ASSESSING GENERAL MANAGEMENT INTEREST Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 ASSESSING GENERAL MANAGEMENT INTEREST Alan L. Patz, University of Southern California ABSTRACT Assessing university curricula goes beyond routine performance measures, especially in total enterprise (TE) business simulations. A key, if not more important question, is whether or not TE exercises interest students in general management. Results noted here indicate that they do along with reading assignments, lecture contents, and cash flow analyses. INTRODUCTION A general meaning of AACSB’s assessment guidelines (Bailey, 1997) is to demonstrate one way or another that a course delivers the intended learning results. This is a reasonable concern, but another one may be asked that is more important. That is, did the course interest students in the subject independent of their assessment performance? Increased interest, obviously, is an important motivator for further involvement in any topic. The Hypothesis Many other questions may be posed, but only one is examined in this study. The key hypothesis is: H: A positive correlation exists between the degree to which students would recommend the use of a TE simulation in a capstone business policy course and their interest in general management. Other post hoc analyses are also presented. Method The subjects in this study are 131 senior business school students in four sections of a capstone business policy course. Two of the four sections, n1=38 and n2=43, completed a seven item questionnaire at mid-semester; the other two, n328 and n4=22 did so at end-semester. The first and third groups, n1 and n3, were the first lectures of the day, and the other two were the second Since each subject answered seven questions, the basic experimental design had three factors and (2x2x7)=28 cells. They are: A=Mid-Semester and End-Semester, B=First Lecture and Second Lecture, and C= Seven Questions (a repeated measure). Each question was answered on a seven point scale where 1=Disagree, 4=So-So, and 7=Agree. The five questions of interest here are items: 1. Is the requirement of reading textbook chapters, a standard body of knowledge, and testing understanding of them an efficient way of adding to general management lectures? 2. Did the lectures enhance this standard body of knowledge? 4. If you had to do it again, would you recommend the usage of a simulation in this course? 5. Did you understand the reasons for the different cash flow analyses presented in this course? 6. Did this course interest you in the notion of becoming a general manager? RESULTS Overall, the mid-semester results are more favorable than end-semester, 5.2 and 4.8 respectively (F=7.08, p=.0088). The lecture order made no difference (F=1.77, p=. 1852), nor did the semester and lecture timing interaction (F=1.18, p=.2786). As to be expected, average responses to each question differed significantly (F=8.53, p<.000 1). The interaction between mid- and end-semester answers to each question is significant (F=2.46, p=.0233); and, as to be, expected this was reflected in the triple interaction among semester timing, 261 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 25, 1998 lecture timing, and question number (F=6.31, p<.0001). Lecture order had no interaction with each question (F=1.56, p=.1554) Hypothesis H Except for the significant difference between mid- and end- semester results, none of this is too surprising. Therefore, what does matter is the correlation between items 4 and 6. Is there a positive correlation between interest in general management and the use of TE simulations? There is. An analysis of covariance indicates that the correlation coefficients between items 4 and 6 are the same in both the mid- and end-semester samples (F=0.00, p=1.0). Therefore, using the entire N=131 sample, the result is r=.35, p<.0l. Other Findings Post hoc analyses of the data indicate three further significant correlations with item 6-items 1, 2, and 5. Respectively they are .39, .40, and .58 with p<.0l for each one. Last, regressing item 6 on all four yields a multiple R=.66 (F=24.4, p<.0001). The individual t-tests for the coefficients of items 1, 2, 4, and 5 are 1.90, 2.39, 2.78, and 5.48 with p values of .0594, .0 182, .0064., and <.000 1 respectively. DISCUSSION These last results are intriguing, accounting for almost 44% of the variations in the general management interest data. Variations in reading assignments, lecture contents, TE simulations, and cash flow analyses are key subjects for future theoretical considerations and empirical research. Two Theoretical Avenues For example, considering theoretical bases, TE simulations are immediate candidates for a theory of self-competence (White, 1972). General management may be a daunting concept until it is confronted in the relatively benign environment of a TE simulation and the all important cash flows. Similarly, exchange theory (Secord & Backman, 1974) provides another avenue of approach to stimulating interest in general management. TE decisions, in general, and cash flow decisions, in particular are made in groups. Groups, in turn, have structures, processes, and interaction patterns that can reinforce strongly an interest in the topics at hand-the study of general management, its application in TE simulations, and it consequences in cash flows and related profitability measures. Empirical Highways In contrast to these brief theoretical suggestions, the empirical alternatives are virtually limitless. The number of existing and possible TE simulations, not to mention study and lecture topics, is subject only to imagination. Likewise, cash flow analyses may be done in so many ways (Patz, 1966) that almost any business student will finally understand them. Returning to this study, the relationship between interest in general management and the use of TE simulations is there, but it is not dominant. Other factors need to be considered. Nevertheless, as