Students' View on the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 26, 1999 STUDENTS' VIEW ON THE USE OF BUSINESS GAMING IN HONG KONG Jimmy Chang, Mary Lee, and Kwan-ling Ng, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ABSTRACT This paper is concerned with Hong Kong students’ view on the usage of the case method in teaching the subject strategic management. It is hypothesized that Hong Kong students perceive that the case method can help them in understanding the subject. The results strongly support the alternative Ha - the majority of students who agreed that the case method can help them in learning the subject is greater than those that disagreed. The value of the test statistic (z) is 14.42. It is significant at 0.0005 level, single-tail test. INTRODUCTION To what extent, would students whose first language is not English consider the case method (cases in English, discussion in English) as an effective approach to learning strategic management and achieving what the case method is designed to achieve? The authors examined how students in Hong Kong evaluate the objectives of the case study approach and the use of cases in their course. The authors had sought to find out if the students in Hong Kong agree that the case method can help them in understanding strategic management as a process. Hence, the following hypothesis was established: Working hypothesis, Ho: P=Po=0.5; and Alternative Hypothesis, Ha: P>0.5; Where P = the proportion of Hong Kong students who agree that the case method help them understand the subject of strategic management. Po = 0.5 when there is no difference between the proportion of Hong Kong students who agree and those who disagree. METHODLODGY A survey questionnaire was conducted with two groups of Chinese students in 1998: a) final year full- time degree students who enrolled in the subject of Strategic Management and b) final year part-time diploma students who enrolled in the subject Business Strategy. Participants in this survey have gone through the case study method in the course of their learning. A total of 398 questionnaires were administered. 353 usable questionnaires were received. Students' Perception of Case Method in Helping Them Understand Strategic Management Students were asked if they think that the case method has helped them understand strategic management. Table 1 exhibits the results. 266 respondents (75.78%) agreed with the statement that the case method has helped them while 8 (0.027%) disagreed. 77 neutral responses were recorded and constitute 21.93%. The z value, 14.42 is significant at 0.0005 level. The result supports the alternative hypothesis (Ha) - the percentage of students who agreed that the case method could help them in learning the subject is greater than those that disagreed. Detail Learning Objectives Associated with the Case Method for Strategic Management A list of learning objectives associated with the case method Romm and Mahler (1991), Osigweh (1989), Christensen (1987), and Dooley and Skinner (1977) as illustrated by Jennings (1996) was used to examine whether or not students agree with them. Over 70 percent of the students involved in the study agreed that learning objectives are to acquire knowledge, to develop analysis and synthesis, to relate theory to practice and assist with the long-term retention of the knowledge and skills gained. Lecturers need to be aware of the reasons why they employ the case method for their classes. In other words, they have to define their teaching objectives before the selection of the case (Jennings, 1996). The current study documents how students in Hong Kong evaluate the learning objectives of the case method and the effectiveness of this approach. 176 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 26, 1999 A More Holistic Understanding of Objectives in Using the Case Study Method for Strategic Management Students were asked if they agreed with the objectives as identified by Jennings (1996). The case method appears to be a highly suitable tool for the development of strategic analysis/strategic thinking, communication and interpersonal skills. The development of analytical skills, teamwork, and report writing comes from having to deal with the complexity of the case and the subsequent demand on students to justify the recommendations they make. CONCLUSION The study confirms that the case method is effective in helping students to learn the subject of strategic management. It helps lecturers to understand the students' view on the use of the case approach and the objectives normally associated with cases. Suitable cases serve to help students acquire knowledge, to develop analysis and synthesis, to relate theory to practice and assist the long term retention of knowledge and skills. More emphasis and efforts need to be invested by lecturers in enhancing the achievement of the other objectives, which may be less obvious to students. This means careful selection of cases and making learning objectives more explicit to students. The case method is a suitable tool for the development of strategic analysis and communication and interpersonal skills. Well organized discussions, which tend to develop analytical skills, teamwork, and subsequent report writing do make significant demands on the students' time and their capacity to manage complex descriptive material. This must be understood in the light of the fact that English is not their first language. Overall, the use of case method is supported by students in Hong Kong to effect learning and understanding of the strategic management. TABLE 1 STUDENTS' VIEW ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CASE METHOD Full-time Test Degree Statistic Students z Yes No Neutral Part-time Test Diploma Statistic Students z Yes No Neutral Combined Test Full-time Statistic & Part-time z Students Yes No Neutral Case method helps students understand the subject of strategic management. 55 7 32 6.096**** 211 1 45 15.58**** 266 8 77 14.42**** Note: 1. z = (x-npo)/[npo(1-po)]0.5, Where x = number of students agreed the case method help them understand the subject of strategic management n = sample size = 62 (for full-time students); n = sample size = 212 (for part-time students); n = sample size = 274 (for the combined full-time and part-time students) po = 0.5. 