Ecology of International Business Simulation Games

Abstract

Human ecology deals with the interaction of human organizations as open systems and their activities in the environments that surround them. The purpose of this article is to apply an ecologic approach by emphasizing the market as the dominant business environment, excluding such broader ideas of ecological space as our natural environment and sustainable development. It is a case study describing the development of the International Operations Simulations (INTOP and INTOPIA) to illustrate the practice of management games in the past 40 years. It is not a review of the development of and experience with comparative general management games. Special attention is given to relating the design process to such environmental influences as the globalization of business, international economic relations, computer technology, and education. Integrative use of the game in multimedia pedagogy and their potential application in research on the behavioral theory of the firm are subjects briefly discussed.

Keywords

business games human ecology intercompany networking international business INTOPIA multinational corporations negotiations scenarios

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