Supply Chain ERP Simulation: A unique learning experience

Simulation games are an effective educational tool that offer life-like scenarios and develop valuable functional business knowledge and decision-making skills. These skills have been shown to be invaluable in the current job market. This paper describes a novel adaptation of the HEC Montreal Enterprise Resource Planning Simulation Game into an interinstitutional competition. Teams of university students and academics from five Melbourne-based universities, aided by industry mentors, put their business skills to the test for an intensive simulation game using a real world ERP system: SAP. Teams were required to complete the full cash-to-cash cycle, by interacting with suppliers and customers, sending and receiving orders, and delivering a range of muesli bar products. To develop a range of business and „soft‟ skills, participants adopted individual business roles and made life-like decisions in a competitive, time-constrained environment. Participants found the game exceeded expectations by fully demonstrating the interaction of a life-like supply chain.