Mario Martínez Tercero and Francis Blasco conducted a comprehensive study which shows the effectiveness and viability of using business simulations for training marketing professionals.
Experiential Learning vs Traditional Learning
Advanced marketing learning programmes were used to introduce business acumen games utilising the MMTv6 model in order to prove this experiential learning model was superior to the methods currently being used to train marketing managers.
Study by Dr David Kolb
Based on the “Theory Of Experiential Learning” by David Kolb, there was a study of global business acumen games, designed in order to prove that when the experiential process was used such as playing business simulator games it helped marketing managers learn this field at a faster rate. It also meant that the marketing managers gained experience and could practice in ways that would not be possible using older, traditional teaching models.
The study’s authors attempted to explain the new methods and state how important understanding their findings were and how definitively superior results could be achieved through utilising this particular training method of using business acumen games.
Experiment With Communication Students
This study corroborates previous findings that were also impressive which used fifth-year communication students at the Complutense University of Madrid’s School of Information Sciences. Participants were randomly selected to make sure that all control groups started at the same level field of knowledge. There was a placement test given for gauging learning retention. Experimental groups were provided with business game learning tasks and control groups were provided with traditional lessons.
According to the results obtained by the researchers, specific abilities and skills are needed by qualified marketing managers in order to accomplish market-related tasks effectively. They include being able to accurately analyse projects, people and situations. A manager must be able to have decision-making capabilities and problem-solving skills.
Managers must also have a strong propensity for relationship building, interpersonal communication and teamwork. It was proven that all of those skills were enhanced when the business simulation games were used as educational tools in addition to using the tool for analysing and assessing potential managers abilities and skills.
The Control and the Experimental Groups
The SPSSv14 was the verification process that the experimental group used. The first Basic Hypothesis (BH1) was confirmed by the results and were quite revealing. Problem solutions formed the basis of test measurements. The solution value that test participants provided were measured by how much profit the company acquired based on the decisions that the students made who played the business simulation game.
The Result of the Experiment
The potential profits that were gained based on the solutions from students showed that the experimental groups achieved around $825 million. The profits generated by the control groups, that did not use the business simulators, were in the $554 million range.
It was found by the researchers that the training course was rated higher by the experimental group students than those that were in the control group. There was also a larger increase in gained knowledge from the pre-test to the post-test by the groups that used the business simulation games.
“Perception of Learning” tests were used to compare the hypothesis analysing items connected with the “Abstract Conceptualisation” and “Reflexive Observation” stages. The growth of participants within the experiment group was measured from the initial stage to final testing showed a marked improvement compared to the control group that did not use business simulation games.
In the non-game control groups, the students achieved positive results only in the sections that related to organising information. Low scores were also showed when they were asked to design experiments testing their ideas or build and test conceptual models of their own. There was only a positive gain with the traditional lesson method when the previously developed theory was applied.
The Conclusion
Through the experiment, it was shown that the necessary abilities for becoming a highly effective marketing managers, through the use of Communication Students, is more achievable with simulation games. Those who used simulation games exceeded expectations for higher achievement when Kolb’s experiential learning process was used.
