paradigm shift toward early utilization.

scholarly journals Perceived self-efficacy of students in a business simulation game

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Dumblekar ◽  
Upinder Dhar
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Self-efficacy is an individual's confidence in the personal ability to complete a task under specified conditions. Game self-efficacy is the belief of game players that they would win in a business simulation game competition. To understand the composites of such belief, an instrument of 30 statements was developed and statistically tested on 227 undergraduate students at the end of a business simulation game competition. The factor analysis produced eight factors of perceived game self-efficacy, namely, innovation, experimentation, conviction, openness, focus, proactivity, conceptualisation and determination. These factors have significant research implications for goal-oriented behaviour, goal setting and performance enhancement at work and in games and competitions, and in developing simulation games.

scholarly journals How Entrepreneurship Can Be Learned through Experiential Learning Formats, Especially through Training Firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-481
Author(s):  
Anne Heinze
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Entrepreneurial Training ◽  
The Impact

A look at entrepreneurship education research shows that there are basically two types of entrepreneurship courses: First, courses for entrepreneurship and second, courses about entrepreneurship such as lectures, formal seminars, individual essays etc. Most of the latter courses can be characterized as teacher-centric where the student involvement is passive. From a more modern perspective and in order to train entrepreneurs trying, experimenting and learning about one's own experience is crucial. More innovative approaches, such as project-based learning, action-based learning and experiential learning, therefore, are gradually appearing on the scene In this context, within the last few years some universities have introduced training firms, mostly for students of economics and business. In Germany, due to a lack of legal possibilities training firms at public universities are still a rarity and therefore under-researched. Thus, the research question for the present contribution is how informal learning can be structured using training firms, and what effects this has on the preparation of learners for later professional practice and / or self-employment. Therefore, the methodology for this paper is first to review the literature related to entrepreneurial learning in order to better understand the informal learning experience in training firms. Second, the case of a communication design agency for students around HTW Berlin, a public university for applied sciences, is analyzed to gain insight into the impact that practice firms can have on entrepreneurship education in general, and in particular in non-business subjects. For this purpose, a case study has been developed based on interviews, which include both the perspective of the students and of the trainer. Overall, the results will show a best practice example of entrepreneurial training and learning in a university context, which can be useful for those involved in the development of course concepts for entrepreneurship education.

Psychological vulnerability and coping among management students during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 454-467
Author(s):  
Bijaya Kumar Sundaray ◽  
Pragyan Sarangi ◽  
Soumendra Kumar Patra
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Psychological Vulnerability ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In light of growing concerns related to the psychological vulnerability during the pandemic, this study aims to examine the impact of fear or trauma of COVID-19 on stress, anxiety and depression among management students. Additionally, the study also explores the possible strategies adopted by professional students to cope with the pandemic situation. Design/methodology/approach With an approach to establish a probable concrete relationship between fear with the level of stress, anxiety and depression, the data for the study was collected from 1,408 management students through a structured questionnaire designed in Google Form and administered through WhatsApp. The survey was carried out in the month of July and August 2020 during the lockdown period. Correlation and structural equation modeling have been used to examine the relationship among the test attributes. Findings The results from the study discovered that “fear of COVID-19” has a significant and considerable impact on the increased level of anxiety and stress among the professional students, but the observations did not demonstrate a significant influence of the “fear” on “depression.” The responses reveal that students have developed anxiety and felt stressed mostly due to uncertainty in the upcoming academic plans, disturbances in their regular academic routines and concerns about their future careers. Further, the findings have portrayed that students have adopted both protective and avoidance coping strategies to overcome the adverse consequences of the pandemic. Research limitations/implications The study gives an insight on the psychological vulnerability of the management students and their capability to overcome such sudden disruptions due to pandemics. This research could thus, serve as a reference to the policymakers, universities and institutions while planning out programs and schemes, which would encourage the aspiring managers to overcome the crisis and prepare themselves to befit the vibrant corporate world. Originality/value Several studies exist on the impact of the pandemic on undergraduate students in different universities. However, there are a dearth of literature, which reflects the psychological vulnerability of professional graduates especially management students who are on the verge of starting their professional career.

