Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education

doi:10.4236/ajibm.2013.37068

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American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 2013, 3, 589-594

Published Online November 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ajibm)

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajibm.2013.37068

Open Access AJIBM

589

Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher

Education

María Romero Cuadrado1, Milagros Gutiérrez Fernández2

1Spanish Distance Learning University, Madrid, Spain; 2University of Extremadura, Extremadura, Spain.

Email: [email protected], mgutierrezf@unex,es

Received October 4th, 2013; revised November 4th, 2013; accepted November 11th, 2013

tive Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the

original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Business simulators are frequently used in higher education for its pedagogical importance. The purpose of this survey

is to know the opinion of the faculty staff regarding certain aspects of the game they use in their teaching, using the

Macbeth (Measuring Attractiveness by a Category Based Evaluation Technique) approach. This research is supported in

the multi-criteria analysis to obtain a classification of several simulation games in the role of its educational features.

The methodology establishes a hierarchical order that will allow determining the optimum simulator valuing its peda-

gogical efficiency.

Keywords: Higher Education; Business Games; Decision Making; Pedagogical Features; MACBETH

1. Introduction

Business games are frequently used in higher education

for its pedagogical importance. Also its dynamism and

competitiveness make them a credible learning method,

reflecting reality, in which business decisions are affec-

ted, within many factors, fo r its competitors [1]. Such cre-

dibility will grow as the students see certain logic bet-

ween their decisions and game results, taking a positive

attitude towards the game.

In general, participants in a game become aware of the

interrelation between an organization’s main functions in

a very realistic way; for example, the importance of mer-

chandising in finance and production [2,3]. Such interre-

lation, much explained in theory is grasped quickly by

the students thanks to the game. Therefore, it is about a

learning method that students face with big interest and

motivation, feeling “in” the simulation, stemming diffi-

culties by keeping such excitement.

Simulation games are activities oriented towards a

goal whose content and processes are intimately related

with some general or specific competence, by means of

the implementation of a series of instructions that par-

ticipants must follow, for the game to be effective. Gen-

erally these rules are specified by the designer and pre-

sented to the participants as game instructions. The

number and specification of the instructions change from

one activity to another and from one game to the other.

A game to be educational has to meet a series of fea-

tures. According to [4], games plausibility is essential for

the students to consider it a real learning method and to

be motivated by it. Nevertheless, they must understand

that it’s only a simplified representation of reality, and

because of that, they should not operate it assuming all

real life circumstances are taking place.

[3] upholds that to make the most of the results, the

game must be capable of responding to showing expec-

tations, with the objective of knowing if it has been use-

ful to the participants, and if it has allowed the achieve-

ment of objectives to set a priori.

Also, it is important that the game makes it possible

for the student to be creative at decision-making and

makes it possible for the professor to intervene in the

simulation while teaching, taking one direction or an-

other [5]. To capture business reality, the ga me should be

complex enough; although, it’s necessary to take into

account that an excessive game complexity causes frus-

tration between particip ants. It is considered the optimum

game that contains enough aspects for the student to try

solving specific problems, and at the same time provides

a general approach of what management is about, con-

sidering at all times that the student copes with an uncer-

Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education

590

tain and competitive env ironment [2,6].

In order to learn to be effective, it is essential that the

student involves creatively and perseveres in the game,

and the professor is constant in advice and in control of

the students, pr oviding continuous fee dback [7].

The unlimited grade of realism of this simulation con-

tributes to making evident that the ethical solution of

business problems of international nature requires diag-

nostic capacity and conceptual reasoning superior to

what management usually calls for in most cases; quail-

ties that for another side certainly are developed by

business games independently of their other possible me-

rits.

Through the bibliographical revision made, this re-

search expects to determine the business game with most

pedagogical effectiveness, from a teaching approach,

through the use of multi-criteria methodology “Measur-

ing Attractiveness by a Category Based Evaluation Tech-

nique” (MACBETH). For this, we have considered the

features that better describe a business simulator from a

pedagogical approach: clarity in its instructions, creativ-

ity developed in students, grade of complexity, repre-

sented reality, fulfillment of the faculty educational ob-

jectives and the students expectations, and the grade

shown in the interrelation between several business ar-

eas.

The rest of the features have been avoided for being

considered hard to measure by a professor in an objective

way, being more feasible to value by the student. This

will open as a future line of research, similar studies from

a student approach.

