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Secrets to Success: Business Skills and Knowledge That Students Find Most Useful in Succeeding in a Capstone Course Simulation

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Title: Secrets to Success: Business Skills and Knowledge That Students Find Most Useful in Succeeding in a Capstone Course Simulation
Language: English
Authors: Gresch, Eric, Rawls, Janita
Source: Journal of Education for Business. 2017 92(7):358-367.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2017
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Descriptors: Business Skills, Success, Simulation, Interpersonal Competence, Student Attitudes, Relevance (Education), Educational Games, Educational Needs, Student Educational Objectives, Academic Achievement, Skill Development, Statistical Analysis, Instructional Effectiveness, College Students, Course Evaluation, Case Studies, Student Surveys, Business Administration Education
DOI: 10.1080/08832323.2017.1393375
ISSN: 0883-2323
Abstract: This exploratory research examines students' perceptions of a capstone business simulation game by identifying (a) courses that were most useful in preparing students for the simulation and (b) interpersonal skills students found most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation. Also identified are the simulation's impact on student understanding of business disciplines and additional interpersonal skills training desired by the students. By studying these later topics, faculty members can alter their course design so that students are better prepared for their capstone course simulation. Finally, connections between the simulation participation and attitudes toward employment and career success are explored.
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 21
Entry Date: 2017
Accession Number: EJ1161273
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0126288036;jeb01oct.17;2019Mar06.14:51;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0126288036-1">Secrets to success: Business skills and knowledge that students find most useful in succeeding in a capstone course simulation. </title> <p>This exploratory research examines students' perceptions of a capstone business simulation game by identifying (a) courses that were most useful in preparing students for the simulation and (b) interpersonal skills students found most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation. Also identified are the simulation's impact on student understanding of business disciplines and additional interpersonal skills training desired by the students. By studying these later topics, faculty members can alter their course design so that students are better prepared for their capstone course simulation. Finally, connections between the simulation participation and attitudes toward employment and career success are explored.</p> <p>Keywords: Active learning; capstone; interpersonal skills; simulation; strategy course</p> <p>Capstone courses in undergraduate business programs are ubiquitous and have been used for decades. These courses exist to tie learning together from disparate disciplines so that students can see the connections and ties between various functional business areas. They also frequently possess a global component and are utilized by business programs to verify that graduates meet certain learning targets. As one of the last courses in the program of study, the value of capstone courses is multidimensional and includes assessment as an important role.</p> <p>Capstone course design frequently includes high levels of student engagement (Rash & Weld, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref1">15</reflink>]). Professors utilize simulations, final project reports, presentations, and exams from strategic management textbooks to engage students to produce higher-order learning. The intent of both professors and administrators is for students to utilize concepts from core courses to develop strategic plans. Capstone courses are identified by Kuh ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref2">9</reflink>]) as a high-impact practice that is beneficial to students with diverse backgrounds.</p> <p>Another benefit of the capstone course is that it provides students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to simulations or other types of "real-world" applications. This application of knowledge is critical for employers. Future employers desire student learning which simulates the business experience so that graduates are well prepared to enter work life. As Schwering ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref3">19</reflink>]) noted, "Such situations can be a bit scary to students, but certainly provide insights about organizational dynamics that students will likely face again in their professional lives" (p. 94).</p> <p>Capstone courses frequently require a substantial body of written work as students chronicle business strategy. These reports are extensive in nature and document the courses of action and results from the simulations or other projects within the course. The development of the business strategy report provides students the opportunity to practice communication and critical thinking skills. With multiple drafts occurring, students' writing and critical thinking improves (Rudes, Portillo, Sloas, & Hutzell, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref4">18</reflink>]).</p> <p>In summary, capstone courses are useful as a way to assimilate prior disciplinary learning, provide experiential and real-world learning experiences, and assist students with communication and critical thinking skills. These courses also help students prepare for employment and career success.