DEMONSTRATION OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED GLOBAL BUSINESS SIMULATION Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 34, 2007 111 DEMONSTRATION OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED GLOBAL BUSINESS SIMULATION Precha Thavikulwat Towson University pthavikulwat@towson.edu ABSTRACT The demonstration is of GEO, a business simulation that enables participants to make global entrepreneurship decisions and set economic policies. It tracks individual participants within loosely structured groups by using life span as the measure of performance. It can serve as a learning exercise or as an assessment instrument. It is an Internet-based, multiplayer simulation that applies Microsoft’s .NET technology. Integrative of concepts from all business disciplines, the simulation is suited for use in conjunction with integrative courses, such as international business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management. DESCRIPTION GEO is a business simulation that enables participants to engage in global business activities at the highest economic level, where they make entrepreneurship decisions and set economic policies. The simulation tracks individual participants within loosely structured groups. Participants move through life cycles (Thavikulwat, 2006), wherein decisions appropriate at one stage of the life cycle are inappropriate at a different stage. Thus, reducing consumption to raise investments is appropriate early in the life cycle, but reducing investments to increase consumption is appropriate late in the life cycle. The simulation can serve as a learning exercise or as an assessment instrument. As a learning exercise, the simulation is constructivistic, emphasing social interaction, rather than instructivistic, emphasizing description and examples (Leemkuil, de Jong, de Hoog, & Christoph, 2003). As an assessment instrument, it measures the outcomes of higher-order learning (Anderson, Cannon, Malik, & Thavikulwat, 1998; Bloom et al., 1956; Krathwohl et al., 1964). A unique attribute of the simulation is its use of life span as the measure of performance. When the simulation is administered as a learning exercise, this measure is configured such that better performance gives rise to a shorter life span, as in the game of golf. When it is administered as an assessment instrument, the measure is configured in the reverse direction, such that better performance gives rise to a longer life span, as in biological natural selection and the game of MONOPOLY. The life- span measure is an individual performance measure, rather than group performance measure. As such, the measure circumvents the much discussed free rider problem that attends group performance measures (Gentry, Howard, Vaughan, Cudworth, & Vik, 2003; Hall & Ko, 2006; Hornaday, 2001; Markulis & Strang, 1995; Poon, 2002; Thavikulwat & Pillutla, 2004). Even so, the simulation is characterized by substantial cooperation among participants, for cooperation evolves readily from simple rules of selection and reciprocity (Novak, 2006). The simulation is an Internet-based, multiplayer simulation (Perotti, 2006; Pillutla, 2003) that applies Microsoft’s .NET technology. This technology enables the simulation to access its data over the Internet as if the data were resident locally. The simulation is a Windows application. It does not require a Web browser. The initial set up must be performed at the server site, but administrative actions that are session specific can be performed remotely. These actions include conducting demonstrations, changing the status of participants, and controlling the pace of the exercise. Other features of the simulation include the following: • Messaging system for participants to send short messages to each other • Shareholder voting system to control companies • Population voting system to modify economic policies • Government power system to enable selected participants to set economic policies • Conglomeration system to enable companies to acquire other companies • Graphing system to plot changes over time • Multi-industry supply chain system to capture the complexity of global business The simulation is integrative of concepts from all business disciplines. As such, it is suited for use in conjunction with integrative courses, such as international business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management. REFERENCES Anderson, P., Cannon, H. M., Malik, D., & Thavikulwat, P. (1998). Games as instruments of assessment: A framework for evaluation. Developments in Business mailto:pthavikulwat@towson.edu Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 34, 2007 112 Simulation and Experiential Learning, 25, 31-37. Available http://www.absel.org. Bloom, B. S., Englehart, N. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H. & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives—The classification of educational goals, handbook I: Cognitive Domain (New York: David McKay). Gentry, J., Howard, B., Vaughan, M. J., Cudworth, A., & Vik, G. (2003). Improving the effectiveness of peer evaluations. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 30, 109-112. Available http://www.absel.org. Hall, O. P., Jr., & Ko, K. (2006). Learning assurance using business simulations applications to executive management education. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 33, 1-6. Available http://www.absel.org. Hornaday, R. W. (2001). Sex composition, cohesion, consensus, potency and performance of simulation teams. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 28, 102-105. Available http://www.absel.org. Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S. & Masia B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives—The classification of educational goals, handbook II: Affective Domain (New York: David McKay). Leemkuil, H., de Jong, T., de Hoog, R., & Christoph, N. (2003). KM QUEST: A collaborative Internet-based simulation game. Simulation & Gaming, 34, 89-111. Markulis, P. M., & Strang, D. R. (1995). An ethnographic analysis of the pedagogical impact of cooperative learning. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Exercises, 22, 179-186. Available http://www.absel.org. Novak, M. A. (2006, December 8). Five rules for the evolution of cooperation. Science, 314, 1560-1563. Perotti, V. (2006). Towards a massive multiplayer online business simulation. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 33, 354-357. Available http://www.absel.org. Pillutla, S. (2003). Creating a Web-based simulation gaming exercise using PERL and JavaScript. Simulation & Gaming, 34, 112-130. Poon, T. H. T. (2002). War and peace: Managing students learning experience in a competitive simulation game. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 29, 167-171. Available http://www.absel.org. Thavikulwat, P. (2004). The tournament concept in assessment. Simulation & Gaming, 35, 5-28. Thavikulwat, P. (2006). Simulating life cycles: Life span as the measure of performance in business gaming simulations. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 33, 184-190. Available http://www.absel.org. http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ http://www.absel.org/ Table of Contents Volume 34, 2007 Experiential Teaching May Lead To Experiential Learning The Role Of Learning Versus Performance Orientations When Reacting To Negative Outcomes In Simulation Games: Further Insights An Analysis Of The Interaction Of Firm Demand And Industry Demand In Business Simulations Consistency Of Participant Simulation Performance Across Simulation Games Of Growing Complexity Assessing And Incentivizing Learner Contribution And Performance Excellence: Creating Win-Win Evaluation Options The Technological Impact Analysis: A Research-Based Exercise To Heighten Learners' Technological Sensitivity Beginnings: How We Start the Semester and Individual Classes : A Roundtable Discussion Simulation Performance and Its Effectiveness As A PBL Problem: A Follow-Up Study The Use of Multimedia Learning Tools to Facilitate Online Learning of Business Statistics Forecasting Accuracy And Learning: A Key To Measuring Business Game Performance Panel Discussion: Alternative Ways of Using the Internet for Business Simulations to Input Decisions, Process, and Present Financial and Economic Data Output Absel Research -- One Additional Perspective On Where We Are And Where We Have Come From Assessing participant learning in a business simulation From Case Presentation To Case Facilitation: How Assessment Changed The Capstone Course The Use Of Computer-Assisted, Interactive Role-Play Simulation In Hong Kong Corporate Positioning: A Business Game Perspective Demonstration Of A Computer-Assisted Global Business Simulation Applying .NET Remoting To A Business Simulation Assessing Emotional Intelligence: The EQ Matrix Exercise Outcomes And Observations Of An Extended Accounting Board Game The Use Of Learning Styles Questionnaire In Hong Kong Forming Teams For Classroom Projects Online Budgeting And Marketing Control With The Proforma Analysis Package The Effect Of Experiential Learning Experiences On Management Skills Acquisition Students' Perceptions on the Individual Managerial Performance Orderness: A New Definition Of Alignment An Exploratory Study Of The Efficacy Of Servsafe® Online Team Behavior And Team Success Results From A Board Game Simulation Telecommuting Internships - Do They Work? The WEE GAME: A Pre-Game Effects On Learning When Students Have Information About Games And Their Outcomes When Playing Them Assessment And Simulations: Measuring The Academic Learning Compacts Within Dangerous Business: An Interactive Ethics Case Activity The Paradise Islands Assessing And Applying fiAppropriatefl Conflict Management Styles Distance Learning In Communication: Blended Or On-Line? Developing An On-Line Advanced Communication Course World Café: Simulating Seminar Dialogues in a Large Class The Programming Game: An Exploratory Collaboration Between Business Simulation And Instructional Design The Canary Principle: An Alternative Model for Providing Real-Time Coaching in an On-Line Discussion Environment Assessing Character Development Using A Direct-Approach Business Ethics Exercise Persistence Of Decisions By Simulation Game Participants The Invalidity of Profit = f(Product Quality) PIMS Validation of Marketing Games A Study of The Applicability of The Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) For Use in The University Classroom The ROI Of Connected Projects: A Payroll Example Initiation of Research on Gaming Simulation in Japan Inappropriate Use of Citations and Corrupting the Body of Knowledge: Accepting Urban Legends as Truth An Exploration Of The Perceived Value Of Highly Socio-Inductive Learning How "Whole" Is Whole Person Learning? An Examination Of Spirituality In Experiential Learning Modeling Outsourcing and Strategy Alignment into a Business Game Successful Integration Of Webct Into A Small Business School The Thinking Steps Model In Game Theory: A Qualitative Approach In Following The Rules The Application Of Means-End Theory To Understanding The Value Of Simulation-Based Learning Armchair Travel: An active learning approach to increasing global awareness and participant self-efficacy Goldratt's Thinking Process: Is there a place for it in the Total Enterprise Simulation Assessing And Developing Student Skills Using a Group Exercise Computer Business Simulation Design: Novelty & Complexity Issues