Journal of Management and Business Education (Apr 2021)
BUSINESS SIMULATION AS A TOOL TO DEVELOP THE SCENARIO ANALYSIS CAPACITY
Abstract
In a labour market so saturated with competent professionals and full of business adversities, students feel that the traditional educational system is not enough to enable them to be well prepared to compete efficiently in it. Therefore, in this research we have developed a business simulation game that allows them to delve into several fundamental facets so that they can ensure their professional success: involvement, capacity to analyze the environment, and decision-making capacity. This activity consisted of formulating, through a business competition, three business models with their corresponding web pages, data on their activities and different operating environments for each of them. The participants in this study were students of industrial organization and associated degrees (N = 76). The results of the study have determined that the students have been able to develop their skills in a real environment, as well as to improve their professional skills and their ability to make influential decisions in the management of the company. This simulation has enabled students to cope with real situations in which to apply the knowledge acquired during the career. In this way, students have felt better trained to be compete in the current competitive labour market. Resumen En un mercado laboral tan saturado de profesionales competentes y lleno de adversidades empresariales, los estudiantes sienten que el sistema educativo tradicional no es suficiente para que puedan estar bien preparados para competir de manera eficiente en el mismo. Por ello, en esta investigación hemos desarrollado un juego de simulación empresarial que les permita profundizar en diversas facetas fundamentales. Esta actividad consistió en formular, bajo el prisma de un concurso empresarial, tres modelos de empresas con sus correspondientes páginas web, datos sobre sus actividades y entornos de operatividad diferentes para cada una de ellas. Los participantes de este estudio fueron alumnos del grado de organización industrial y grados asociados (N = 76). Los resultados del estudio han determinado que los alumnos han podido desarrollar sus habilidades frente a un entorno real, así como mejorar sus destrezas profesionales y su capacidad para poder tomar decisiones influyentes en la dirección de la empresa. Esta simulación les ha permitido a los alumnos poder hacer frente a situaciones reales sobre los que aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos durante la carrera. De esta manera, los alumnos se han sentido mejor formados para poder competir en un mercado laboral tan competitivo como el actual.
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