Abstract:

The article is a continuation of the paper “Business simulation game as an educational method for postgraduate studies in management and finance”, which was presented at the INTED2017 conference. In that work, exemplary application of an offline, board and token, spreadsheet-aided business simulation game in educating the MBA students at the Gdansk University was presented as well as the benefits that the postgraduate MBA students achieve through participating in a business simulation game were pointed out.

The main purpose of this paper is to present a detailed description of a business simulation game called “Progression” (“Progresja” in Polish) and its powerful impact on acquiring knowledge and gaining skills on the part of the postgraduate management, finance and accounting students at the University of Gdansk.

In the introduction, on the basis of a literature review, justification for using a business simulation game as an educational tool in the field of management, finance and accounting is provided. Definite benefits for the students, resulting from this form of educating, are outlined.

Subsequently, a detailed description of the game is presented. First of all, both the game scenario and the gameplay are discussed as the key success factors in the process of pursuing the educational goals. Then, both the roles the participants have to perform in the game scenario and the course of the gameplay are mentioned. Next, the key company value drivers, which are fundamental to achieve the ultimate victory, as well as the key performance indicators, used in the game to measure the participants’ degree of success, are presented. Further on, the principal strategic and operational decisions to be made in the course of the game, as viewed in the context of their impact on the company’s financial performance, are presented and justified in the context of the educational goals that are meant to be achieved through the use of this teaching method. Finally, to enrich the overall picture of the subject, selected exhibits, extracts, graphs and tables, taken from the gaming solutions, are presented as well.

In the research part of the article, some meaningful statistics concerning the participants’ marking of the game are also delivered. A set of very enthusiastic original opinions about the game content and the course of play, expressed by the participants in the post-event questionnaire, are quoted as well. In the conclusion, the game’s relative simplicity and its usefulness for managerial education is underlined and the extent to which the educational goals are achieved is discussed.

The original value of this article can be viewed as a unique-experience report of the co-authors of the game scenario and the gameplay that is based on the exclusive experience gained in the course of running academic teaching for postgraduate students, including MBA students. As co-trainers, the authors also have been thanked for a useful and entertaining tool of passing managerial knowledge and skills to the participants.

Keywords:

Business simulation game, postgraduate studies, educational outcomes, scenario, gameplay.