CONSISTENCY IN INTENT: LEARNING OBJECTIVES AT THE 1994 INTERCOLLEGIATE BUSINESS POLICY COMPETITION Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 132 CONSISTENCY IN INTENT: LEARNING OBJECTIVES AT THE 1994 INTERCOLLEGIATE BUSINESS POLICY COMPETITION Stephen J. Snyder, The University of West Florida Wayne Label, The University of Nevada–Las Vegas ABSTRACT The degree of correlation between learning objectives for three different groups involved in a business simulation is explored. Preliminary analysis found that players, faculty advisors and judges of a simulation had the same basic learning objectives. These results and others gleaned from a survey given at the 30th annual International Collegiate Business Policy Competition are explored. INTRODUCTION Springtime is a time of blooming flowers, sprouting trees, love, romance, and the lnternational Collegiate Business Policy Competition (ICBPC). For 30 years, teams from around the world have converged on a host site for head-to-head competition in what was one of the three intercollegiate simulation games being used in the U.S.1 Teams of four to six students (graduate and undergraduate) send their first 10 weekly decisions via modem to Dick Cotter at the University of Oregon, and download the results. The on-site phase of the competition is the conclusion to the semester-long effort. 1994 saw 34 teams competing for honors in their respective industries for the trophies given at the awards ceremony.2 Student’s teams were responsible for designing a product, company name, logo and strategy before the first two weeks of the semester were completed. During the on-site phase, in the midst of making their quarterly decisions, student teams were also responsible for developing business plans and annual reports and then presenting their plans and results to judges3. The experience is an eye-opener for students, judges, and the faculty advisor’s (who serve as coaches/facilitators for their teams). The question arose during the 1994 competition: Do the faculty advisors and judges think have different mindsets compared to students on the issue of student learning objectives. Teach (1990) outlined the need to consider research agendas from the faculty 1 The ICBPC stands today as the only remaining U.S.-based strategy simulation game. 1994?s teams included representatives from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France and Australia. Host sites have included. The University of Nevada: Reno and UNLV. 1995 will see the passing of the torch to the new host --Sari Jose State University. 2 2 Teams are divided into 6-company industries to parcel the Competition. Awards are given to the (01) two finishers in each industry. 3 A pre-release version of The Business Policy Game by Cotter & Fritsehe (1995) was used for the 1994 competition. and developers perspectives. Yet, the player’s perspective also holds a key to matching research agendas with learning objectives. The remainder of this paper will explore this question and present data on this topic along with game-related issues. METHOD The issue of learning objectives in simulations usually arises during the developmental phase on the particular simulation. Questions are asked --- What is the focus of the game, where should emphasis be placed (variable emphasis), and what is the best way to provide understanding? Yet another question also arises: Do the learning objectives of those running the simulation mesh with those playing the game? The ICBPC provided a unique outlet for testing such a question. The use of business policy students or other students in courses would have had an inherent bias. Most simulation players in courses do not play on a voluntary basis. They must compete as part of the course requirements. This fact makes it more difficult to match up learning objectives, since when students are asked their reasons for competing in a simulation, their usual response is they had to pass the class. Three different surveys were designed, one for the judges of the competition, one for faculty advisors, and one for the players. Questionnaires were filled out during the awards ceremony phase of the competition to obtain information while the game was still fresh in the minds of the three categories of participants (14 Judges4, 30 faculty advisors and 157 student players responded to the surveys). Hypothesis Since the three categories of respondents were thought to have had different motives for participating in the game, it was expected that learning objectives for the players would be different. The null hypothesis then developed: H0: The three categories of respondents will have the same learning objectives from the ICBPC. 4 Judges are typically corporate executive of horn have attended the competition on a regular basis. Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 133 Summary statistics ranked the reasons why students participated/should participate in the ICBPC. Table 1 outlines the summary statistics for this question. DISCUSSION Table 1 indicates that learning objectives for the competition did not differ. Surveys asked the judges and advisors why they thought students should compete in the ICBPC. Students were asked why they competed in the ICBPC. An assumption is made in the findings -that the intent or basis for competing is synonymous with learning objectives. While it is intuitive that the two are synonymous, rigor in methodology necessitates that a conjecture refutation approach be taken. However, the above finding, if further corroborated, has several implications. First, there may be a melding of the minds between player’s and developer’s as to what the learning objectives of simulations are. In other words, those who seek to learn from simulations may be on the same wavelength as developers (a truly scary thought’). Second, so that the degree of consistency in the ICBPC is reached, future simulation developers should poll their intended audience to determine any differences in learning objectives. Finally, since the three categories had similar learning objectives in mind, faculties may best serve their students by paying less attention to handholding students/players through the process and instead facilitate and focus efforts. Other Findings Students spent less than 20 hours per week involved in the IBPC (89% of respondents), while 70% of faculty advisors polled spent less than 10 hours per week on IBPC-related activities. Students, faculty advisors and judges agreed that the faculty advisors should have a moderate degree of involvement (51% faculty advisors, 85% judges, and 53% students) in the games. Table 2 summarizes responses to the question on skills enhancement. The question had an open-ended response option as well. Other skills that received mention were public speaking/presentation, dealing with stress/uncertainty, as well as writing abilities. Students received credit for the competition at their home schools in various ways, either in a capstone business policy course (33%), as an elective (45%) or in other classes (17%). Three schools did not give students any credit for participating. Only 33% of the faculty advisor’s received course release time for the competition, indicating the degree of commitment from faculty (28% received other incentives). Faculty advisor’s were not solely from management or business administration (48%), but also from economics, accounting, marketing, MIS, and finance. Only four of the competing schools received donations to fund the competition, while 21 received school support. Seven schools also had a sponsor contribute to team expenses, which included registration fees, binding costs, t-shirt and other promotional items, airfare, and accommodations at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. 