Business simulation as an active learning activity for developing soft skills

ABSTRACT

Business simulations are innovative instruction models for active or cooperative learning. In this paper, we look at the social constructionist roots of these education models in light of the current efforts to enhance employability skills in undergraduate and graduate studies. More specifically, we analyse the role of business simulations in developing soft skills based on an international survey of students’ perceptions of developing soft skills during business simulations. Our objective is to test whether business simulations contribute to the development of soft skills and whether gender, ethno-cultural origin, and professional experience affect the acquisition process. We also discuss the use and benefits of these innovative instruction models. The analysis suggests the need to take into account specific factors, especially ethno-cultural origin, when instructing via business simulations. It also calls for sharing best practices in the context of a globalised education.

KEYWORDS:

• Accounting education
• active learning
• business simulations
• soft skills
• survey

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editors of this special issue, and the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments. We are also thankful to the participants of the accounting education group at the IAAER World Congress in Florence, 2014. Their comments on an earlier version of the paper were very useful. We would also like to thank Prof. Isabelle Barth for sharing with us a questionnaire used in a previous study, in the early stage of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.