Learning from Social Collaboration

2018 ◽  
pp. 500-524
Author(s):  
Kimmo Oksanen ◽  
Timo Lainema ◽  
Raija Hämäläinen
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
Social Collaboration ◽  
Emotional Processes ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
Game Context

This chapter focuses on the challenge of evaluating game-based learning. It argues that linking game-based learning with the characteristics of a specific game or game-produced engagement is challenging. It further proposes a framework in which the game-based learning process is approached by considering (business) simulation games as Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environments and presents an approach on how learning can be approached and evaluated from this perspective. In addition, it highlights how simulation game mechanics appears to be a potential way to promote learners' socio-emotional processes and give rise to social interaction and to structure collaboration among the learners in the game context. The proposed framework of this chapter takes into account both cognitive and socio-emotional perspectives of learning. The results of the chapter will present a contemporary view on the roles of sociability, collaboration and engagement in game-based learning.

scholarly journals Introducing ERP Concepts to IT Students Using an Experiential Learning Approach with an Emphasis on Reflection

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4992
Author(s):  
Tina Beranič ◽  
Marjan Heričko
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Perceived Usability

The introduction of enterprise resource planning (ERP) concepts to IT students entails many challenges. Due to the system’s complexity, newcomers need an extensive amount of time to be able to use it independently. Additionally, the learning preferences and characteristics of digital natives differ significantly from previous generations. Therefore, the use of alternative learning approaches is desirable. To achieve the best possible learning outcomes, it is advisable to implement learning approaches that require students’ active participation, for example, an experiential learning approach. A variation is an ERPsim business simulation game, which we used within the ERP systems course. The game is implemented in sequential rounds, whereby each round ends with a review of the collected experiences. The simulation game was used at the beginning of the course to ease the introduction of ERP concepts for IT-related students. This paper is the result of three years of research into the perceived usability of SAP ERP introduced with the business simulation game, combined with the results of a study evaluating students’ opinions, knowledge, and skills. Perceived usability was measured using a System Usability Scale (SUS), while the students’ experiences were gathered using a self-evaluation questionnaire. The study revealed the positive impact of the experiential learning approach that was used. Students evaluated the usability of SAP ERP as OK, and empirical analysis confirmed that the use of the simulation game for introducing the ERP concepts resulted in anticipated knowledge and skills, while increasing the students’ intent for future engagement.

Do we know what they know? Comparing US and French undergraduate students’ knowledge of core business concepts

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 922-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Kate Naatus ◽  
Katia Passerini ◽  
Kevin Pon ◽  
Mark Somers
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Core Business ◽  
Undergraduate Studies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Mind Maps ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business And Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare knowledge of business concepts acquired at the end of undergraduate studies of management in France and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – Mind maps were used to examine what knowledge students retained toward the end of their undergraduate studies in business and management. Data were collected from two groups of students, one in France and one in the USA and they analyzed on computer software. Findings – The results indicate that the learning process may be influenced not only by the structure and content of the program but also by the environment in which such content is assimilated. This study provides examples of how culture can influence the way we learn and represent core business knowledge. Research limitations/implications – The research was based on a number of undergraduate students and cannot therefore be generalized to other subjects or other levels of studies at the present time. Originality/value – The paper moves away from traditional manners of collecting data through questionnaires and surveys in order to study the impact of management education and what students learn at undergraduate level.

scholarly journals Sustaining employment through administrative management experiential learning in an open distance learning institution

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-392
Author(s):  
Tshilidzi Eric Nenzhelele
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Unemployment Rate ◽  
Administrative Management ◽  
Sustainable Employment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business And Management

The supply of business and management graduates to the labor market has grown significantly. However, these graduates still find themselves without employment for years. This is because employment is lagging behind economic growth. As a result, unemployment rate in South Africa has increased from 22% in 1994 to 25% in 2014. In response, government, employers and managers are striving to create sustainable employment. However, creating sustainable employment is both challenging and difficult. No wonder that there is a constant cry to establish factors that enable sustainable employment. The aim of this research is to establish the impact of experiential learning in administrative management on sustainable employment. The research is quantitative in nature, and a questionnaire is used to collect data from the respondents. The research establishes that experiential learning in administrative management enables sustainable employment

The Impact of Personality and Motivation on Immersion in Simulation Games

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Anna Katharina Preuß
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
School Students ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
The Impact

The cognitive-motivational process model of learning describes how personality traits in a specific situation influence current learner motivation and through certain mediators, the learning outcome. This study investigates the influence of personality traits and current motivation on these mediators. For 86 high school students playing a simulation game, the Big Five, the need for cognition, current motivations, immersion, and joy of learning were measured. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that need for cognition, interest, and challenge significantly and positively impacts the experienced immersion. Also, the joy of learning correlates positively with immersion. The adapted model was partly supported: Results of this study can explain to some extent the interaction of personality traits and current motivation as well as their combined impact on immersion in live-action social science simulation games.

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