2. **** significant at 0.0005 level. (All at single-tail test) 177 Table of Contents Volume 26, 1999 ABSEL's Historical Research Interests Back From the Future: An ABSEL Merlin Exercise for the Year 2005 The Contributions of ABSEL During the 1980's ABSEL's Contributions to Experiential Exercises in the 90's ABSEL's Contributions to Experiential learning/Experiential Exercises: The Decade of the 1970's Business Simulations - Algorithms and Model Enhancements: A 25 year Review A Study of the ETS General Field Test as an AACSB Assessment Tool and the Impact of Experiential Exercises and Simulation on Learning A Framework for Assessing the Competencies Reflected in Simulation Performance Developing A Learning Culture: Assessing Changes in Student Performance and Perception Financial Simulation Using Distributed Computing Technology Analyzing Managers' Judgements and Decisions with an Educational Business Simulation Understanding Your Business through Home-Made Simulator Development An Examination of a Reanalysis of the Impact of a Market Leader on Simulation Competitors' Strategies Applying Shocks to TE Simulations: A Demonstration Increasing Efficiency of Management Skill Assessment A Testbank for Measuring Total Enterprise Simulation Learning Developing Leadership Skills - Video Live! LEADSIMM: Collaborative Leadership Development for the Knowledge Society A Team Approach to Producing Multi-Media Laptop and Video Formatted Presentation Tinkertoys Revisited: Exploring Trust Based Relationships Overall Dominance in Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Success or Bankruptcy: The Relationship between Personal and Goal Orientation and Simulation Performance Assessing the Effects of Feedback: Muti-method and Muti-directions in Multi-pedagogical Courses The Missing Ingredients in Experiential Learning Purpose and Learning Benefits of Business Simulations: A Design and Development Perspective Building Capabilities for Change through Laboratory Simulations Modeling Innovation as a Process of Design in Educational Business Simulation The Need to Measurer variance in Experiential Learning and a New Statistic to do so Assessing Effectiveness of an Experiential Oriented Course Over Time Developing Participant Satisfaction Models of Experiential Exercises in Business Education Perceptions of Learning in TE Simulations Students' View on the Use of Business Gaming in Hong Kong Management Gaming's Lost Opportunity: Meditations about the Russian Experience and Prospects for the Future Unanticipated Enhancements in the Business Strategy and Policy Game when Running in Windows 95 Using a Business Game to Demonstrate Broad Business Concepts A New Model for Business Courses (Getting the Student Connected) Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Integrating Knowledge Using Large Scale Simulations in Capstone Business Strategy Classes Is It Here To Stay? A Roundtable Discussion of the Inter-Group Interaction Interactive Tools Used in Applying Financial Concepts Strengthening Essential Skills through a Finance Exercise: Calculation of Beta A Model of Currency Exchange Rates Understanding Currency Exchange Rates: A three-part Exercise Student Experiences in the World Intercollegiate Business Game Competition Student Experiences in the International-Collegiate Business Policy Game Competition Using Boards of Directors in Simulation Environments: Comments From Board Members Sharing Best Practices: Teaching Smarter, Not Harder Star Power: A Simulation for Understanding Power and Empowerment The Marketing Game: A Marketing Principles Simulation Alexander Islands: GSSM Tiny Business Simulator on the WWW Putting Strategy into Strategic Business Games Industry Analysis, Porter's Five Forces Model and Strategic Group Maps in the Business Strategy Game Simulation The Use of Concept Mapping to Improve Student Performance and Understanding of Strategic Management Concepts: A Comparison of Techniques Transformational thinking in the Organizational Behavior Course: The Use of Metaphor as an Assessment Tool Creation of a Virtual Learning Community for the Global Virtual Enterprise Project Inter Institutional use of Educational Resources: Joint Use of Management Simulation Games Business Insights: Theory and Practice with the Aid of a Business Simulation Progress: An Experiential Exercise in Development Marketing The ABC's of teaching the Theory of Constraints to Undergraduate Business Students Demonstrating Principles of Organizational Purchasing Behavior through an Experiential Exercise The Virtual Manager: A Different Simulation for Managing Complexity When the Rules are changing and Chaos Breeds Innovation: Recapturing the Value of Constructive Thinking and Play in Simulation Training The Pitfalls, and Potential, of Actual Events as Problem Drivers Using Business Games to teach Environmental Awareness and Green Management: The International Experience with the ENSIM Game A Review of my ABSEL-Related Work Simulation of Government: A Workshop Using GEO Creating Internet-Based Games Using Perl and JavaScript Who's on First? Exploring the Concepts of Problem-Based Learning, Experiential Learning, and Lifelong Learning Students Learn Customer Service and Selling while Conducting Research So You Want to Run an NFL Football Team–An Honors Interdisciplinary Project Supervised Internship: The Employer's Perspective Using Computer Assisted Simulation to Teach International Business Strategy: A Case of the Multinational Management Game (MMG) Multi-Cultural Experiential Learning: A Computer Simulation in China An Appreciative Stance on Diversity as We Move into the 21st Century: A Timeline Exercise to Identify Key Experiences in Good Work Relationships between Black and White Peers A Day in the Life of an Interactive, Real Time, and Internet Delivered Course: A Demonstration Comparing Internet Search Engines: An Experiential Learning Exercise Total Enterprise Simulations and the Internet: Assessing Student Perceptions and Preferences Teaching Accounting Information Systems in a Practicum Format Providing Experiential Learning in Accounting through a Field Study Payroll Project A Spreadsheet Based Business Simulation Game Computer-Behavioral Simulations Training for Project Managers Simulation Scenarios - Rationale and Illustration