the data show, assessment is more than unidimensional. Does the course do what it is supposed to do is not the only issue. In fact, this may not be an important one. What a university course does for the long term intellectual and occupational lives of a student may be far, far more important. SELECTED REFERENCES Bailey, A. R. (1997). The future of management education: Gradual transition or paradigm reconstruction. New Orleans: ABSEL Patz, A. L. (1996). Making cash flows come alive and sensible in the classroom. Developments in Business Sim. & Experiential Exer., 23, 54-60. White, R. W. (1972). The enterprise of living. NewYork: Holt, Rinehart & Winston 262 Table of Contents Volume 25, 1998 Marketing Goes to the Movies Bringing Experiential Learning to a Principles of Marketing Course Investment Analysis Application Using In-house Spreadsheet Models SugarCoated Statistics: An Exercise for the First Day of Class Improving Undergraduate Student Involvement in Management Science and Business Writing Courses Using the Seven Principles in Action Establishment and Funding for Interuniversity / Multidisciplinary Student experiences The Prospects of Creative Teaching: A Discussion with Patricia Sanders The Simulation and Classroom Assessment Techniques Developments of Management Skill Assessment Games as Instruments of Assessment: A Framework for Evaluation The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Curricula Threshold Solo Competitor: A Management Simulation (V1.0) a Windows-Based. Play Alone, Total Enterprise Simulation and Assessment Instrument Toward An Understanding of One's self-concept Total Enterprise Simulations and the Internet: Improving Student Perceptions and Simplifying Administrative Workloads The Expatriate an Assignment Orientation Game An Expatriate's Nightmare: An Experiential Exercise in Coping with Overseas Assignments Analyzing Experiential Exercise: Using the Scientific Method for Problem Solving The Second Component to Experiential Learning: A Look Back at How ABSEL has handled the Conceptual and Operational Definitions of Learning Predictive Models of Learning: Participant Satisfaction of Experiential Exercises in Business Education Accelerating Moral Development through Use of Experiential Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Dilemmas to use with Business Simulations to Teach Ethics The Class Approach in Behavioral Simulation in a Business Policy/Strategic Management course: A Progression toward Greater Realism An Exploration of the Emergence of Process Prototypes in a Management Course Utilizing a Total Enterprise Simulation How Organizations Are Improving Their Performance Utilizing Electronic Commerce: Examples From The Internet The Market Access Planning System (Maps): A Computer-Based Decision Support System For Facilitating Experiential Learning In International Business An Excel Workbook For Student Planning And Interface With A Simulation Game Design Of Multi-Media Based Pedagogy For Leadership Training Panel Discussion On Using The Internet For Courses Valuing And Enhancing Teaching: Sharing Tips Via The Web The Buddy Project: A Semester Long Project Aimed At Developing An Appreciation For Diversity Enhancing The Excitement And Learning Retention In The Classroom: The Power Of Magic The Supervised Management Internship: A Job Or Learning Experience Team Ware™ An Online Moderated Class Discussion Facility And Beyond A Neophyte Distance Educator's Experience Learning Management By Practicing Management: A Report Of Significant Student Service In 1997 Integration Of Academic And Service Learning: Students' Perceptions About Its Effects And Outcomes The Value Of Incorporating A Service Learning Component Into Course Content: A Presentation And Roundtable Discussion Business Games Teach: Thoughts on the Sources of Conflicting Conclusions on their Effectiveness Antecedents Of Learning In The Simulation: A Replication Using Student Journals To Enhance Learning From Simulations Technological Change And Intertemporal Movements In Consumer Preferences In The Design Of Computerized Business Simulations With Market Segmentation Integrating The Marketing Curriculum Using Collaborative Learning Teaching Time Management In A Sales Program: The Application Of A Computer Simulation Game Adapting Interactive Computer Simulations For Content Based Esl Instruction Multimedia And Student Expectations Synthesizing Data For Media Simulations Composing A Team Health Promoting Behaviors-A Decision Making Exercise Does it really Work? An Application of the Group Interaction Framework Administering the MIT Beer Game: Lessons Learned A Paperless Economy? Instructing Students on the Aspects of Successful Electronic Commerce Maximizing Learning Gains in Simulations: Lessons from the Training Literature Observing General Ability in a Total Enterprise Gaming Simulation FReach Teach: A Computer-Based System for Teaching Advertising Media Planning An Integrated Business Instruction System An Experiential Exercise you can Tinker With Experiential Exercises or Computer Simulations? Cash Flow Statements: Are They Important in Business Simulations? Holistic Cognitive Strategy in a Computer-Based Marketing Simulation Game: An Investigation of Attitudes Towards the Decision-Making Process Barnga: A Game on Cultural Clashes The Many Faces of Culture: Understanding Country and Corporate Culture Students' View of the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Assessing General Management Interest What is the Future of Business Gaming? Starting a Small Music Trivia Business Exercise and Other Innovative Icebreakers An Integrated Approach to Behavioral Skill Development Career Focus: A Student and Business Learning Experience The Use of Concept Mapping in Teaching Strategic Management An Experiential Approach to Developing Mission Statements Business Games in Brazil-Learning or Satisfaction A Simulation within a Simulation: Job Layoff's and Emotional Reactions