AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF STRATEGIC EMPHASIS IN MANAGEMENT GAMES ON ATTITUDES, INTEREST, AND LEARNING IN THE BUSINESS POLICY COURSE

This study compared the effect of a strategic emphasis versus an operational emphasis on learning and attitudes among players in four classes of a Business Policy course. The results show that game performance as measured by return on equity (ROE) was higher for students playing a game with a strategic emphasis than students playing a game with an operational emphasis. These findings are clouded by the fact that the student group with the strategic emphasis contained proportionately more accounting and finance majors. BACKGROUND During the last ten years or so, there has been a change in the objectives of the Business Policy Course. In 1978 Schellenberger (1978) identified the key educational goals for the policy text as: 1) an understanding the concepts of strategy, 2) the development of problem solving skills, 3) development of the administrative point of view, and 4) an understanding of the interrelatedness of the functions of business. In 1986 Pearce (1986) focuses on "a comprehensive model of the strategic management process". Pearce indicates that this approach will provide "an executive Level perspective". A glance at almost any sample of policy textbooks in 1975 versus 1988 would show a significant increase in the amount of text material devoted to strategic management. Many business policy games were developed prior to the change in emphasis in the policy course. The objective of this research was to investigate whether the level of strategic emphasis in the game would have any impact on attitudes and learning.