EXTENDING THE REACH OF SIMULATION: DECIDE HEADS FOR THE INNER CITY Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 20,1993 129 EXTENDING THE REACH OF SIMULATION: DECIDE HEADS FOR THE INNER CITY Peter M. Markulis, SUNY-Geneseo Daniel R. Strang. SUNY-Geneseo ABSTRACT Many colleges have been called upon to assist in helping minority students develop a sense of self worth. Many minority students do not seriously consider college as a viable alternative or they go to college and have difficulty in adjusting. This though provoking article breaks seminal ground by describing how a high-level computerized simulation was used to help a group of minority students develop a sense of self-esteem and confidence. INTRODUCTION In cities across America, a renewed awareness of the problems of inner city communities has emerged. The riots in Los Angeles, as tragic as they were, rang an astonishing alarm and forced the issues of inner city neglect, joblessness and hopelessness onto the front pages. However, while the riots cast a negative light on all of its participants--whites, blacks and Hispanics-- young African-American men bore the brunt of the criticism. As was the case in the 60s, a hue and cry has once again gone Out across America that something must be done. These disturbing events have caused many institutions, from large corporations to small colleges and universities to develop programs to help address the educational roadblocks, which impede minorities from advancing into the mainstream Americana. Colleges, particularly small ones, are looking for ways to increase ethnic/racial diversity on their campuses in attempt to break the negative cycle of frustration and disillusionment among minorities. Schools of Business certainly can be included in this category. Some institutions have begun a variety of partnership programs designed to bring universities to the inner city and to bring minorities onto the university. However, as Steele notes, many such programs fail because they do not or cannot address an important area for minority disenfranchisement- -the failure to provide self-esteem (1992). The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a computerized business simulation can help instill confidence, enthusiasm, interest--and help foster self esteem--in a typical group of minority students. If self-esteem is indeed an important factor in choosing to go to college, then colleges--especially small ones--can use programs similar to the one described here to augment their minority recruitment objectives. THE COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION The use of computerized business simulations and games is now a widely accepted pedagogical practice in most business schools across the United States (Wolfe, 1985). While not as prevalent, high schools and grammar schools are also beginning to make use of business computerized simulations. In the Summer of 1988, the Business School at SUNY-Geneseo began using the DECIDE Simulation as part of a experimental project for high school students who were selected for a special Summer program because of their “high attitudinal abilities.” It was believed that high school students with little or no business courses or experience could, nevertheless benefit from using a high level computerized business simulation. While the authors do not know of any research specifically directed toward investigating the use of a high level computerized simulation for high school students, some studies have suggested that differing groups can make effective use and derive educational benefits from the same simulation (Butler, et. alia, 1 979; Hemmasi, Graf and Kellogg, 1987) Follow-up studies by BOCES, in fact, supported this assertion. Surveys of students who had participated in the Summer programs which utilized a computerized business simulation showed that students not only felt strongly about pursuing an academic (and subsequent professional career) in business, but that they were able to grasp and apply many business concepts. THE PROJECT Because the DECIDE project was so successful for the special’ high school students, a decision was made to try another experimental project, whereby the DECIDE Simulation would be utilized as the centerpiece for a Summer project aimed at fostering college interest in a group of local minority high school students. The project would be entitled: “DECIDE: A Leadership Development Adventure.’ The goals of the program would be: to select pre-college courses (in their high schools) which would prepare them for post secondary education; complete high school; consider post secondary education; develop an awareness and appreciation of what a college--and subsequently a profession career--has to offer them. The students were chosen from Franklin High School located in Rochester, N.Y. Franklin was selected because it has a history of difficulty in retaining students and promoting educational programs. (Democrat and Chronicle, 1991). The Franklin high school faculty in conjunction with the guidance offices at Franklin High and SUNY-Geneseo would attempt to find students who they believed had the ability to go and be successful in college but had not shown any explicit interest in attending college thus far. Also, no financial criteria would be used in determining student eligibility for the project. Twenty students were chosen for the project. The DECIDE: A Leadership Development Adventure Project has been in use for two Summers (1991 and 1992). Since part of the Project was funded by a number of grants, an evaluation was required. Due to the nature and anticipated outcomes of the Project, most of the traditional measures that are typically employed for research designs appeared to be inappropriate or unworkable. Hence, a longitudinal assessment program was set up between SUNY-Geneseo and Franklin school. REFERENCES Gosenpud, Jerry and Steven Gold, editors (1992) ABSEL Proceedings, Volume 1 9. Hemmasi, Masoud, L.A. Graf & C.E. Kellogg, (1987) “A Comparison of Performance, Attitudes, and Behaviors of MBA and BBA Students in a Simulation Environment: A Preliminary Investigation,” ABSEL Proceedings, Vol 14, pp. 90-94. House, Billy (1991) "Franklin