Title: Business simulation game for teaching multi-echelon supply chain management

Authors: Yuri Merkuryev, Galina Merkuryeva, Jana Bikovska, Jonas Hatem, Bram Desmet

Addresses: Riga Technical University, Kalku Street 1, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia. ' Riga Technical University, Kalku Street 1, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia. ' Riga Technical University, Kalku Street 1, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia. ' MOBIUS Ltd., Kortrijksesteenweg 152, 9830 St.-Martens-Latem, Belgium. ' MOBIUS Ltd., Kortrijksesteenweg 152, 9830 St.-Martens-Latem, Belgium

Abstract: This paper presents a new business game which helps to understand concepts developed in the ECLIPS project of the European Comission. The game provides an insight into different aspects of supply chain management, i.e., general supply chain mechanisms, non-cyclic and cyclic inventory replenishment policies. This allows for people who have no deep notion in this area to better understand project concepts and evaluate their efficiency in practice. Demonstrating concepts in a playful way is considered as more powerful and effective than purely explaining the underlying theory. The paper describes game rules, playing process and provides results of game test sessions.

Keywords: multi-echelon supply chains; supply chain management; SCM; simulation; business games; education; inventory policies; replenishment policies.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2009.032592

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2009 Vol.5 No.4, pp.289 - 299

Received: 05 Nov 2008
Accepted: 17 Feb 2009
Published online: 08 Apr 2010 *

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