Management research assignment - Essay Example

The main objective of this paper according to the writers is to analyze various dimensions of educational validity of business gaming simulation that would be possible through the proposed research methodology framework. Thus the beginning part of the paper, specifically the abstract and introduction clearly indicates the background of the study they conducted. Research methodology is described, which as mentioned above is unique for its approach. According to Stainton, Johnson & Borodzicz (2010 p. 705), as a research method, they have relied on the ‘total enterprise simulation’.

They further make clear that unlike the past, an effective research methodology is essential to analyze the business gaming simulation because the assessment of validity is an ongoing process; and therefore, it has to be viewed from an educational perspective. Researchers make a detailed review of available literature to form rather an authentic conclusion. According to them, design, implementation, and validity are the two most significant aspects associated with this research framework. Furthermore, the facilitator plays a crucial role in assisting learners to determine what to view, reflect, and learn.

As far as the design is concerned, the factors associated with it involve, designer’s ability and perception, the significance of maintaining the sensible aspects of simulation etc. For instance, exaggeration or generalization of the difficulties of the real facts may occur if the designers’ perceptions flaw. Hence, according to the researchers, design plays a very important role in determining the quality of business gaming simulation. They further attribute the success of the implementation phase to the ‘learning by doing’ strategy which is based on the real life examples and problem solving.

According to the writers, by following this method, with the help of a facilitator who would give training and motivation students will learn how to assimilate experiences with the given problem and their acquired knowledge. Thus, the writers come up with a more reasonable strategy for the effective implementation of a simulation. In order for answering the absence of an appropriate strategy for validating simulation, the researchers propose their own methodology that spreads across every phase of its process including design, implementation, and validation.

According to them, education validity should involve the ‘internal educational validity, external educational validity, and external representational validity’ (Stainton, Johnson, and Borodzicz, 2010, p. 710). In order to understand these variables one should go through their concept of each form of validity. As they describe, internal education validity refers to participants’ understanding of their business outcome; whereas, external educational validity indicates participants’ ability to assimilate the real life experience with the simulation.

And thirdly, representational validity is evident if the simulation alters the participants’ attitude. In other words, these theoretical explanations refer to three things; 1) convince the participants of their business environment and roles (internal educational validity), 2) makes them understand how to relate the real life environment and simulation (external educational validity), and 3) makes participants able cope up with the real environment (representational v