article · Journal of International Education in Business
Business simulations provide an experiential learning approach to prepare undergraduate students for modern workforce challenges. An evaluation of a week-long workshop using AnyLogic business simulation assessed student self-perceptions across 24 soft skills related to entrepreneurship, employability, and sustainability. Analysis of survey responses showed that the simulation notably enhanced skills linked to entrepreneurship and employability. Conversely, the exercise demonstrated little impact on advancing sustainability skills. Variables such as student gender and prior expertise did not alter these outcomes. The findings demonstrate that experiential simulation tools can support business education by cultivating essential competencies, provided that participants receive suitable guidance and critical feedback throughout the learning process.
Higher education institutions face increasing pressure to equip students with practical competencies for an uncertain economic environment. By evidencing that business simulation software boosts core employability and entrepreneurial capabilities across diverse student groups, this work helps educators make informed choices about active learning technologies while identifying areas, such as sustainability, where current simulations need reinforcement.
The study evaluates an applied and tested educational technology using AnyLogic simulation software. The primary users are business schools, universities, and corporate training programmes looking to implement experiential learning curricula. While the tool is already viable for commercial deployment in developing general business and entrepreneurial capabilities, software developers may need to incorporate targeted modules if they wish to address sustainability education effectively.
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Purpose Higher education institutions are undergoing a change in their teaching–learning practices, with the core goal of giving students the necessary skills and competencies to succeed in a complex and uncertain society. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of business simulation as a pedagogical strategy for teaching 21st-century competencies to undergraduate students. The study looks at students’ self-perception on how business simulation impacts future skills such as entrepreneurship, employability and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The research incorporates a one-week workshop for undergraduate business students using AnyLogic business simulation. For this study, a 24-item skills-based survey was used as the instrument for eliciting input about students’ self-perceptions. To measure the impact of business simulation on overall student learning, a theoretical framework was developed and tested using SmartPLS version 4 for construct reliability, validity and hypotheses testing. Findings Based on the students’ feedback, the finding shows that most of the 24 soft skills were facilitated by the business simulation used. The simulation significantly affects the development of entrepreneurial and employable skills. On the contrary, it has little effect on enhancing sustainability skills. In addition, the study suggests that factors like gender and expertise had little overall impact on the results. Practical implications The most apparent practical implication of this study is that business schools should focus more on skill development by stressing on experiential teaching methods like business simulation to help students build various skills and become more prepared for the actual world of business. Originality/value The research presents fresh empirical data that add to the continuing discussion on active learning in business education and assist educators in avoiding some potential drawbacks of these innovative teaching techniques. With the right direction and criticism throughout the simulation, this learning experience has shown to be useful for everyone involved.
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DOI: 10.1108/jieb-11-2022-0085
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