High added to bad-school list,” Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, July 1991, p. 1. McLaughlin, Frank S., and G. M. Bryant (1987) “A Comparison of Student Perceptions With Accepted Expectations For Business Simulations,” ABSEL proceedings, Vol. 14, pp. 135-137. Steele, Claude M. (1992) “Race and the Schooling of Black Americans,” The Atlantic Monthly, April, pp. 68-78. Wolfe, Joe (1985) “The Teaching Effectiveness of Games in Collegiate Business Courses: A 1973-1983 Update,’ Simulation & Games, pp. 251- 288. Table of Contents Volume 20, 1993 Dominant Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Shelf Wars: A Grocery Channel Simulation Shared Cultural Perspectives: An Experiential Exercise Utilizing International Students to Globalize the Classroom An Instrument for Investigating the Effectiveness of Teaching Methods in the Business Policy and Strategy Formulation Course Providing Better Trained Graduates for Accounting Employers The Ambition Gradient Approach to Evaluation of Computer Simulation Game Team Performance Alphatec: A Negotiation Exercise with Logrolling and Bridging Potential Using the Ideafisher Idea Generation System as a Decision Support System in Marketing Strategy Courses A Dynamic Market Share Allocation Model For Computerized Business Simulations Multi-Cultural Adaptability Using Experiential Learning in a Graduate Course Development of Experiential Applications in HRM: Practicing What Preach and Preaching for Practice Linking Students and Business Leaders Through Portfolios Debriefing International Experiential Learning Exercises: Road Signs for Effectiveness Sales Manager: A Simulation Modeling Interactive Effects in Mathematical Functions for Business Simulations: A Critique of Goosen's Interpolation Reducing the Complexity of Interactive Variable Modeling in Business Simulations Through Interpolation Antecedent Biases of Experiential Learners: Trainee Occupation and Subgroup Diversity Pax in Terra Sancta: Simulating the Middle East Peace Negotiations A Multiple Regression Case In Experiential Learning Changes in Ethnocentric/Geocentric Orientation by Business Students after Exposure to a One Summer Course in International Marketing's A Systematic Approach to the Development and Evaluation of Experiential Exercises Entrepreneurs Evaluate Experiential Education A Linear Programming Approach to Open System Total Enterprise Simulations Reflecting Leader Behavior from the Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation Linking Cognitive Styles, Teaching Methods, Educational Objectives and Assessment: A Decision Tree Approach Restructuring Management Education in Post-Communist Countries: How Western Experts Can Help Managerial and Cultural Pre-Conditions for Superior Performance in a Global Setting: An Experimental Study with the Aid of Business Games Multiple Industries in Computerized Business Gaming Simulations Content or Process? - Content and Process! Some Observations and Reflections About Management Education in Central Europe Out-of-Class Experiences to Promote Volunteerism Enacting the Linguistic Consciousness of the Modern Managerial Mind: Post-Modernism and Experiential Learning Intergrating Experiential Exercises into the College Curriculum: The Case of Internationalizing the Business Curriculum Simulation Marketing Oversights Incorporating Advertising Creative Strategy into Computer-Based Business Simulations The Dynamics of a Partnership Between Business and Education Collaborative Education Done Globally Experiential Systems Analysis CADPLAN: A Simulation for Comparative Advertising A Doctoral Symposium: Preparing Students for Conference Behavior Comparing the Simulation with the Case Approach: Again! Total Quality Management: A Model for Continuous Quality Improvement The Quality Audit: An Experiential Exercise for Business Students Extending the Reach of Simulations: DECIDE Heads for the Inner City Lessons Learned from a Customized Management Development Simulation The Foreign Exchange Spot Trading Simulation Using Lotus 1-2-3 to complete a Triple Play in a Simulated Competition International Business Education: Is Enough Being Done? Matching of Student-Teacher Cognitive Style as a Factor in Student Success in an Introduction to Information Systems Course Breathing (More) Life into the Case Approach Lord of the Flies: A Live Case Approach to Leadership Cooperative Case Studies: Experiential Tools for Teaching Business Problem Solving Tools Strategy Simulations in Context: An Evaluation of Key Dimensions The Distribution Channel Game Evaluation of a Simulation Game as an Education Tool for Utility Professionals The Relationship Between Total Enterprise Simulation Performance and Learning Total Quality Management does not Happen by Magic, but it can be Taught Using a Pedagogical Methodology that Utilizes Magic Effectively Preparing Students for Careers in a Global Environment by Integrating Total Quality Management Thoughout the Business Curriculum An Empirical Investigation of Cognitive and Performance Consistency in a Marketing Simulation Game Environment Using MARSGAP with LAPTOP: (A Marketing Simulation Game Analysis Program) with LAPTOP: A Marketing Simulation Adapting TQM Implementation to Organizational Level An MBA Business Simulation: Executive Interaction Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom (and the Hotel Meeting Room) Closing the Gap between Corporate and National Culture The Dynamic Manufacturing Company The Use of Experiential Techniques in Corporate Training The State of Simulation Gaming in Easter European Countries- Principally Russia An Experiential Exercise in Cross-Cultural Training Valuing Differences: A Conceptual Framework Demonstration of an Experiential Exercise Effectively Using Experiential Learning to Impart TQM Concepts in a High Technology Environment The Older Worker Questionnaire: An Exercise Concerning Older Worker Stereotypes and Behaviors The Crime Fighting Task Force: An Exercise in Organizational Politics Welcome to the Party! An Expression of Vocational Preference Experiential Exercise for Imparting Cross-Cultural Appreciation Six Swift Simulations on Globalization Overview of BASF Delegate Program