</p> <p>To improve our understanding of student learning in a capstone course, this exploratory research focuses on examining the courses and interpersonal skills students found most helpful in succeeding in a capstone course business simulation. Additionally, students were asked to identify further training that would have been helpful to succeed in the simulation. Students also indicated the degree to which the simulation helped them better understand different business disciplines. By identifying the knowledge and skills students found helpful, faculty can continue to emphasize these concepts in the courses preceding the simulation. By probing students' specific training needs and gaps in disciplinary connections, faculty members can improve their course design. The study's findings will not only assist in improving faculty members' understanding of how students can become more successful in a capstone course, but also identify areas for improvement that faculty members can address by modifying their teaching and course content. Additionally, connections between student participation in the simulation and attitudes toward career success are explored.</p> <p>The research on specific skills and knowledge students deemed most critical for the capstone course and the simulation experience is sparse. Thus, this research study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the question of which courses and skill sets (knowledge and skills) students found most important to their success. Students also identified additional training they believe would result in greater achievement in a business capstone simulation. By probing areas of the simulation's impact on student disciplinary learning, faculty can identify topical areas to highlight in the capstone course before the simulation. Also, this knowledge can be used to assist with integrating prior business learning and avoid students perceiving the capstone course in a standalone fashion as noted in Flynn and Duesing's ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref5">5</reflink>]) research. The following research questions will assist faculty in understanding student perceptions relating to a capstone simulation activity.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-2">Research questions</hd> <p>The research questions focused on the students' perspective relating to the simulation. The research questions included the following:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Research Question 1: Which courses were most useful in preparing students for the simulation?</item> <p></p> <item> Research Question 2: Which interpersonal skills did students find most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation?</item> <p></p> <item> Research Question 3: What was the simulation's impact on student understanding of specific business disciplines?</item> <p></p> <item> Research Question 4: What additional interpersonal skills training did students want?</item> <p></p> <item> Research Question 5: What was the simulation's impact on student attitudes pertaining to employment and career success?</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0126288036-3">Literature review</hd> <p>A myriad of literature exists on business capstone courses. Literature is available from the perspective of teaching and learning. Flynn and Duesing ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref6">5</reflink>]) examined student perceptions of learning in the capstone course. They found that "students perceive core business courses in a stand-alone manner rather than learning that will be integrated in a capstone course. Particularly disturbing was the lack of perceived relevance for accounting, economics, finance, and statistics subjects as well as perceived lack of need to revisit those core subjects in the capstone course" (Flynn & Duesing, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref7">5</reflink>], p. 99). Lewis ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref8">10</reflink>]) argued for an integrated approach in teaching the capstone strategic management course. [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref9">10</reflink>] noted that by integrating a traditional approach and an innovation management process, the ability of students to generate strategic ideas will improve. "Most importantly, they (students) are able to enter the working world with a tenacity and passion for generating new ideas to create long term value for new and existing firms" (Lewis, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref10">10</reflink>], p. 66). In another study, Balch and Borah ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref11">2</reflink>]) provided insights to teaching business strategy courses by focusing on critical thinking and problem solving skills using a combination of conceptual and applied learning. The authors' intent is to improve critical thinking because of the rate in which business knowledge is increasing. They argued that students must learn how to analyze information and digest a large amount of data for career success. Furthermore, Grinnell, Muise, and Litvin ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref12">6</reflink>]) stressed the need to integrate Oxford tutorial practices with peer-assisted learning in a capstone course. By combining these two pedagogical practices, a highly engaged, higher order, and more rigorous teaching method benefits a reflective practitioner. The researchers contend that this model provides students with a means to learn reflection skills rather than just memorizing concepts, and reflective learning is more consistent with professional practice.</p> <p>Capstone course literature also provides insights into the critical role of assessment as a mechanism for evaluating course outcomes and identifying areas for improvement. Payne, Whitfield, and Flynn ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref13">14</reflink>]) reviewed the methods and tools used to assess learning in capstone courses to derive a theoretical perspective of an assessment framework. In their framework, they noted a multidimensional approach of gathering perceptions from internal and external constituencies aid the assessment process. A multifaceted perspective facilitates a deeper understanding of learning objectives and enhances teaching efforts. For example, Li and Simonson ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref14">11</reflink>]) utilized four measures (direct and indirect) of student learning which included results from a subjective measure, a national test, undergraduate research paper competitions, and alumni graduate studies data. This multifaceted assessment approach in a capstone course provided data that demonstrated the value of a new disciplinary capstone course that improved the quality of student research and raised the wages of the institution's graduates.