Multirole online games offer advantages for learning in business schools, as students process information and coordinate with others while pursuing measurable goals. Gaming environments can be complex, and the choices and timing of players' actions may have long-term effects on the state of the game. Team members practice communication skills as…

In this article, we describe the use of linear programming in conjunction with an online simulation game in an undergraduate supply chain management class. Supply chain management is a required course for students enrolled in a Business Administration program with a concentration in management. It delivers a broad overview of the supply chain…

Effective disaster response requires time-critical decisions to get personnel and supplies to the right places as quickly as possible. Such operations are complicated by the need for coordination among multiple stakeholders. In this teaching brief, we describe a serious online game for humanitarian logistics courses called the "Disaster…

This article describes a classroom tool to teach the impact of supply chain disruptions and mitigation strategies based on information sharing and collaboration. The tool is an adaptation of the Beer Distribution Game, is easy to play, and can be hosted online or on local servers. The game considers several scenarios based on the location of the…

When deciding whether to get on the freeway during rush hour, did you ever stop to consider that if you did so, you would slow everybody ELSE down? When we ask our students that question, they typically laugh--their only consideration is how long their own trip will take. When a decision maker does not account for all the costs or benefits…

Students are put in the role of a manager who watches inventory levels decrease and must order at the right time and in the right quantity to minimize costs. This interactive game requires the students to race against time and has levels of increasing difficulty. It introduces the students to the concepts of holding cost, ordering cost, backlog…