2. Field Work

Field work has taken place during the months of Febru-

ary, March and April of 2013. The information is gath-

ered through a survey sent by e-mail to 300 college pro-

fessors of several Spanish universities that implement

business simulation games, using as support a question-

naire composed of 10 questions (See Annex 1). There

were 130 surveys received, from which 17 were dis-

carded for not completing the required fields correctly,

leaving the sample object of study constituted by 113

professors, from the following universities: Deusto,

Pompeu Fabra, Rey Juan Carlos, ICADE, Universidad de

Valladolid, UNED, CEU San Pablo, ESIC, Universidad

de Extremadura, Universidad de Jaen, Universidad de la

Laguna and the Universidad Pública de Navarra.

The games used by the faculty of these universities are

the following nine: International Operation Simulation

(INTOP), Venture Game, Business Strategy Game 8.0,

Directivo Game (Manager Game), Juego del Ejecutivo

(Game of the Executive), Estratega Game (Strategist

Game), International Operations Simulation Mark 2000

(INTOPIA), Global Marketing Competition, and Labo-

ratorio de Gestion (Management Laboratory).

The purpose of this survey is to know the opinion of

the faculty staff regarding certain aspects of the game

that they use in their teaching. Considering the mean of

the received responses for each game, and using the

MACBETH approach, it will be possible to establish a

hierarchical order that will allow determining the opti-

mum simulator, between the ones consid ered, valuing its

pedagogical efficiency.

3. Analytical Procedure

The methodology used in this research is supported in the

multi-criteria analysis to obtain a classification of the

simulation games mentioned previously (which act as

classified alternatives), in role of its educational features

(which act as criteria or variables to consider).

The selection made of a multi-criteria methodology is

based in the existence o f multiple criteria (features in this

case), that have to be evaluated and classified from a

uniform perspective. This way, the objective of the de-

cider or evaluator (decision maker) will be to identify an

alternative, in this case a simulation game that satisfies,

in every way possible, all the selected criteria. Despite

the previous, it should be emphasize that an ab solute and

valid “better solution” will not exist for all the decision-

makers, because the results of the multi-criteria problem

will depend of the personal preferences of each one of

the professors. Such preferences can be expressed in a

quantitative or qualitative way, for the several existing

methodologies for the processing of information.

The object of study provides quantitative information

(expressed through rating scales) about the opinion of a

group of Spanish university professors regarding the

educational features of a set of business games. This in-

formation was gathered through a survey made, which

was previ ously explain e d.

The MACBETH methodology was used for the han-

dling of data introduced by Bana e Costa and Vansnick

in 1994 and developed in the fall of 2002 trough M-

MACBETH software by the same authors with De Corte1

Such election responds to the fact that the previous tech-

nique requires exclusively qualitative judgment over the

attractive differences within elements, to generate scores

for the options of each criterion and to rank those criteria

[8,9].

The MACBETH method is based in the theory of the

multi-attribute utility, developed by Keeney and Raiffa in

1976, in which each criterion indicated a partial descrip-

tion of the utility of the choices under a certain perspec-

tive. Such partial utilit ies, aggregated by a value fun ction,

will serve as reference to calculate the total utility, which

will be taken as base to solve the problem.

1An introduction and demonstration of such software can be found at

the web site: http://www.m-macbeth.com

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Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education 591

The implementation of this technique includes a series

of phases that start with a first stage of structuring, in

which will establish the criteria and the choices to be

evaluated and their respective roles. In a second phase

each option scores or preferences of attractiveness should

be valued regarding to the different criterions based on a

semantic scale of 7 categories: null, very weak, weak,

moderate, strong, very strong, and extreme allowing that

the evaluator expresses doubt [10]. From this scale de-

rives the acronym MACBETH: “Measuring Attractive-

ness by a Category Based Evaluation Technique” (meas-

ure the attractiveness through a technique of evaluation

based in categories). In this second stage a ranking of the

criteria should be made. In the third and last phase, con-

sistence of the evaluator judgment is verified, in a way

they are introduced, the software suggests different pos-

sibilities in case of flimsiness. Once the qualitative

judgment matrix is consistent, the software evolutions to

a quantitative evaluation model that provides a scale of

global scores that reflects the attractiveness of the choice

in evaluation regarding the collection of all the criteri-

ons and that should be contrasted by the evaluator

[6,11,12].