</p> <p>Literature is also prevalent on the value of simulations of capstone courses for specific disciplines. Reid, Brown, and Tabibzadeh ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref15">16</reflink>]) wrote extensively on business simulations—the value and how to use the capstone course as an effective learning tool. Furthermore, undergraduate degrees in marketing, finance, management information systems, economics, and accounting often include their own capstone course (Baird & Riggins, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref16">1</reflink>]; Crittenden & Crittenden, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref17">3</reflink>]; Jervis & Hartley, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref18">7</reflink>]; Li & Simonson, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref19">11</reflink>]; Nelson & Bianco, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref20">13</reflink>]). Additionally, Usry, White, and Olivo ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref21">21</reflink>]) discussed the process of developing a capstone course for international business students.</p> <p>While there are more studies focusing on capstone course development, there is less research focusing on the student perspective of their capstone experience, especially relating to the use of a simulation game. One study examined the relationship between team-level attributes and simulation performance (Ritchie, Fornaciari, Drew, & Marline, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref22">17</reflink>]). The researchers found that certain team values were clearly linked to simulation performance, specifically, "team culture accounts for a large portion of variance in simulation performance" (Ritchie et al., [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref23">17</reflink>], p. 613). The researchers found that although a "highly competitive results orientation" is necessary, it is not the only cultural variable needed to succeed. They determined that for teams to succeed in a simulation it was important to consider the "types of culture and alignment with outcomes in order to gain maximum performance benefits" (Ritchie et al., [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref24">17</reflink>], p. 614).</p> <p>While the literature review has noted the importance and prevalence of capstone simulations, this research seeks to fill gaps within the literature by studying the specific skills and knowledge students found most critical to their success.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-4">Methods</hd> <p>Using a single case analysis, survey research was used in this exploratory study. Data were quantitative in nature and collected in fall 2014 and spring 2015. During the initial survey administration, no items were determined to be confusing for students in formulating their responses. Because student responses to the original items indicated the students understood the items as written, the researchers were able to administer the survey again in spring 2015 without any alterations. This survey was administered online after the simulation ended.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-5">Survey instrument</hd> <p>The main survey questions included the following:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> 1. Participants were provided a list of 16 required (core) business courses and asked to identify the courses (up to five) they found most useful in preparing them for the business simulation game.</item> <p></p> <item> 2. Participants were provided a list of 21 interpersonal skills and were asked to identify five skills they found to be the most helpful when working with their teammates on the simulation.</item> <p></p> <item> 3. Participants indicated the degree of their agreement with statements relating to the simulation's effectiveness in helping increase their understanding of eight different business discipline-related areas.</item> <p></p> <item> 4. Participants were provided the same list of 21 interpersonal items and were asked to identify three skills for which they would like additional training.</item> <p></p> <item> 5. Participants indicated their level of agreement with three statements relating to the simulation's impact on their future employment and career success.</item> </ulist> <p>The full survey is located in Appendix A.</p> <p>The survey items were derived from several sources. Prerequisite courses for the student's major, business administration, were the 16 required courses in the student's major. These courses formed the list from which students identified those courses most helpful in preparing for the game. The 21 interpersonal skills were drawn from the taxonomy of interpersonal skills developed by Klein, DeRouin, and Salas ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref25">8</reflink>]), the National Survey of College and Employers (NACE) annual survey, and other research outlets. Items used a ranking format to limit the participant's cognitive demands in identifying the most salient skills. The eight business discipline areas were drawn from the simulation's topic-specific decision entry pages (e.g., sales forecasting and corporate social responsibility [CSR]). Decisions relating to other business disciplines, not listed in the survey items (e.g., human resources), were dispersed among the simulation's various topic-specific entry pages (e.g., worker compensation decisions fell under the decision entry page dedicated to production, whereas ethics training decisions fell under the decision entry page dedicated to CSR). The survey items, pertaining to the student's perception of the simulation's utility for preparing them for career success, were derived from the researchers' general experience with career exploration and the literature (Schwering, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref26">19</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-6">Simulation structure</hd> <p>The simulation utilized in this research project was the Business Strategy Game (Thompson, Stappenbeck, Thrasher, & Harms, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref27">20</reflink>]). The simulation was structured such that in each course section 8–10 student teams consisting of 3–5 students competed against one another in a global athletic footwear setting. Each student team was given the role of acting as the executive management team of a company; the team's responsibility was to develop and execute a business strategy for their organization with the goal of surpassing investor financial outcome expectations. Decisions included those related to corporate citizenship, sales forecasting, production, finance, distribution, and marketing. After each weekly decision deadline passed, the simulation processed the teams' decisions and provided students with resulting sales and financial outcomes. Decisions and outcomes were quantitative in nature, with numerical values entered for decisions (e.g., product quality, sales price, advertising spending) and resulting outcomes also expressed in numerical values (e.g., sales, profits, earnings per share).</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-7">Participants</hd> <p>The research participants were students earning a bachelor of arts in business administration with senior class standing (90+ credit hours) and enrolled in the degree's business strategy capstone course in a public, teaching-oriented institution. A total of 214 students were surveyed following their participation in the 11-week business strategy computer simulation. In the first online survey administration (fall 2014), 82% of the participants completed the survey. In the second administration (spring 2015), the response rate was 90%. The overall response rate for both online survey administrations was 86%.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-8">Results</hd> <p>Table 1 exhibits a summary of results relating to courses students identified as the most useful in preparing them for the simulation. In selecting five courses from a list of 16, 30% or more of all students identified the following courses to be the most helpful in preparing them for the simulation: (a) Financial Management—FINA 3000 (58.2%), (b) Introduction to Financial Accounting—ACCT 2101 (53.4%), (c) Global Business—BUSA 3200 (42.3%), (d) Operations Management—MGMT 4600 (40.9%), (e) Principles of Marketing—MKTG 3000 (38.0%), (f) Introduction to Managerial Accounting—ACCT 2102 (38.0%), and (g) Principles of Management—MGMT 3000 (31.3%).</p> <p>Table 1. Courses most commonly identified by students as those most useful in preparing them for the simulation.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Course</td><td>Percentage</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Financial Management</td><td char=".">58.2</td></tr><tr><td>Intro to Financial Accounting</td><td char=".">53.4</td></tr><tr><td>Global Business</td><td char=".">42.3</td></tr><tr><td>Operations Management</td><td char=".">40.9</td></tr><tr><td>Principles of Marketing</td><td char=".">38.0</td></tr><tr><td>Intro to Managerial Accounting</td><td char=".">38.0</td></tr><tr><td>Principles of Management</td><td char=".">31.3</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>5 <emph>Note</emph>. Students were able to select up to five classes from a total of 16.</p> <p>Table 2 summarizes the results relating to skills students identified as the most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation. In identifying the five most helpful of 21 choices, six skills were identified by 50% or more of students including oral communication (74.0%), team skills (74.0%), problem solving (68.8%), leadership (68.3%), organizational skills (52.9%), and cooperation and coordination (51.9%).</p> <p>Table 2. Interpersonal skills most commonly identified by students as those most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Skill set</td><td>Percentage</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Oral communication</td><td char=".">74.0</td></tr><tr><td>Team skills</td><td char=".">74.0</td></tr><tr><td>Problem solving</td><td char=".">68.8</td></tr><tr><td>Leadership</td><td char=".">68.3</td></tr><tr><td>Organizational skills</td><td char=".">52.9</td></tr><tr><td>Cooperation and coordination</td><td char=".">51.9</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>6 <emph>Note</emph>. Students were able to select up to five skills sets from a total of 21.</p> <p>Table 3 provides a summary of results relating to student agreement with statements assessing the degree to which simulation participation helped the student gain a better understanding of eight different business discipline-related areas tied to the game. The percentage of students who reported agreement or strong agreement include the following: business strategy development (82.2%), operations (production, distribution, and logistics; 81.3%), international business considerations (tariffs, exchange rates, geographical cost differences; 77.9%), finance (76.9%), the interrelatedness of business functions (76.9%), sales forecasting (76.0%), marketing (62.5%), and CSR (58.2%).</p> <p>Table 3. Student agreement that the simulation helped them gain a better understanding of business discipline-related areas.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Business area</td><td>Strongly agree (%)</td><td>Agree (%)</td><td>Slightly agree (%)</td><td>Slightly disagree (%)</td><td>Disagree (%)</td><td>Strongly disagree (%)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Business strategy development</td><td char=".">43.3</td><td char=".">38.9</td><td char=".">10.6</td><td char=".">2.4</td><td char=".">2.9</td><td char=".">1.9</td></tr><tr><td>Sales forecasting</td><td char=".">33.2</td><td char=".">42.8</td><td char=".">14.9</td><td char=".">4.3</td><td char=".">3.4</td><td char=".">1.4</td></tr><tr><td>Marketing</td><td char=".">24.5</td><td char=".">38.0</td><td char=".">25.5</td><td char=".">3.8</td><td char=".">5.3</td><td char=".">2.9</td></tr><tr><td>Finance</td><td char=".">37.0</td><td char=".">39.9</td><td char=".">13.0</td><td char=".">5.3</td><td char=".">2.9</td><td char=".">1.9</td></tr><tr><td>Operations (production, distribution, and logistics</td><td char=".">48.1</td><td char=".">33.2</td><td