ERP Simulation Game: Establishng Engagement, Collaboration And Learning

The importance of ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems as a major system for organisational change and transformation has been one of the main reasons they have created such excitement within the educational arena. This paper examines the use of an ERP simulation game to prepare university graduates to meet the challenge of a global supply chain environment. It describes the novel approach taken to adapt the HEC Montreal ERP simulation game into a one day online inter-institutional competition. The competition involved teams of university students and lecturers from four Melbourne-based universities who, with the help of industry mentors, put their business skills to the test for an intensive simulation game by using a real world ERP system: SAP. The teams ran the full business cycle of a small manufacturing company, while interacting with suppliers and customers by sending and receiving orders, delivering the product and completing the entire cash-to-cash cycle. To develop a range of business and ‘soft’ skills, participants adopted individual business roles and made life-like decisions around the product they were selling: muesli bars. In general, participants felt that although their general knowledge of ERP systems was low, the game fully demonstrated the interaction of the supply chain. Additionally the game exceeded their expectations as they worked alongside an industry mentor in a team environment to achieve a common goal.