A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Bringing the world into our classrooms - The benefits of engaging students in an international business simulation – The benefits of engaging students in an international business simulation
Subtitle: The benefits of engaging students in an international business simulation
Authors: Kӧhler Tine, Fischlmayr Iris, Lainema Timo, Saarinen Eeli
Editors: Charles Wankel, Patrick Blessinger
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication year: 2012
Book title : INCREASING LEARNER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES: Classroom Response Systems and Mediated Discourse Technologies
Series title: Emerald Publishing Group’s Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education series
Volume: 6E
First page : 163
Last page: 198
Number of pages: 36
ISBN: 978-78190-511-1
ISSN: 2044-9968
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9968(2013)000006E009
VIBu – Virtual Teams in International Business – is the name of a training concept, which is aimed at familiarizing participants with collaborating in a virtual environment. Based on the online business simulation RealGame™, participants are assigned to multicultural virtual teams that represent different companies. These companies are either competing with or depending on each other in typical business processes of an internationally operating manufacturing company. Interaction and negotiation are required throughout the whole simulation. All communication takes place via ICT, mainly Skype and Skype chat. The main challenge in the environment is that participants are located in different countries and even different time zones all over the world. The book chapter first outlines some of the challenges of global teamwork that organizations face. We argue that students need to learn how to navigate in global teams before they leave university as they are bound to become involved in organizational global teamwork sooner rather than later. We draw on frameworks for experiential learning (e.g., Kolb’s learning model, Kolb, 1984) and the constructivist learning paradigm (Lainema, 2009) to outline the learning experiences that students need to master in order to become effective global team members. In addition, we highlight the potential for learner engagement that this approach offers. The chapter concludes by highlighting the key learning and teaching outcomes from incorporating this cutting-edge simulation technology. Furthermore, we direct the reader’s attention to ways in which the simulation can be used for research purposes, international interuniversity collaborations, and multidisciplinary research on teaching practices and engaged learning.
