Abstract:

Background:
One of the challenges facing university education programs in the UFV (Francisco de Vitoria University), and especially those in the field of business administration and marketing, is to enable students to develop a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge that allow them to obtain excellent professionals results in the future. At the same time, they must develop solid human values as well as personal skills that allow them to change society.
Gaming solutions (serious games and simulators) respond to these needs: they are transversal, practical, enterprising and innovative.

The use of simulators allows students to better understanding of concepts that are difficult to explain, such as the investment in advertising adequate to achieve a certain level of sales of a product, or the impact in the exchange rate on sales of an export company. Currently in the UFV, the use of simulators is very common in individual disciplines (marketing, finance, operations), but they are not usually used transversally to ensure a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the business from a person-centered perspective.

Our propose is to present the results of a real experience based on the interaction between company’s directors/managers (Santander Group, Havas Group, Repsol, ABC, W&S, IECISA, EMOV, etc.), students and a COMPANYGAME business simulator (SUNNY Day), to achieve four objectives in the development of the students:
1. Practical, global and integrative knowledge inr management of the different business.
2. Development of individual skills and competences.
3. Development of the ability to work as a team.
4. Global vision of the business reality.

The Project objective:
The Serious Game project "manage SUNNY Day" is a teaching innovation initiative of the Business Simulation Center (CSE) in the Business Area (Business Management and Marketing) at the Francisco de Vitoria University.
Under the motto "Live a senior management experience" students combine work sessions in front of a business strategy simulator with real meetings with company managers.

The name of the simulator responds to a fictitious company owned by a famous artist who manufactures and distributes sunglasses.

The real meetings with managers reproduce the meetings that should be maintained by Sunny Day executives to develop the strategic plan. It includes meetings with legal advisors, distribution channel, advertising agency, marketing department and financial institutions.
Through this innovative activity, the UFV aims to confirm its commitment to innovation and the comprehensive training of its students.

In addition to applying their technical knowledge of the participating students must also put into play the main competences and values that define the profile of Business and Marketing graduates: teamwork, analysis and synthesis skills, communication abilities, proactivity and humility among others.

In the student`s selection, a head hunting company was involved to give more realism, and to verify that they could assume the functions of a management committee: CEO, marketing, human resources and financial managers. During the project participants fully assume the role of managers of the company Sunny Day.

The main results of the Serious Game project are to recognize and validate the benefits of the use of an advanced interactive technology (businees simulator) on the integral training of students, and their interrelations with company´s managers.

Keywords:

Serious Game, gamification, educational innovation, new educational teaching methodologies.