char=".">12.0</td><td char=".">2.9</td><td char=".">2.4</td><td char=".">1.4</td></tr><tr><td>Corporate social responsibility</td><td char=".">25.0</td><td char=".">33.2</td><td char=".">25.0</td><td char=".">9.1</td><td char=".">4.3</td><td char=".">3.4</td></tr><tr><td>The interrelatedness of business functions</td><td char=".">39.4</td><td char=".">37.5</td><td char=".">16.3</td><td char=".">3.4</td><td char=".">2.4</td><td char=".">1.0</td></tr><tr><td>International business considerations (tariffs, exchange rates, geographic cost differences)</td><td char=".">44.2</td><td char=".">33.7</td><td char=".">13.5</td><td char=".">2.9</td><td char=".">3.8</td><td char=".">1.9</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Table 4 identifies the skills for which students desired additional training. In identifying up to three of the potential 21 item choices, six skills were identified by 15% or more of students including crisis management (27.9%), conflict management (conflict resolution and negotiation; 21.6%), assertive communication (18.8%), leadership (18.0%), creativity (16.9%), and sales or persuasion (social influence; 15.9%).</p> <p>Table 4. Interpersonal skills mostly commonly identified by students as those for which they would like additional training.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Skill set</td><td>Percentage</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Crisis management</td><td char=".">27.9</td></tr><tr><td>Conflict management (conflict resolution and negotiation)</td><td char=".">21.6</td></tr><tr><td>Assertive communication</td><td char=".">18.8</td></tr><tr><td>Leadership</td><td char=".">18.0</td></tr><tr><td>Creativity</td><td char=".">16.9</td></tr><tr><td>Sales/persuasion (social influence)</td><td char=".">15.9</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>7 <emph>Note</emph>. Students were able to select up to three skills sets from a total of 21.</p> <p>In assessing student perceptions of the simulation's impact on their employment and career success, participant responses for the item "The BSG simulation has helped me learn skills that will be valued by employers hiring business majors" indicated 5.3% = strongly disagree, 2.9% = disagree, 6.3% = slightly disagree, 14.9% = slightly agree, 35.6% = agree, and 35.1% = strongly agree. Participant responses for the item "I feel I could use my simulation experiences as a means of demonstrating my understanding of key business concepts when interviewing for jobs relating to business" indicated 6.3% = strongly disagree, 4.3% = disagree, 4.3% = slightly disagree, 16.8% = slightly agree, 38.0% = agree, and 30.3% = strongly agree. Participant responses for the item "As a result of participating in the simulation, I feel more confident in my ability to be successful in the business world" indicated 6.7% = strongly disagree, 4.3% = disagree, 5.3% = slightly disagree, 21.6% = slightly agree, 33.2% = agree, and 28.8% = strongly agree.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-9">Discussion</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0126288036-10">Most useful courses</hd> <p>The most useful courses closely mirrored the business areas identified by students as those in which they gained a better understanding through simulation participation. The four courses identified as most useful were financial management, introduction to financial accounting, global business, and operations management. The knowledge associated with these courses is very similar to the business discipline-related areas in which the simulation was most helpful in facilitating student learning: business strategy development (82.2%), operations (production, distribution, and logistics; 81.3%), international business considerations (tariffs, exchange rates, geographical. cost differences; 77.9%), and finance (76.9%).</p> <p>One explanation of these parallels could be that those particular courses taught the students important knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the simulation, so that participating in the simulation further improved student learning by applying prior knowledge and skills. For example, after successfully gaining pertinent financial knowledge and skills in the financial management course, students were able to successfully apply their existing financial knowledge and skills in the simulation and further enhance their understanding of finance.</p> <p>An alternative explanation would be that the relative usefulness of any given prior course was limited to the extent to that the simulation allowed students to apply what they learned in a previous course. For example, the simulation's decisions relating to marketing were fairly narrow and quantitative in nature. As such, students might have felt their prior marketing course (however helpful in developing a wide range of marketing-related knowledge and skills) was not as useful in the simulation because they were only able to apply a narrow subset of the knowledge and skills they had gained in their marketing course.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-11">Most helpful interpersonal skills</hd> <p>Another insight related to skills students found most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation. In selecting the five most helpful of 22 choices, six skills were identified by 50% or more of students including oral communication (74.0%), team skills (74.0%), problem solving (68.8%), leadership (68.3%), organizational skills (52.9%), and cooperation and coordination (51.9%). When evaluating the skills that students identified as most helpful, it is interesting to compare the results of a NACE survey that asked employers to assess the importance of 19 attributes they sought on a candidate's resume (National Association of Colleges and Employers, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref28">12</reflink>]). The top attributes identified in the NACE survey include leadership (80.1%), ability to work in a team (78.9%), written communication skills (70.2%), problem-solving skills (70.2%), and verbal communication skills (68.9%). See Table 5.