Business games in logistics

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based on management functions we can define them as:
based on management functions we can define them as:
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'''Design (Projecting) Games'''. The purpose of the games of this type consists in applying logistic design methods to structure the flow of materials, goods, cash or information.
+
*'''Design (Projecting) Games'''. The purpose of the games of this type consists in applying logistic design methods to structure the flow of materials, goods, cash or information.
-
'''Planning Game'''. The goal is to arrange logistic process time and maintain it at an acceptable quality level.
+
*'''Planning Game'''. The goal is to arrange logistic process time and maintain it at an acceptable quality level.
based on subject we can divide the games as:
based on subject we can divide the games as:
-
'''Inventory Management Games'''. The aim is to demonstrate the difficulties associated with inventory management under uncertainty. Various versions of the idea embodied in situational games or computer simulations.
+
*'''Inventory Management Games'''. The aim is to demonstrate the difficulties associated with inventory management under uncertainty. Various versions of the idea embodied in situational games or computer simulations.
-
'''Cooperative game'''. The goal is to learn how to negotiate to form a coalition and allocate cost / benefit in a situation where players have different features and have different information.
+
*'''Cooperative game'''. The goal is to learn how to negotiate to form a coalition and allocate cost / benefit in a situation where players have different features and have different information.
==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:21, 5 June 2013

Russian: Бережливое производство и шесть сигм

Contents

Overview

Global process in economics causes a radical change of methodological approaches in managerial education. The business environment imposes new requirements for business school and universities graduates. They should be able quickly integrate into the business process of any company that operates both on the domestic and foreign markets. Business environment is not interested in the theoretical knowledge but in the concrete, measurable results. That is the reason of applying ‘learning by doing’ concept in managerial training programs. This concept is fully realized in business games specially developed for different level students. The first business game was developed by professor Maria Birshtein (Russia) in 1932 and it was carried out in Leningrad Engineering-Economic Institute as organizational and production test and was based on real data [1] Her idea was simple: to train top management as commanders in the war games. The results showed that the experience gained by participants in the game can be successfully applied to the real management situations.

Historical note

Despite the game method in economic practice was first developed and applied in our country, their popularity and computer realization came a quarter of a century later in the USA. Since the mid 1950s, the United States became the world center of business games development and application. Leading role in the process belonged to the American Management Association. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force developed and applied the game Monopolog, which reproduces the logistic process of the U.S. Air Force bases [2]. The goal was to prepare the purchasing managers. This experience inspired businessmen from the American Management Association, as they realized that decision-making process in military affairs and business are very similar. As a result, in 1956, a well-known business game Top Management Decision Simulation was developed [3]. In the early 1960s in the USA was developed the first business computer game that simulated the activities of producers in competition. In the late 30's business games in our country have been banned, and only in the 70s revived the creation and application of business games. Now there are many business games developed in Russia and other countries which are available for teachers and learners [4].

Educational purpose

Generalization of domestic and foreign business games development experience allows us to formulate a number of requirements that ensures the effective implementation of games in educational programs in the context of globalization of business and education. The most important of these requirements are as follows:

  • Interdisciplinary approach. The development of science and education now mostly defined by the interdisciplinary integration of different areas of knowledge.
  • Team work. Team work performed as a game is one of the methods of cooperative learning, the best way to train professional interaction.
  • Global informational and communication environment use. Strategies for internationalization of the leading business schools include, along with the traditional, full-time education, training via the Internet or an intranet environment, so-called online education. Business games can also be implemented using the online learning instruments as in the regime of real-time and deferred interaction mode.
  • Universal learner educational model use. In one game participants can play several different roles, to interact with colleagues at the bargaining table and through the computer, use the video, audio and tactile information sources [5], [6].

Games types

In logistics, there are several types of business games, based on management functions we can define them as:

  • Design (Projecting) Games. The purpose of the games of this type consists in applying logistic design methods to structure the flow of materials, goods, cash or information.
  • Planning Game. The goal is to arrange logistic process time and maintain it at an acceptable quality level.

based on subject we can divide the games as:

  • Inventory Management Games. The aim is to demonstrate the difficulties associated with inventory management under uncertainty. Various versions of the idea embodied in situational games or computer simulations.
  • Cooperative game. The goal is to learn how to negotiate to form a coalition and allocate cost / benefit in a situation where players have different features and have different information.

References

  1. BBelchikov J., Birstein M. Business Games. Riga: Avots, 1989
  2. Renshaw J., Heuston A. THE Game Monopologs.- Research Memorandum. RM-1917-1-PR. RAND Corporation. 1957
  3. Shim, J. Playing Executive Management Games to Win, Data Management, 15: 28-31 (August 1979)
  4. Kazantsev A., Serova L. Organization management: Business Games. Saint Petersburg, 2000
  5. Magdy M. Kabeil. UAE The Role of Management Games in Mapping Learning Styles to Elements of Business KnowHow Acquisition: A Case Study. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 6, 2009, 531-543
  6. Siewiorek A. Playing toLearn: Business Simulation Games as Leadership Learning Environments. Centre for Learning Research, University of Turku, SARJA SER.B OSA TOM.347, 2012. ISBN 978-951-29-5007-2

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