Last, sensibility and roughness of the model results

should be analyzed con sidering a key factor in the multi-

criteria methodology: data uncertainty.

The following Figure 1 shows the scheme that should

be followed while implementing the MACBETH meth-

odology:

Using the MACBETH methodology it will be possible

to rank business games considering several features and

criteria to determine the optimum simulator.

4. Empirical Study and Results

Once the reasons for the selection and main features of

the MACBETH methodo logy were explained, is possible

to implement such technique for the case object of study

following the phases indicated previously.

These options will be, logically, the nine business si-

mulators that were chosen in the surveys made for this

study.

The criteria established are seven, and are the features

that a business simulator should have in order to be ef-

fective from a pedagogical perspective. In Figure 2 the

tree that the software provides and that collects such cri-

terions an d fe atures can be obse rv ed.

Providing the 113 surveys and allowing one general

answer from the software, the data of the professors is

processed and calculating the mean of each one of the

answers, obtaining the performance table shown in Fig-

ure 3, and that expresses the opinion of the professors

regarding the pedagogical features of several business

simulators considered.

STRUCTURING EVALUATION

RECOMENDATION

Figure 1. MACBETH methodology scheme. Source: Bana e

Costa, De Corte y Vansnick (2005).

Educational

Features of

Business Games

Instruccions

Creativity

Complexity

Reality

Objectives

Interrelation

Expectations

Figure 2. Tree of criterions selected for the election of a

proper business simulator. Source: own preparation.

Figure 3. Performance Table. Source: own preparation

from M-MACBETH software.

As explained previously, the criterions must be ranked.

Nevertheless, considering that the objective of this re-

search is to analyze which is the proper game from an

educational approach, opting not to include judgments in

the software considering that all the features of the game

are equally important to see its pedagogical effectiveness

increased; which accepts the scale proposed by M-

MACBETH.

Considering the previous an analysis of results can be

made. Therefore if you observe Figures 4 it can be ob-

served the ranking obtained is the following: 1). Man-

agement Laboratory (LG), 2). INTOPIA Mark 2000 (INM),

3). Business Strategy Game 8.0 (BSG), 4). Venture Game

(VG), 5). INTOP (INT), 6). Manager Game (DG), 7). Glo-

bal Marketing Competition (GMC), 8). Strategist Game

(EG), 9. Game of the Executive (JE).

To state with certainty that the previous business

simulators will have been selected by th e professors in all

cases, an analysis of robustness should be made to eli-

minate data uncertainty and assu rance that the results are

conclusive (observe Figure 5).

In the previous figures a global comparison of pair of

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Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education

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592

Figures 4. Global thermometer and table of punctuations. Source: Own preparation from M-MACBETH software.

Figure 5. Robustness analysis. Source: Own preparation from M-MACBETH software.

choices are made and a relationship between them is

showed. This way several symbols could arise: if “a

dominates b” a triangle will come up in line a, and in

column b; if “a is globally more attractive than b, con-

sidering the available information” a cross will show the

relationship between these options, and in case this op-

tions are equivalent an equal sign will come up.

The case object of study proves that after the robust-

ness analysis is made the simulation game Management

Laboratories is a better choice in all cases, than the rest

of the simulators considered.

5. Conclusions

The research made offers universities the possibility to

employ the simulator, which between the ones analyzed,

better satisfies educational needs. For this, MACBETH

multi-criteria methodology was used, which was based

on the qualitative judgment made by the professors who

surveyed the features with which a business game must

comply in order to be educational. And the game will

allow to be organized precisely into a hierarchy that the

nine simulators analyzed previously.

In this study pedagogical features were considered that,

to the researchers judgment, could be valued objectively

by the professor, which means that, those were involved

with the game’s plausibility and complexity, its capabil-

ity to respond to setting expectatio ns, the achievement of

setting objectives a priori, the clarity of instructions, de-

velopment of the student’s creativity, and the level of

expression in the interrelation between business subsys-

Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education 593

tems.

At the sight of the results obtained, which could be

concluded that the most valued simulator within the ones

considered, is “Management Laboratory”, for being the

one that best adjusts to the educational needs of the

Spanish university p rofessors.

Although currently many business games exist, this

research delimits the search for the optimum simulator,

offering universities an efficient methodo logy that allows

to save time and costs when selecting the most efficient

simulator from a pedagogical perspective.

