INTERNET "SCAVENGER HUNT" Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 23, 1996 INTERNET “SCAVENGER HUNT” Thomas L. Leonard, Bryant College Nancy H. Leonard, University of Evansville ABSTRACT This paper describes a short experiential exercise for imparting an appreciation of the power of the Internet for acquiring information and data. The exercise is useful for instructors who believe that student understanding of the information available on the Net is important. The exercise can be designed to be conducted in a single class session or can be assigned as a group project to be completed outside of class. INTRODUCTION The recent explosion of interest in the Internet for both business and personal use makes it imperative for students to be comfortable in the use of the Internet. As the global collaboration of data networks known as the Internet emerges from the specialized domain of university research departments and government agencies into the public business arena, students must be familiar with the technology, which supports the Net. In order to provide a background for this exercise, we will begin with a brief overview of the Internet and the World Wide Web. We will also discuss Netscape’s Mosaic and the use of search engines contained in each. Basically, the Internet is the architecture upon which everything else you’ve heard about hangs. It is composed of more than 2 million host computers connected to over 30,000 individual networks in over 70 countries. These computers communicate with each other minute-by-minute over an unbelievably complicated network of cables, fiberoptic filaments and satellite links. Although it was started in the ‘60’s, as a creation of the U.S. Government, the Internet as it exists today belongs to no one country, government or business, nor is it operated by any single authority. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a system designed to access documents on-line over the Internet. It makes it possible to read and exchange text, images, sound and video. The WWW was born only six years ago, in 1989, as the byproduct of a European physics lab in Switzerland. The WWW now links together hundreds of thousands of documents all over the world, including not just scientific, but educational, business, commercial and recreational interests as well. Mosaic is a tool, which helps you browse the Internet. It was developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois, and is available free of charge for a variety of operating systems including Macintosh, Windows, and Xwindows. Netscape Navigator, one of the first commercial off-shoots of the Mosaic program, is, like Mosaic, a “Web browser,” a program that allows you to explore the Web. It is designed not only to read and display Web documents but to be a full- featured interface for most operations you might want to do on the Internet. Netscape makes it easy to download text, graphics, sound and multi-media files. Objectives and Use of the Exercise One of our educational challenges is to move the students out of the classroom and into the international world of business. Use of the Internet provides them with glimpses of that world and hopefully will get them excited about communicating and participating in activities around the country and around the world. Before using this exercise you may want to spend at least one class period in the computer lab acquainting students with how to access the Internet at your particular school. During that class period, we suggest that you help them access the Net and devote the rest of the class period to letting them “play” on the Net. We also recommend that you spend some time designing questions, which are pertinent to your specific class material. Remember that there are literally thousands of ways to get to the answers and probably multiple locations which provide the data necessary to answer some questions. You will need to be prepared to check the locations provided by the students. Below, we have provided you with some basic, interdisciplinary questions and one location which provides information which will help answer the question. We have also included some of the information, which we found at each location. Sample “Scavenger” Questions: 1. What were the top five advertising agencies in 1994? http://www.adage.com/bin/viewdataitem.cgi?stats&stats 2.html Rank Company Gross Income 1 WPP Group $2,768.2 2 Interpublic Group $2,211.0 3 Omnicom Group $2,052.6 4 Dentsu Inc. $1,641.7 5 Cordiant $1,431.5 Note: Income Figures are in millions of U.S. Dollars 171 Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 23, 1996 2. What is NASA’s mission statement? http://www.hq nasa.gov/office/nsp/Mission.html February 1995 It is NASA’s mission to: Explore, use, and enable the development of space for human enterprise. Advance scientific knowledge and understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe and use the environment of space for research. Research, develop, verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies. 3. How many branches does Citibank support in Latin America? http://www.tti.com/citibank/offerings/Intro.html In Latin America, Citibank serves almost 2 million accounts in 10 countries with a network of 165 branches. 4. How many companies starting with the letter “U” are listed on the American Stock Exchange? http://www.amex.com:80/stocks/stk_txtl .htm UAAA U.S. Alcohol Testing of America, Inc. UAAA U.S. Alcohol Testing of America, Inc.Com. UBS U.S. Bioscience, Inc. (Com.) UBS.W U.S. Bioscience, Inc. (Wts. Expir. 