SimActiondata sheet

Pedagogy

Pedagogical model Learning Learning cycle in 5 steps :
  • Situation analysis
  • Mention of possible scenarios
  • Decision-making
  • Analysis of results
  • Modeling the behavior of companies
Iterations The learning cycle is repeated several times to consolidate the gains :
  • One or two test periods
  • From 5 to 10 simulation periods
Collaboration Each company is managed by a team that takes collective decisions.
Competition Management in Action creates a virtual market where companies compete directly. The decisions of a company directly affect the performance of its competitors.
Economic sector Industry Manufacturing sector.
Enterprise Sea kayaks manufacturing factory
Localization Southern Canada (8 months of operation per year).
Canadian accounting.
Verisimilitude Good representation of a factory operations. However, to foster teamwork and achieve the objectives of the course, some differences exist in relation to reality.
Content Level College or university.
Course Introduction to entreprise.
Topics The business functions : human resources management, operations, marketing and finance.
Decisions Thirty possible decisions at each simulation period (semester) :
  • Investment
  • Human resources management : salaries, training
  • Operations : quantity, quality
  • Marketing : promotion, strategic monitoring
  • Finance : investment, projects
Incidents For each simulation period (except during tests) an incident happens. These incidents can lead to a decision or not.
Class organization Number of teams From 5 to 10 teams
Number of participants From 3 to 12 participants per team
Roles of the instructor Before the start of the simulation The instructor must :
  • Plan the calendar of the exercise
  • Select the display settings (optional)
  • Present the simulation to participants (PowerPoint file available)
During the simulation The instructor must :
  • Present an analysis of each simulation period (PowerPoint available)
  • Supervise team work
  • Change the display settings (optional)
After the simulation The instructor must :
  • Animate the plenary (PowerPoint file available)
  • Evaluate participants (various tools are available)
Communication Companies list Up-to-date list of all companies in the simulation and participants from each company :
  • Allow you to send an individual message to each participant
  • Allow you to send a message to all members of a team
  • Allow you to send a message to all participants of a class (instructor only)
Alert Message that the instructor can send at any time and that will appear the next time each participant will connect to the site (each alert appears only once).

Motivation of participants

Podium Content Ranking of companies in a simulation according to 4 criteria :
  • Sales
  • Profits
  • Share value
  • Quality
Periodicity A podium is generated for each simulation period.
Standings Content Ranking of all teams that participate in SimAction during the same academic year. It is possible to search the results database.
Periodicity This ranking is updated daily.
Certificate Content Personalized certificate in PDF format, e-mailed or delivered to participants in class.
Periodicity At the end of the simulation.

Documentation

Online help Content Includes all documentation about the simulation:
  • Express start
  • Objectives
  • Portal
  • Environment and industry
  • Company
  • Analysis of results
  • Decision-making
  • References
  • Glossaries
Format
  • Separate software (search through the table of contents, index or keyword)
  • PDF file
    • Participant version : 146 pages
    • Instructor version : 178 pages
Contextual help Content Icon next to all decisions to be taken by participants.
Format Direct link to online help.
Work plan Content Plan that presents the ordered tasks that participants must complete for each period of the simulation.
Format The work plan provides access to the proper document or form. A check mark indicates the progress of participants.
Calendar Content Schedule which specifies decisions deadline.
Format
  • The next decision appears in the work plan.
  • The complete calendar of the simulation is available in the tools.
Draft Content Document containing all decisions of the simulation that allows each participant to make suggestions prior to team discussions.
Format WORD file
Instructors Content Material for instructors:
  • Special version of the online help
  • Special version of the reports
  • Introduction to simulation (PowerPoint)
  • Conclusion of the simulation (PowerPoint)
Format Participants do not have access to these documents.

Companies results

Dashboard Content Summary of a company performance in the form of coefficients :
  • Podium
  • Human resource management
  • Operation
  • Marketing
  • Finance
Format Graphic
News Content Text published each simulation period that discusses the most significant events.
Format Automatically writed text in the form of industry newspaper.
Advice Content Comments from various characters on the performance of the company :
  • The chief executive
  • 4 customers (1 per sales territory)
  • 4 external advisors
Format Each character has two opinions, one that emphasizes a very good decision and one that highlights a very bad decision.
Reports Content Data tables to interpret the financial position of a company :
  • Financial statements
  • Internal reports
  • Operations statements
  • Industrial and economic statistics
Format EXCEL and HTML files.
Market research Content Comparative analysis of the situation of competitors in the industry. The purchase of these reports is optional.
Format EXCEL and HTML files.
Decisions history Content To better interpret the changes of decisions, the software presents a comparison of decisions of the last two periods.
Format EXCEL and HTML files.

Evaluation of participants

Logbook Content Writing a text that explains the decisions of a team and describes the dynamics of team work.
Format
  • Alone or in team
  • Texts written on the site of the simulation or copied from a text editor
  • Online correction by the instructor and automated compilation of the results
Use Can be used for each simulation period, at the discretion of the instructor.
Incidents Content A text that explains the process of participants problem solving.
Format
  • Alone or in team
  • Texts written on the site of the simulation or copied from a text editor
  • Online correction by the instructor and automated compilation of the results
Use Can be used for each simulation period, at the discretion of the instructor.
Skills questionnaire Content Multiple-choice questions that connect with the theoretical concepts. Participants answer online.
Format
  • 60 questions covering the course material
  • It is possible to select a sample of questions or to add new ones if necessary
  • The question order is different for each participant to discourage plagiarism
  • Timed questionnaire
  • Automatic correction of the questionnaire and compilation of participants results
Use Usually at the end of the simulation, after the plenary.
Collaborative work Content Questionnaire on the contribution of each member to team effort. Participants evaluates themselves, their colleagues and the overall performance of their team.
Format
  • 13 questions to answer on a scale from 1 to 5
  • Automatic results compilation
Use Many instructors use this questionnaire in a timely manner when they perceive difficulties in teamwork.
Financial performance of companies Content The key to financial performance is the unit share value of each company.
Format The share value appears in the podium for each simulation period (dashboard)
Use Many instructors assign a score based on business performance at the end of the simulation.
Site metric Content The number of participants "clicks" is compiled for each simulation period.
Format
  • Instructors have access to a summary table of the number of "clicks"
  • Instructors can assign a score on the site
  • The compilation of scores is automated
Use The score is usually attributed at the end of the simulation.

Technologies

Web platform Language Java (object-oriented computer programming).
Web browsers Optimized for the following browsers :
  • Internet Explorer 7 and above
  • Firefox 2 and above
  • Google Chrome
Accessibility 24 hours a day / 365 days a year
Deployment Simulation Each group has its own version of the software that is deployed for the duration of the exercise.
Versions Each deployment has two versions :
  • One available to participants
  • One available to the instructor
Synchronization SimAction is asynchronous, meaning that the decisions of a team have no immediate effect on other teams. The synchronization is done at the time specified by the instructor (period closing).
Registration and licensing Registration Each participant individually registers to the simulation using one of the following modes :
  • Purchase of a schoolbook that contains access rights
  • Electronic online payment
  • Use of a group access code
Licence There is no limit to the use of the website during the simulation (reading, printing, etc.). Access rights are terminated when the simulation ends.
Technical support Participants Praxem provides direct support to participants for website access problems (such as password loss).
Instructors Praxem provides direct support to instructors for technical or pedagogic questions.