REFERENCES

[1] P. Straffin, “Game Theory and Strategy,” New Mathema-

tical Library, New York, 2006.

[2] S. Castro, “Juegos, Simulaciones y Simulación-Juego y

los entornos multimedia en educación Mito o Potenciali-

dad? Revista de Investigación,” Universidad Pedagógica

Experimental Libertador, Vol. 65, No. 13, 2008, pp. 223-

245.

[3] M. S. Y. Jong, J. Shang, F. Lee and J. H. M. Lee, “Harne-

sing Computer Games in Education,” International Jour-

nal of Distance Education Technologies, Vol. 6, No. 1,

2008, pp. 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jdet.2008010101

[4] A. McManus and A. Fesinstein, “Implementation of Ef-

fective Experiential Learning Environments,” Simulation &

Gaming, Vol. 116, No. 1, 2009, pp. 230-235.

[5] C. Michelsen, “E ficacia de la Simul ación,” II Simposio en

E-Learning, Tecsup julio de, 2004.

http://www.udec.cl/asinter/mostrar_datos.php?id=108904

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[6] M. Gutiérrez and M. S. Romero, “Experiential Learning:

The Effectiveness in Distance Education,” Proceedings of

INTED 2011 Conference, Valencia, 7-9 March 2011, pp.

4230-4238.

[7] C. Scalzo and L. Turner, “The Effect of Experimental

Learning Experiences on Management Skills Acquisi-

tion,” Developments in Business Simulation and Experi-

ential Learning, Vol. 34, 2007, pp. 155-160.

[8] C. A. Bana e Costa and J. C. Vansnick, “MACBETH, an

Interactive Path towards the Construction of Cardinal Va-

lue Functions,” International Transactions in Operational

Research, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1994, pp. 489-500.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3995.1994.00325.x

[9] C. A. Bana e Costa, J. M. De Corte and J. C. Vansnick,

“M-MACBETH: User’s Guide,” 2005.

www.m-macbeth.com

[10] R. Sánchez and C. A. Bana e Costa, “The MACBETH

Approach for Multicriteria Evaluation of Rural Develop-

ment Projects in Face of Cross-Cutting Issues,” Working

Paper LSE OR 09.107, the London School of Economics

and Political Science, 2009.

[11] J. A. Plata, M. E. Morales and M. A. Arias, “Impact of

Managerial Games in Business Administration Programs

as a Pedagogic Tool,” Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias

Económicas: Investigación y Reflexión, Vol. 17, No. 1,

2009, pp. 77-94.

[12] R. L. Keeney and H. Raiffa, “Decisions with Multiple

Objectives: Preferences and Value Tradeoffs,” Wiley , New

York, 1996.

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Methodology to Select the Best Business Game in Higher Education

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Appendix

ANNEX 1

Dear colleagues:

The Group for Investigation of Simulation in Teaching (Grupo de In-

vestigación de Simulación en la Enseñanza) (G.I.S.E) kindly requests

your collaboration by completing the following survey regarding the

usiness games you have implemented now a days in your teaching

activities, with the objective of gathering a significant sample that will

allow us to complete our research.

Thank you for participating.

University: …………………………….…………………

Game imple men ted: …………………………..………….

Major: ……………………………………… ……….……

Course: …………………………………………...………

Semester: …………………………………………………

INSTRUCTIONS

This questionnaire is composed of two kinds of questions:

open and closed. In the case of open questions is kindly

requested for the answer to be precise. With closed ques-

tions just make an X in the answer you consider to be the

most accurate, that is 1 for totally disagree and 7 for to-

tally agree.

1. Game instructions are clear and allowing their accurate

development.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2. Which is the optimum number of decisions that the stu-

dent must make in order to understand the oper ation of the

game?

3. The game allows students creativity.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4. Indicate the optimum number of participating teams in

the simulation.

5. The grade of complexity of the game (regarding the

number of measured variables) is accurate given the objec-

tives to be achieved.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

6. Value the business game utility as an educational tool in

order to understand business reality.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7. Indicate the number of hours a student approximately

needs for the study and implementation of the game.

8. Pedagogical objectives followed are being achieved within

the development of the game.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

9. The business simulator grasps the existing interrelation

between se ver a l roles within the business.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10. Student expectations are being achieved with the im-

plementation of the game.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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