Workshop: ERP Simulation Game Teaching and Research Perspectives
------------ -- (half-day)
Leaders: Pierre-Majorique Léger, Jacques Robert, Gilbert Babin, Timothy
----- --- --- Paul Cronan, and David Douglas
Sponsor: SAP USA, Gail Corbitt,, USA Program Director, and Heather
------------ Czech Matthews, Americas Director, SAP University Alliances
------------ Program )
ERP Simulation Game -- The HEC Montréal ERP simulation game is a real-time business simulation where the only interface between the simulator and the participants is a real ERP system, namely SAP R/3T. Hence, participants are put in a situation in which they have to run their business (making business decisions) using an ERP system similar those used by the world's largest companies. The aim of the workshop is to bring together researchers and educators who wish to use an alternative medium (simulation) in ERP research and ERP classes.
Teaching using the ERP Simulation Method: Teams of four to six participants operate a firm in a make-to-order manufacturing supply chain. This requires that they interact with suppliers and customers by sending and receiving orders, delivering their products and completing the entire cash-to-cash cycle. The simulation software, ERPsim, automates (i) the sales process so that every firm receives a large number of orders every minute, (ii) the procurement process to account for delivery delays, and (iii) the production process to account for capacity constraints. Using standard and customized managerial reports, students analyze transactional data to make business decisions and ensure the profitability of their firm.
The simulation game provides a unique and new way to teach enterprise system concepts. It offers a hands-on understanding of the concepts underlying enterprise systems and integration; it helps students and managers to experience the benefits of enterprise integration firsthand. The game has been used in the 2007-2008 academic year in more than 30 classes in 4 continents as well as in enterprises running SAP to train business executives.
Research using the ERP Simulation Method: ERP simulations can bring a new dimension to ERP research. An ERP simulation game constitutes a controlled laboratory experiment. Since we are able to track all transactions used by the participants through the course of the simulation, it provides access to usage data that are typically not available to researchers. Hence a large set of research topics may exploit data form ERP simulation games: (i) effectiveness of simulations as a training approach for information technology, (ii) analysis of the impact and design of interfaces and functionality of enterprise systems on team performance, (iii) analysis of the impact and design of decision support systems and business intelligence tools, (iv) analysis of the performance of virtual teams and electronic collaboration tools, (v) analysis of the role of team organization and job design in team performance, and others.
Preliminary Agenda
* ERP Simulation Overview and short hands-on demo,
* Teaching ERP using ERP Simulation in the classroom,
* ERP Research agenda and methods related to ERP Simulation.
This workshop is intended for faculty teaching and conducting research in the fields of enterprise systems, team decision making, and IT learning.
Pierre-Majorique Léger ( Pierre-Majorique.Leger@hec.ca ) is Associate Professor in Information Technologies at HEC-Montreal (Canada)and director of ERPsim Lab. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering (Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal) and a post-doctorate in information technologies (HEC Montreal). His research focus on the diffusion in networks, on the value of IT investments and on electronic collaboration in supply chain.
Jacques Robert ( Jacques.Robert@hec.ca ) is Associate Professor in Information Technologies at HEC-Montreal (Canada), co-creator of the ERP Simulation Game and fellow at CIRANO. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (Western Ontario). His research is in applied game theory and experimental economics.
Gilbert Babin ( Gilbert.Babin@hec.ca ) completed his Ph.D. in 1993 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York, USA. His doctoral thesis earned him the Del and Ruth Karger Dissertation Award in 1995. He joined the Information Technologies Department at HEC-Montreal (Canada) in 2000 where he is Associate Professor. His research interests revolve around distributed systems and approaches to integrate them.
Paul Cronan ( pcronan@walton.uark.edu ) is Professor of Information Systems and Vice Chair at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and holds the M. D. Matthews Endowed Chair in Information Systems. His research interests include ERP decision modeling, change management, as well as ethics behavior (piracy and privacy).
David Douglas ( ddouglas@walton.uark.edu ) is University Professor of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, at the University of Arkansas. He received his bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees in Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He teaches in a wide variety of information systems areas including programming, systems development, database management systems, enterprise systems and business intelligence/knowledge management with emphasis on data mining and data warehouses. He is chair of the Enterprise Computing Steering Committee at the University of Arkansas.