63% of the participating schools indicated their intent to compete in the next year’s competition, while 18% were undecided. The questionnaire summary provided above also included open-ended questions on recommendations regarding changes in the game, how schools recruit students, and testimonials. What came through from results of the surveys was the almost unanimous agreement on the need for the game to survive and grow. It serves as the pillar of more than 30 years of total enterprise gaming. REFERENCES Available on request Table of Contents Volume 22, 1995 Simulation Performance, Learning and Struggle Are Good Simulation Performers Consistently Good? Cognitive and Behavioral Consistency in a Computer-Based Marketing-Simulation-Game Environment: An Empirical Investigation of the Decision-Making Process Chalk & Cheese: Executive Short-Course vs. Academic Simulations Revisiting Personality Bias in Total Enterprise Simulations Are Good Strategies Consistently Good? Investigating the Use of a Computer Simulation as an Effective Pedagogical Tool for the Application of a Strategic Model The Problem of determining an Individualized Simulation's Validity as an Assessment Tool A Simulation Based Analysis of the Value of Information in the Hrebiniak Joyce Typology of Adaptation Relative to Porter's Generic Strategies The Impact of Sales and Income Growth on Profitability and Market Measures in Actual and Simulated Industries A Comparison of a Stand Alone Version of a Simulation with the Traditional Competitive Version Computer-Assisted Gaming of International Business Analyzing Simulations with Computer-Based Programs and Applying the Experience to a Real-World Business A Preliminary Investigation of the Use of a Bankruptcy Indicator in a Simulation Environment Graduates' Views on the Use of Computer Simulation Games Versus Cases as Pedagogical Tools An Analytical Advertising Model Approach to the Determination of Market Demand Dealing with the Complexity Paradox in Business Simulation Games A Prototyping Approach for Incorporating Large Data Bases into Media Planning Simulations: An Example Using Magazine Media Through the Looking Glass, Inc: Superior-Subordinate Personality Type and the Leniency effect Evaluating the Effectiveness of Role Playing Simulation and Other Methods in Teaching Managerial Skills Student and Teacher Perceptions of a Management Simulation Course Performance Evaluation: The Effect on the Propensity to Create Budgetary Slack Management Team Formation for Large Scale Simulations Comparative Static Analysis with the Complete PPA Package: A Strategic Market Planning Tool Consistency in Intent: Learning Objectives at the 1994 Intercollegiate Business Policy Competition A New Twist on an Old Game: The Business Strategy Game: A Global Industry Simulation 3ed Evaluation of Performance in Management Simulation: A Management Coefficients Model Building SimuWorlds: Strategic Management Games of the Future Bulls and Bears: A Stock Market Simulation A Systems Thinking Paradigm and Think Computer Simulation Model of Broadcast and Cable Television Industry Competition Jacket Factory The Sales Management Simulation The Marketing Management Simulation A Demonstration of Promodel Demonstrating A New, Cross-Functional Business Simulation: Vision+ A Cost Chain For The Business Strategy Game Simulation Special Session On Experiential Teaching Compensation Dilemmas: An Exercise In Ethical Decision-Making Organizational Storytelling: Telling Tales In The Business Classroom Evaluating Experiential Training: Case Study And Recommendations The Internship Portfolio: An Innovative Tool For Experiential Learning, Critical Thinking, And Communication An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Pedagogical Impact Of Cooperative Communicating Consumer Behavior: A Long-Term Integrated Exercise Using Personal Consumption Journals And Consumer Analysis Papers An Experiential Paradigm For Teaching Business Problem Solving Developing Leadership Skills The Spss® Student Assistant: The Integration of A Statistical Analysis Program Into A Marketing Research Textbook Negotiating With Your Students Using TQM Principles To Transform Accounting Systems Into An Experiential Exercise Enhancing The Effectiveness Of Outdoor-Based Experiential Training Using Virtual Reality Concepts Case Writing In A Developing Country: An Indonesian Example Experiential Learning Using Focus Groups How Real Should Experiential Pedagogy Be? A Viewpoint From Our Students Reengineering The Internship: A New Approach To Experiential Learning Utilizing The Cosmopolitan/Local And Marginal Man Constructs To Measure Students' Propensity For Creativity Developing Experiential Processes For Teaching Quantitative Techniques For Business Team Learning Roles: A Cooperative Learning Technique Creating the Ultimate Small Business Student Experience: Melding Score/Ace with SBI The Development of Trust in Work Teams: The Impact of Touch Some Outcomes of Experiential Learning: How the Cultural Dynamics of Different Countries are reflected in Workplace Norms & Values Incorporation of Job Analysis Results in Various Forms of Selection Interviews Chudesno, Inc.: An Evaluation of an Experiential Training and Development Simulation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Dynamics Partnership: A Radical Approach to Experiential Learning Partnership: A Nice Idea, But How Do I Get Started? Recognizing Discrimination at Work Using Critical Incident Skills Questions to Help Students Become More Successful at Job Interviewing The Video Project Introduction to Psychological Type Theory Come On Down Understanding Facilitation for Development and Continuous Learning: A Micro-Workshop Leadership and Empowerment: An Experiential Exercise in Decision Making Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Selecting a Manager for Maquiladora, Inc. Experiential Training In Multi-Cultural Corporate Settings The Role of Facilitation as an Aid to Complete Learning An Experiential Exercise to Illustrate Difference in Information Processing Behaviors and Styles How to Deliver Accessible Survey Results Age Diversity in the Workplace- Family Feud Style Nafta Standoff: A Cross-Cultural negotiating Role-Play Three Strikes and You're Out!: A Downsizing Experiential Exercise