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.