</p> <p>Table 5. Comparison of the attributes employers seek on a candidate's resume with skills that students found most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>NACE survey attributes employers seek on a candidate's resume</td><td>NACE rank</td><td>Skills students found most helpful when working with teammates</td><td>Student rank</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Leadership (80.1%)</td><td>1</td><td>Leadership (68.3%)</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td>Ability to work in a team (78.9%)</td><td>2</td><td>Team skills (74.0%)</td><td>1 (tie)</td></tr><tr><td>Cooperation and coordination (51.9%)</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>Written communication skills (70.2%)</td><td>3 (tie)</td><td>Written communication (36.1%)</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>Problem-solving skills (70.2%)</td><td>3 (tie)</td><td>Problem solving (68.8%)</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>Verbal communication skills (68.9%)</td><td>5</td><td>Oral communication (74.0%)</td><td>1 (tie)</td></tr><tr><td>Organizational ability (48.4%)</td><td>14</td><td>Organizational skills (52.9%)</td><td>5</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>8 <emph>Note</emph>. Students were able to select up to five skills sets from a total of 21. NACE = National Survey of Colleges and Employers.</p> <p>In comparing the top candidate attributes identified in the NACE survey with the skills students found most helpful in the simulation, there are a number the similarities between the two lists. Top candidate attributes including leadership, ability to work in a team, problem-solving skills corresponded with skills that students identified as most helpful in the simulation. Many of the skills students utilized for successful collaboration in the simulation are the same skills that employers value as most important when evaluating job candidates.</p> <p>In preparing students to be competitive in the job market, it appears the simulation provided students the opportunity to develop and refine important skills that closely correspond to attributes most valued by employers on a candidate's resume. These types of skills have been identified as typical learning outcomes (e.g., critical thinking, communication, team building) of business capstone courses (Crittenden & Crittenden, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref29">3</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-12">Improved understanding of business areas</hd> <p>A majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the simulation helped them gain a better understanding of every business area listed in the survey. However it appeared two business areas received a lower level of agreement than the others. While 76.0–82.2% of all students agreed or strongly agreed that they gained a better understanding of business strategy development, operations (production, distribution, and logistics), international business considerations (tariffs, exchange rates, geographical cost differences), finance, the interrelatedness of business functions, and sales forecasting, only 53.2–62.5% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they gained a better understanding of CSR and marketing.</p> <p>One possible explanation of the lower level of agreement associated with CSR and marketing related to design of the game. In the area of marketing, only numeric or quantitative information was available for evaluation and decisions could only be expressed in quantitative data entry. However, in the marketing discipline, professionals are often not limited to numeric data for evaluation and decision making. Marketing professionals often utilize a diverse set of cognitive and interpersonal skills and abilities such as creativity; identifying, formulating, and solving problems; writing in a business environment; managing customer relationships; making sales presentations; and merchandising and design skills (Finch, Nadeau, & O'Reilly, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref30">4</reflink>]). Because the information and decisions relating to this particular simulation were largely limited to utilizing quantitative skills for making a limited number of marketing decisions, some students might have felt the game did not allow for the students to build on a variety of other marketing skills and abilities they developed in prior courses.</p> <p>Students' relatively lower level of agreement with the simulation's usefulness in helping them gain a better understanding of CSR could be potentially be explained by the student perceptions of a relatively weak or ambiguous link between investments in CSR and desired outcomes. Without a clear link between CSR investments and specific impacts on important outcomes, students failed to see a clear benefit to CSR investments.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-13">Additional interpersonal skills training requested</hd> <p>The types of skills which students wanted more training provides some insights into the challenges faced by students participating in the simulation, including managing crises and conflict during the course of the simulation. Students also showed an interest in additional skills relating to assertive communication, leadership, creativity, and sales or persuasion. Student interest in specific areas can provide valuable insights into gaps between program curriculum and student needs. If a program already includes courses teaching these skills, modifications to those courses would likely be appropriate. If no course currently teaches these skills, it would be important to add them to the core business curriculum.</p> <p>The particular skills that students expressed the greatest interest in for additional training highlight the competitive and demanding nature of the simulation. Students needed to be able to work effectively in a highly interdependent, cross-functional team to compete successfully. Considering the demands of the particular simulation, it is understandable that students expressed a desire to increase their skills in the areas of crisis management, conflict management, assertive communication, and leadership.