TEACHING PLAN FOR
• BUSINESS GAME
1. Basic description
Name of the course: Business Game
Academic year: 2014-2015
Year: 4th
Term: 3rd
Degree / Course: Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Marketing Code: 44202
Number of credits: 4
Total number of hours committed: 100
Teaching language: English Lecturer: Jordi Garolera
Timetable: GROUP 1 Tuesday 16:00-18:00 / Thursday 17:00-19:00
GROUP 2 Tuesday 18:30-20:30 / Thursday 14:55-16:55
Office hours: Tuesdays 18:00–18:30
2. Presentation of the course
DIRECTIONS:
The Business Game is a practical course which simulates a global environment of
business competition. Working in teams, students become active participants in the management of a company. The teacher sets up the simulation by explaining the
rules of the business game in which a computer model is used.
Business simulations are effective because they require the maximum participation of students. During these practical sessions, students will have the opportunity to
apply their business knowledge.
The simulation will allow students to use their acquired knowledge of Strategic management, International business, Marketing management, Human resources,
Logistics, Accounting and Finance. Furthermore, the simulation will allow the
development of useful behavioral skills such as: teamwork, leadership, negotiation
and communication. Finally, the simulation will allow students to improving skills
such as analyzing business situations, synthesis capacity, decision making and adopting long-term perspectives.
3. Competences to be achieved in the course
The systemic and instrumental competencies are listed below:
General competences
Instrumental competences
G.I.1. Ability to search, analyse, assess and summarise information.
G.I.2. Ability to relate concepts and
knowledge from different areas.
G.I.3. Ability to organise and plan. G.I.4. Ability to tackle and solve
problems.
G.I.5. Ability to take decisions in
complex and changing environments.
G.I.8. Oral and written competence in communicating in English.
General personal competences
G.P.1. Ability to adapt, lead and work in
a group that is multicultural,
interdisciplinary, competitive, changing
and complex in nature. G.P.3. Moral commitment and ethical
sense.
G.P.4. Critical attitude.
Generic systemic competences
G.S.2. Ability to observe.
G.S.3. Ability to think globally.
G.S.4. Entrepreneurial capability. G.S.5. Ability to learn on one’s own.
Competences for applicability
G.A.1. Ability to apply acquired
knowledge and skills.
G.A.2. Ability to use quantitative criteria
and qualitative insights when taking decisions.
G.A.3. Ability to search and exploit new
information sources.
Specific competences
Disciplinary competences
E.D.8. Analyse the business organisation by identifying the key
economic factors that determine results.
Professional competences
E.P.1. Ability to understand the
decisions taken by economic agents and
their interaction in the markets.
E.P.2. Ability to analyse economic and market indicators when taking decisions
within the organisation.
E.P.8. Ability to take functional decisions
within an organisation with international activity.
E.P.9. Assess and discuss the economic
and financial position of an organisation.
E.P.10. Ability to search, interpret and assess information available in an
international environment in order to
define target markets, according to the
type of company and product.
E.P.11. Ability to analyse a foreign market and define product
implementation strategies.
E.P.17. Ability to express and
understand spoken and written communication in English at an
advanced level in the international
business environment.
E.P.19. Ability to adapt to and manage any business or international trade
activity in any area of an organisation.
The above competences interrelate with the basic competences set out in Royal
Decree 1393/2007, namely:
a. competence to comprehend knowledge, on the basis of general secondary
education
b. competence to apply knowledge to day-to-day work in international
management or marketing, in particular, ability to develop and defend arguments
and to solve problems c. competence to gather and interpret relevant data, enabling the development
of critical judgements on the economic and social reality
d. competence to communicate and transmit information (ideas, problems,
solutions) to a specialised and non-specialised public e. competence to develop learning activities in a relatively autonomous manner.
In order to establish a correspondence between the basic competences and those developed in the degree, these are grouped according to two criteria. Thus, the
competences developed in the subject are structured into those that are seen as a
development or specification of basic competences and those that define the
professional profile of the graduate, with respect to general and specific
competences.
Basic competence:understanding of knowledge
I.General competences G.I.3, G.S.2, G.A.2 II.Specific competences E.D.8, E.P.1
Basic competence:application of knowledge
I.General competences G.I.2, G.S.3
II.Specific competences E.P.11
Basic competence:gather and interpret data
I.General competences G.I.1, G.A.3
II.Specific competences E.P.2, E.P.10
Basic competence:communicate and transmit information
I.General competences G.I.8
II.Specific competences E.P.17
Basic competence:develop learning activities
I.General competences G.I.3, G.I.4, G.P.4, G.S.5
Competences that define the professional profile which are not included under basic
competences
In general, these competences combine the following key elements for
professionalising students in the area of international business and marketing:
- provide students with the capacity to adapt to dynamic teams and environments - provide students with the capacity to create their own integral vision of the
operation of a business or international marketing project
- provide students with the capacity to take complex decisions and carry out
negotiation processes
I.General competences G.I.4, G.I.5, G.P.1, G.A.1
II.Specific competences E.P.8, E.P.19
Own competences of the subject
List what is to be done by each area of a company given a specific situation that
affects its position in the market.
4. Contents
You will find below a brief description of the contents of each block:
Block contents 1. Introduction to simulation methodology and relevant
content matter
Block contents 2. Methodology and operational functioning of the software.
Block contents 3. Decision making
Block contents 4. Simulation and results analysis
Block contents 5. Review of the contents of the functional areas: purchasing,
human resources, production
Block contents 6. Review of the contents of the functional areas: marketing,
finance, logistics
5. Assessment
DIRECTIONS:
1. Type of assessment: compulsory, continuous.
Time period: duration of course
Grouping: individual and groups.
Weighting
Simulation manual’s knowledge test 20% Class attendance and active participation 30 %
Company results (Ranking) 20%
2. Type of assessment: compulsory, synthesis.
Grouping: individual
Final report (to be submitted on last day of classes) 30 %
A minimum average score of 5 must have been obtained on the continuous
evaluation in order to be able to write the company's performance report.
The report’s completion and submittal is a necessary condition to pass the
course. In case of not successfully completing the report, a grade of 4 will be
assigned.
Make up evaluation
Only the final report on the company's performance (synthesis evaluation) will be eligible for make-up if it has been failed for not attending at the end of the
trimester and the following condition is met. A minimum average score of 5 must
have been obtained on the continuous evaluation.
6. Bibliography and teaching resources
Basic bibliography The Business Policy Game: SimulationTutorials.
The Business Policy Game: Simulation Player’s Manual.
Supplementary bibliography
Literature related to Finance, Marketing, Strategic management, Human resources, Production, etc.
Teaching resources:
http://bpgsim.com/game/bpg.html http://software.bpgsim.biz/
7. Methodology
The methodology is essentially student-centered. Students must therefore assume an active and participatory role from the beginning of the course to the end.
This business simulation, which was designed for the education and training of
managers gives participants the opportunity to view a company from a
management position. During this process, students will use their know-how and their decision-making skills.
The instructor will post reports and decisions files on Moodle after each decision and
students will upload the decision file to a server on the internet when the decision is due.