An Experimental Examination of Group Size Effects: Implications for Experiential Learning in the First Course in Management

Abstract

The first course in management, commonly called the “Principles Course,” exists in nearly all schools with programs in business. As many of its teachers will attest, it is one of the most difficult courses to design and to teach effectively. It is difficult to “package” the complex and multidisciplinary body of knowledge of management into a one- semester course. Students are forced to learn the concepts, terminology, and perspectives of managerial action simultaneously. Furthermore, some of the analytical perspectives introduced in the first course, such as systems thinking, are often new and therefore alien to the beginning student.