General Management Policy Simulations: Which Games Are Popular, And Why Do Professors Stop Using Games?

Abstract

One-hundred professors who are members of the Academy of Management policy division were surveyed as to the use of simulations in the policy/strategy course. The intent of the survey was to determine the extent of usage, the names of the simulations used, simulation relationship to other instructional methods and the percent of final grade attributable to simulation play. Current users were asked if they had stopped using a specific simulation in the past and the reason(s) why. Sixty-four valid responses were received and tabulated. Slightly more than 48% of policy/strategy professors currently use games and they consume approximately 25% of the time spent in the course, slightly behind cases. Almost all require the decisions to be made by student groups.