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-14">Business simulation impact on perceptions of employment and career success</hd> <p>It appears the simulation had a positive impact on participants' confidence in their ability to succeed in the business world, with most students (70.7%) indicating they agreed or strongly agreed that the simulation helped them learn skills valued by employers hiring business majors. This high level of agreement is consistent with the study's findings that participation in the simulation resulted in students utilizing a number of skills (i.e. team skills and oral communication skills) that are also valued by employers. Similarly, 68.3% of students agreed or strongly agreed that in participating in business-related job interviews, they could use their experiences from participation in the simulation to demonstrate their understanding of key business concepts to prospective employers. Last, a slightly lower percentage of participants (62.0%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more confident in their ability to be successful in the business world as a result of participating in the simulation. This relatively lower confidence level in achieving success in the business world may indicate that while students believe the simulation did increase their business-related knowledge and strengthen skills valued by employers, some students remain uncertain in their ability to succeed in the workplace. One explanation may be that students who lacked prior meaningful professional work experience had not yet been exposed to workplace contexts in which they could successfully apply their skills and knowledge, thus undermining their confidence in their ability to succeed. Future researchers should potentially investigate the impact of previous work experience, including internships, on enhancing student self-confidence in career success that may result from participating in a business simulation.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-15">Impact on teaching a business capstone course</hd> <p>This research, although useful for understanding student needs, can also assist faculty in structuring business capstone courses with simulations. First, faculty members teaching capstone courses might need to adjust their focus in presenting material. With only 53.2–62.5% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that they gained a better understanding of CSR and marketing, the connections with these topics might need to be further explained. For example, faculty might need to reteach how marketing and CSR influence business outcomes. Additionally, a business program might want to explore if the faculty members who teach the capstone course have a background and appreciation of the impact marketing and ethics disciplines have on financial outcomes.</p> <p>Last, in preparing students for team simulations or other forms of active team learning environments, faculty members should determine at what point in their program students should be exposed to interpersonal skills relating to assertive communication, leadership, creativity, and sales or persuasion. With the importance of these interpersonal skills to not only the simulation, but to career attainment, they cannot be ignored.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-16">Conclusion</hd> <p>As discussed in the literature review, capstone courses bring together a wide variety of business functional areas in an applied setting. Simulation games, one method to facilitate this assimilation of learning, can be an effective high-impact practice. This research surveyed students about their simulation capstone experience, which provided a means for gaining insights into the students' perspective of the simulation. Students identified skills for which additional training was desired and which courses were most helpful in the simulation. When faculty assist students with needed training, student teams increase their effectiveness. Survey results can also be utilized to identify and address curriculum gaps. From a student learning perspective, identifying the most important skills required in the capstone simulation can help a business program improve in its efforts to teach these skills and determine what other curricular changes might be needed. Further, the program can evaluate its effectiveness in teaching these skills and consider methods for reviewing and incorporating each skill, such as crisis management, into the curriculum. By incorporating student feedback into the evaluation of the business capstone simulation to ensure it is well-matched to a program's curriculum, the likelihood of student success in the simulation is increased. Students also gain self-confidence and further their learning as they apply knowledge gained in previous courses in this active learning experience.</p> <hd id="AN0126288036-17">Appendix A</hd> <p></p> <p> <ephtml> <table><tbody><tr><td>1. Please rate the level you agree with the following statements: The BSG (Business Strategy Game) simulation has helped me gain a better understanding of:</td></tr><tr><td /><td>1 = Strongly Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>2 = Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>3 = Slightly Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>4 = Slightly Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>5 = Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>6 = Strong Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td>5</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>1.1 Business Strategy Development</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.2 Sales Forecasting</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.3 Marketing</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.4 Finance</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.5 Operations (production, distribution, logistics)</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.6 Corporate Social Responsibility</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.7 The inter-relatedness of business functions</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>1.8 International Business considerations (tariffs, exchange rates, geographic costs differences)</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>2. What types of <bold>interpersonal skills</bold> did you find most helpful when working with your teammates on the BSG simulation? Please select up to 5 skills.