4-24-98) etc 5. What was the net profit for GE for 1994? http://www.ge.com/reprot94/fin_highlights.html 1994 Revenues from continuing operations $60,109 Earnings from continuing operations 4,137 Earnings (loss) from discontinued operations 588 Earnings before accounting change 4,725 Net earnings 4,725 Dividends declared Per share 1,985 Earnings from continuing operations 2.41 Earnings (loss) from discontinued operations 0.34 Earnings before accounting change 2.75 Net earnings 2.75 Dividends declared 1.16 Note: Income figures are in millions of U.S. dollars 6. Where would you go to play “virtual scrabble” with Homor, Marge, Bart & Lisa? http://www.webcom.com/-shanti/scrab.html 7. I’m going to be traveling alot next summer and I want to get some maps. Where might I find companies that supply maps? Hint: 800 numbers would be nice! http://www.tollfree.att.net: 80/cgi-bin/category?cat=MA 0825&title=Maps%20%26%2OCharts 8 I’m planning my study and party schedule for today and I need to know who’s on Letterman tonight. Where would I find this information? http://www.cbs.com/lateshow/ 9. I’m really into football. Where would I find “The Official Online Service of the National Football League Players?” http://www.sportsline.com/ 10. Now that you have completed this assignment, you might want to visit the Miller Genuine Draft TapRoom. But first, you have to find it! http://www.mgdtaproom.com Below, we have also provided you with some locations, which provide information, which, may be helpful to business students: Yahoo Directory http://home~netscape.com/home/internet-directory.html The Electronic NewstandTM gopher://gopher.enews.com: 21 00/ NewsPage Sources http://www.newspage.com/NEWSPAGE/npsources.html (167K) NBR - Business News http://www.nijenrode.nl/nbr/news/ (1 K) Internet Gatew- Interesting Sites to Visit http://www.idsonline.com/gateway.htm (1 K) Business Update (InternetMCl) http://www.gnn.com/gnn/wic/news.35.html Newshare(SM) Business News Resources http://www.newshare.com/Newshare/Syndicate/Topics/news -business.html The Internet Business Center http://tig.com/IBC/index.html REFERENCES Harris, Stuart & Kidder, Gayle (1995) Netscape Quick Tour: For Macintosh, Ventana Press, Chapel Hill, NC 172 Table of Contents Volume 23, 1996 Modeling Advertising Effectiveness Simulation as an Aid to Learning: How Does Participation Influence the Process? Administering Business Simulations in Transitioning Economies: The Introduction of Simulation Gaming to Estonia Business Simulation Games: Current Usage Levels. A Ten Year Update The Relationship Between Interpersonal and Task Cohesiveness and Performance in a Business Simulation Game The Design of an ITS-Based Simulation: A New Epistemology for Learning Correlates of Learning in Simulations How Do We Know where we're going if we don't know where we have been: A Review of Business Simulation Research Making Cash Flow Come Alive and Sensible in the Classroom Enhancing Simulation Learning through Objectives and Decision Support Systems An Analysis of Deliberate and Emergent Strategies Relative to Porter's Generic Differentiator and Cost Leader: A Bias and Variance Modeling Approach Introducing Ethical Dilemmas into Computer-Based Simulation Exercises to Teach Business Ethics CEO Strategic Locus of Control Effects on Game Performance and Playing Behavior The Relational Database As a Link between Operations and Cost Accounting Goal Setting over Time in Simulations Computerized Business Simulations: A Workshop Exploring the Tutor's Role, Task & Needs Strategic Analysis of the Product Portfolio with the COMPLETE PPA Package: A Strategic Market Planning Tool Draft Standards and Registration Procedure for Assessment Instruments Perspectives on a New Generation of Business Games An Economic Multiple Regression Case In Experiential Learning Changing Institutional Norms and Behavior, Not Culture: Experiential Learning Comes to Myanmar Strategic Management and the Case Method: Survey and Evaluation Individual Differences in Internet Attitude and Use Long Live the Plan - or Should It? Examining the Impact of Detailed Strategic Plans on Organizational Performance Do Your Students Really Read the Manual? A Computerized Contextual Tool As A Surrogate for the Traditional Student Manual Pilot Analyses of Self-Peer Evaluations in an Experiential-Exercise Human Resources Management Course Leader Behavior Feedback: A Learning Exercise Dilemma-Dilemma: An Exercise for Teaching Significance Of Communication Computer Mediated Conferencing: Technology and Classroom Learning Multimedia in the Workplace: Who is really using it and where is it Headed? Using Experiential Exercises for Collecting Research Data: Integrating Teaching and Research Interactive Distance Learning as a Tool in a College's Theory and Practice The President's Decision: An Experiential Exercise in Decision Making Integrating Computer Literacy Skills in the Undergraduate Curriculum: The Advanced Accounting Experiment Imperatives for the Transfer of Experience-Based Training Deciding How to Decide The Internet as a Pedagogical Tool Internet Scavenger Hunt Two Management Exercises Based on Committee Work Multimedia in the Year 2000: How Will It Affect Our Lives? Bootstrap Benefit Segmentation: Finally A Way to Teach Benefit Segmentation without Primary Data or Those Fancy Statistical Methods Multimedia and Learning: Is There A Connection? A Changing Business Policy Collaborative Learning Through Real-Life Assignments in Accounting Classes The Necessity Of Incorporating Local Cultural Aspects Into International Business Experiential Exercises Utilizing Cultural and International Landmark Constructs to Assess Business Student's International Awareness Legal Issues related to the Use of Application Blanks: An Experiential Exercise The Family in the Classroom: An Experiential Exercise for Teaching Issues Related To Expatriate Assignments Using Internet Resources to Enhance Teaching of Information Systems Courses: A Demonstration Proposal Chalkboards to Chipboards for Teachers and Consultants How Do We Measure The Learning In Experiential Learning and How Do We Best Simulate It?