Title: An exploratory taxonomy of supply chain management simulation games

Authors: Ghada A. Deghedi

Addresses: Socio-Computing Department, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Cairo 11435, Egypt

Abstract: Simulation games have emerged as an effective alternative to traditional methods for teaching supply chain management (SCM) concepts and techniques. However, the growing market of SCM games poses a challenge for educators and businesses, who must evaluate and select the best game for their courses. Only a few studies provide an overview of existing SCM games and a comprehensive taxonomy for evaluating them. This study addresses this gap by presenting a database of 40 specialised SCM games and proposing a detailed taxonomy of their characteristics to compare and evaluate their complexity. The study also emphasises the realism limitations of most SCM game models when considering market complexity, model flexibility, and business environment complexity. These findings can benefit SCM educators in selecting the most suitable game for their desired learning outcomes. They can also assist game developers in improving the development of new SCM games.

Keywords: supply chain management; SCM; business simulation games; management games; management education; model complexity; taxonomy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2023.136476

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2023 Vol.20 No.2, pp.101 - 112

Received: 19 Jan 2023
Accepted: 19 Aug 2023
Published online: 02 Feb 2024 *

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