PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN GOING WEB-BASED WITH AN AGRIBUSINESS SIMULATION Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Learning, Volume 27, 2000 PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN GOING WEB-BASED WITH AN AGRIBUSINESS SIMULATION Patrick D. O’Rourke, Illinois State University ABSTRACT This session will provide those interested in Web- based interactive business simulations the opportunity to share and learn from the failures and/or successes (problems and solutions) of others. INTRODUCTION The author is engaged in a project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Council for Food and Agriculture Research and private industry to transform current PC based agribusiness simulations to interactive Web-based business simulations. This multidisciplinary project involves cooperation among departments at Illinois State University, with collaborative support from distance learning at the University of Illinois and agribusiness training expertise at GROWMARK, Inc. Flight Simulator Analogy One only has to think about how valuable flight simulators are for people learning to think and make decisions as airline pilots, to grasp the importance of business simulators in teaching people to think and make decisions as business managers. The software, hardware and communications tools available today allow one to develop and implement experiential learning with an agribusiness management simulator, without regard for time or space (distance). The use of agribusiness simulators is not new; the author has used agribusiness simulators for 20 years for teaching students and training industry personnel. However, with the tools available now, there is the opportunity to make such simulations more interactive, more accessible over time and distance and more pedagogically sound in terms of learning and comprehension results. Earlier Agribusiness Simulation The author, in 1996, put the most recent farm supply management simulator into local beta testing at Illinois State University. This current simulator serves as the model for the web-based interactive simulator developed and implemented in this project. Benefactors Two broad categories of people will find value in such an agribusiness simulator: university and community college students in agriculture majors and management (or potential management) personnel in farm supply firms. There is great potential for adoption of the resulting simulator and related instructional materials. It is expected that most college and university agribusiness and agricultural economics programs, teaching basic agribusiness management courses will have interest in an interactive agribusiness simulator to enhance the learning experience for their students. Also, the simulator and related instructional materials will cover many of the traditional management topics desired in agribusiness management training programs. Management of farm supply agribusiness firms has been made more complex by the increased number of products and services sold, by the advent of precision farming practices and related data management tasks, and by increased regulation. Learning Objectives The following learning objectives represent some of the more important learning objectives enhanced by the more interactive experiential 208 Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Learning, Volume 27, 2000 learning model embodied in this project's products: Understanding Income Statements and Balance Sheets Learning to use ratios and comparative data to evaluate a firm Learning to evaluate the financial condition of a firm Learning to perform breakeven analysis Learning to make operating decision in a competitive environment Learning to think and manage strategically New Attributes The most innovative attributes of this agribusiness simulator are related to the delivery mode and the design of the simulator. The student/participant may either "play" against previously programmed competitors or may compete with other contemporary individuals or teams. The most innovative attributes are: Web-based delivery Interactive response to decision making Instant, on the spot, evaluation of some decisions Delivery of interactive learning anywhere, anytime Ability to pattern markets to fit alternative competitive environments Ability to simulate proprietary, corporate or cooperative business organizations “Programmable” Competition The agribusiness simulator will be "programmable," that is; the instructor or administrator will be able to set the desired competitive environment for the student/participant. For example, a farm supply cooperative may be set in a market where the primary competition comes from a high volume - low cost competitor. Or, a corporate branch farm supply plant may be placed in a market facing a high service - high margin competitor. Or, the "student's" firm may be in a market having both types of competitors. The flexibility in market description combined with the anytime anywhere availability and immediate response to student decisions and actions will make this a preferred experiential training vehicle in agribusiness management training in university, college and agribusiness environments. 209 Table of Contents Volume 27, 2000 Internet International: A Simulation Exercise for Understanding Technological Innovation and customer Service In a Rapidly Growing Internet Server Company Simulations and Learning: Dialog and Directions Endnote Activity: A Tool for Integration of Course Content and Communication Skill Practice Incorporating Video as a Teaching Strategy in Interpersonal Communication Vision Quest: An Alternative Approach to Industry Analysis for MBA Courses in Strategic Strategic Management: An Evaluation of the Use of Three Learning Methods Trainer, Mentor, Educator: What Role for the College Business Instructor in the Next Century? Using the Internet and Shareware to Facilitate Computer Simulation in Distance Learning Classes Visual Modeling of Business Simulations Teaching about Information with Management Games A Self-Evaluation Based on the Discussion and Decision in Experts' Business Gaming The Restaurant Game Using Journals to Enhance Computer Simulation Based Learning Exercises to Facilitate Better Student Writing in the Undergraduate Strategy Class Identifying, Resolving, and Managing Common Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace: An Experiential Approach Integrating the Digital Revolution into the Classroom The Wheel of Learning: An Integrative Business Curriculum Experiment The Changing Nature of Simulation Research: A Brief ABSEL History Perspectives on Simulation & Gaming's Review Process Experiential Learning Across Disciplines: Mixing International Business and Accounting Simulating Governmental Effects on Economic Development Internationalizing the Introduction to Business Course Using an International Text and Domestic Simulation with a Twist Using Stock Value as the Performance Measure in a Business Simulation Game Introducing Cross-Elasticities in Demand Algorithms Validating a Model of Currency Valuation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Politics Exercise: Preparing Financial Reports Using the Group Categorizing Technique Effect of Trust and Cultural Beliefs on Negotiation Processes: Data from an Experiential Role Play Experiential Learning Gets Stamp of Approval From the Boyer Commission Talent Search 2000 - An Experiential Activity to Help Strengthen Skills in Employee Recruitment and Selection Clemson University's Collaborative Learning Environment Initial Data on a Test Bank Assessing Total Enterprise Simulation Learning Changing the Assessment Paradigm: Using Student Portfolios To Assess Learning from Simulations How We Learn and Why We Don't: The Cognitive Profile Model: A Workshop in Teaching to Reach Your Students Knowing Thyself: A Portfolio Approach to Student Self-Assessment Collaborative Learning and Web-Based Instruction in a Cognitive Apprenticeship Model Teamwork Attributes in a Classroom Simulation Virtual Teams: Meeting the Next Challenge for Experiential Education New Age Learning: Nuance or Nonsense Developing Charisma: An Experiential Exercise in Leadership Problems and Solutions in Going Web-based with an Agribusiness Simulation Creating a Comprehensive Web-Enhanced Classroom Your Class is in Session, Now What? The Challenges of Teaching On-line An Application of Process Control Charts for Attributes as a Form of Classroom Assessment for Experiential Learning Work Goals and Life Aspirations: Do You Have What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur An Exercise to Develop Initiative: Possible Dream? The Ball Point Pen Assembly Company Management Game Review System Development Total Enterprise Simulations and Optimizing the Decision Set: Assessing Student Learning Across Decision Periods Facilitating Learning in the New Millennium with the Complete Online Decision Entry, System (CODES) The Marketing Management Experience The Right Venue for Your Simulation One More Time: Overall Dominance in Total Enterprise Simulation Performance A Profile of ABSEL Conference Attendees Learning Readiness: An Underappreciated Yet Vital Dimension in Experiential Learning Active Learning in a Professional Undergraduate Curriculum The Problem Is - They Think Differently! Cultures Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions: Putting Managers Together in a Business Simulation The Global Business Game: A Strategic Management and International Business Simulation