Corporate Positioning: A Business Game Perspective

Abstract

This study employs a business game as a vehicle for strategic network research applications. We examine eight runs of a business game involving 700 graduating MBA student participants and evaluate the following set of network theory characteristics employed in the game: directivity, degree distribution, neighbors, components and network resilience. An analysis of the implications that these characteristics have on performance shows that companies positioning themselves at pivotal points within the network outperform companies that do not. The findings show the applicability of network theory in a business game and indicate the potential for business games to provide a realistic environment for applied research on strategic networks.