![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Marketing instructors using simulation games as a way of inducing some realism into a marketing course are faced with many dilemmas. Two important quandaries are the optimal size of groups and how much of the students’ time should ideally be devoted to the game. Using evidence from a very large sample of teams playing a simulation game, the study described here seeks to answer two fundamental questions: What effects on performance does group size have? And, is it possible for groups to spend too much time on decision making? The results indicate that performance increases in line with group size until teams have five members, and then tapers off. Furthermore, performance is shown to rise as time spent on decision making increases, up to a point, after which additional time spent on the game is shown to detract from performance. Implications for marketing instructors are discussed.
References
|
Bacon, D. R. (2005). The effect of group projects on content-related learning. Journal of Management Education, 29, 248-267. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bacon, D. R. (2011). Comparing direct versus indirect measures of the pedagogical effectiveness of team testing. Journal of Marketing Education, 33, 348-358. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bacon, D. R., Stewart, K. A., Silver, W. S. (1999). Lessons from the best and worst student team experiences: How a teacher can make the difference. Journal of Management Education, 23, 467-488. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bacon, D. R., Stewart, K. A., Stewart-Belle, S. (1998). Exploring predictors of student team project performance. Journal of Marketing Education, 20(1), 63-71. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Brooks, B. W., Burson, T. E., Rudd, D. V. (2006). Addressing current research gaps and directions in educational marketing simulation. Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, 9, 43-49. Google Scholar | |
|
Cosse, T. A., Ashworth, D. N., Weisenberger, T. M. (1999). The effects of team size in a marketing simulation, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 7(3), 98-106. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Gentry, J. W., Burns, A. C., Fritzsche, D. J. (1993). Administration issues in the use of computer simulation games. Marketing Education Review, 3(1), 26-32. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Jensen, R. L., Cherrington, D. J. (1977). The business management laboratory: A computer simulation. Dallas, TX: Business Publications. Google Scholar | |
|
Ju, E., Wagner, C. (1997). Personal computer adventure games: Their structure, principles, and applicability for training. ACM SIGMIS Database, 28(2), 78-92. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Lewis, C. T., Lewis, P. C., Boyle, C. (1985). Marketing peanut butter. Student manual. New York, NY: Gregg Division, McGraw-Hill. Google Scholar | |
|
Mason, C. H., Perreault, W. D. (1987). The marketing game. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin. Google Scholar | |
|
Naylor, T. H. (1971). Computer simulation experiments with models of economic systems. New York, NY: John Wiley. Google Scholar | |
|
Stoneman, K. G., Dickinson, A. M. (1989). Individual performance as a function of group contingencies and group size. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 10, 131-150. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Wellington, W. J., Faria, A. J. (1996). The use of simulation games in marketing classes: Is simulation performance due to luck or skill? Journal of Marketing Education, 18(2), 50-61. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Wolfe, J., Chacko, T. I. (1982). The effects of different team sizes on business game performance. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 9, 232-235. Google Scholar | |
|
Yetton, P., Bolger, P. (1983). The Relationships among group size, member ability, social decision schemes, and performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 32, 145-159. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