</td></tr><tr><td>2.1</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>Oral Communication</td><td>Written Communication</td><td>Team Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Creativity</td><td>Mental Flexibility</td><td>Social Sensitivity</td></tr><tr><td>Leadership</td><td>Coaching</td><td>Problem Solving</td></tr><tr><td>Crisis Management</td><td>Sales/Persuasion (Social Influence)</td><td>Intercultural Sensitivity</td></tr><tr><td>Active Listening</td><td>Assertive Communication</td><td>Cooperation and Coordination</td></tr><tr><td>Self-Presentation</td><td>Willingness to trust others</td><td>Organizational skills</td></tr><tr><td>Service Orientation (Willingness to be helpful to others)</td><td>Nonverbal Communication (Use of body language, gestures, eye contact, etc.)</td><td>Conflict Management (Conflict Resolution and Negotiation)</td></tr><tr><td>3. Which skills would you like additional training? Please select up to 3 skills.</td></tr><tr><td>3.1</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>Oral Communication</td><td>Written Communication</td><td>Team Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Creativity</td><td>Mental Flexibility</td><td>Social Sensitivity</td></tr><tr><td>Leadership</td><td>Coaching</td><td>Problem Solving</td></tr><tr><td>Crisis Management</td><td>Sales/Persuasion (Social Influence)</td><td>Intercultural Sensitivity</td></tr><tr><td>Active Listening</td><td>Assertive Communication</td><td>Cooperation and Coordination</td></tr><tr><td>Self-Presentation</td><td>Willingness to trust others</td><td>Organizational skills</td></tr><tr><td>Service Orientation (Willingness to be helpful to others)</td><td>Nonverbal Communication (Use of body language, gestures, eye contact, etc.)</td><td>Conflict Management (Conflict Resolution and Negotiation)</td></tr><tr><td>4. Please rate the following statements regarding the <bold>BSG simulation</bold> from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.</td></tr><tr><td /><td>1 = Strongly Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>2 = Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>3 = Slightly Agree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>4 = Slightly Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>5 = Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>6 = Strong Disagree</td></tr><tr><td /><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td>5</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>4.1 The BSG simulation has helped me learn skills that will be valued by employers hiring business majors.</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>4.2 As a result of participating in the simulation, I feel more confident in my ability to be successful in the business world.</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>4.3 I feel I could use my simulation experiences as a means of demonstrating my understanding of key business concepts when interviewing for jobs relating to business.</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>5. Which of the following Area F and Core classes do you feel were most useful in preparing you for the BSG game? Select up to 5 total courses.</td></tr><tr><td>5.1</td><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>ACCT 2101 – Intro to Financial Accounting</td><td>ACCT 2102 – Intro to Managerial Accounting</td><td>BUSA 2105 – Communication in the Business Environment</td></tr><tr><td>BUSA 2106 – The Legal Environment of Business</td><td>ECON 2105 – Principles of Macroeconomics</td><td>ECON 2106 – Principles of Microeconomics</td></tr><tr><td>BUSA 2000 – Statistical Analysis for Business</td><td>BUSA 3000 – Quantitative Analysis</td><td>BUSA 3100 – Managerial Information Systems</td></tr><tr><td>BUSA 3200 – Global Business</td><td>FINA 3000 – Financial Management</td><td>MKTG 3000 – Principles of Marketing</td></tr><tr><td>MGMT 3000 – Principles of Management</td><td>MGMT 3040 – Human Resources Management</td><td>MGMT 4100 – Organizational Behavior</td></tr><tr><td>MGMT 4600 – Operations Management</td><td /><td /></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Graph</p> <p>Graph: (Contined)</p> <ref id="AN0126288036-18"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref16" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Baird, A., & Riggins, F. 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  Data: Secrets to Success: Business Skills and Knowledge That Students Find Most Useful in Succeeding in a Capstone Course Simulation
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: This exploratory research examines students' perceptions of a capstone business simulation game by identifying (a) courses that were most useful in preparing students for the simulation and (b) interpersonal skills students found most helpful when working with teammates on the simulation. Also identified are the simulation's impact on student understanding of business disciplines and additional interpersonal skills training desired by the students. By studying these later topics, faculty members can alter their course design so that students are better prepared for their capstone course simulation. Finally, connections between the simulation participation and attitudes toward employment and career success are explored.
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      – SubjectFull: Business Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Success
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Simulation
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      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal Competence
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      – TitleFull: Secrets to Success: Business Skills and Knowledge That Students Find Most Useful in Succeeding in a Capstone Course Simulation
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rawls, Janita
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2017
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0883-2323
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 92
            – Type: issue
              Value: 7
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Education for Business
              Type: main
ResultId 1