Online Simulations in Management Education about Information and its Uses

This chapter reports on computerized simulation / games developed and used in graduate and executive education of managers (MBA programs). Managers may be among the toughest candidates for education. Online, computerized and network-mediated simulations amplify many of the traditional advantages of games in learning, and may be part of the solution to the difficulty of educating managers. Computerized games can be classified and compared by the nature of competition embedded in their topology: player vs. machine, player vs. player, and player with player. We report on one computerized simulation in each of these categories. The Lemonade Stand simulation is a person and machine implementation of information decision making processes. The Online Auction simulation introduces social, and interactional aspects of economic behavior. And the quot;Huliaquot; online computerization of the Beer Game allows groups to experience collaboration and competition in a complex, real time online environment. We conclude this chapter with a discussion of the expected and experienced benefits of simulations in training, as achieved through online gaming