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INTRODUCTION
A supply chain (SC) is a complex system that includes multiple entities and activities involving the movement of goods and the addition of value from the raw material stage to the final delivery stage (Herzog & Katzlinger, 2011). Managing a modern SC is complex and challenging; SC managers must deal with multidimensional problems that have complex side effects and non-linear dependencies (Muller et al., 2015). Because of this complexity, it is difficult to predict the consequences of decisions made. Future SC managers must be trained to make decisions under uncertainty and to consider the impact of their decisions on the entire SC (Baalsrud Hauge et al., 2016).
Modern businesses realise that having a well-trained supply chain management (SCM) team is critical to success (Mandaza & Goriwondo, 2012). Traditionally, SCM training has been limited to cognitive methods of instruction such as textbooks, case studies, and traditional class lectures. Such methods may help students understand SCM’s fundamental concepts, but they fail to highlight the bigger picture of the SC and the strategic decisions that must be made (Tobail et al., 2011). It is not enough to simply inform students about how something as vital as SCM works; they must also experience it. In this context, one potentially effective way of increasing the efficiency of SCM courses is to incorporate game-based learning (GBL) along with other teaching methods (Cvetic´ & Vasiljevic´, 2012; William et al., 2018).
Simulation games represent alternative educational and training methods that can simulate a real-world environment while maintaining a balance between theory and practice (Arora & Saxena Arora, 2015). This allows students to learn through experience, experiment with various decisions, and learn from the feedback (Baalsrud Hauge et al., 2016). Furthermore, simulation games convey not only hard skills, such as the understanding of how complex SC systems operate, but they also mediate soft skills such as collaboration and communication, which is especially important when attempting to implement new concepts such as information sharing and engaging in various coordination and alignment contracts with others.
Several logistics and SCM games can be used in teaching and learning processes. The advancements in computer technology have also contributed to the development of new SCM games as well as the enhancement of existing ones. As a result, the number of SCM games produced every year is growing along with the number of organisations adopting this kind of learning for their staff training programmes. The main question here might be: How to select the most suitable game for specific courses?
Educational institutions are faced with the problem of a lack of a database containing information on existing SCM games. Furthermore, most GBL in SCM focus on only one or a limited number of concepts and scenarios. For example, one of the most well-known games in SCM and part of many SCM curricula is the original Beer Game developed in the 1960s (Sterman, 1989). The game is designed as a pure retail distribution game and does not take product conversion, capacity, and process reliability into account, which limits its implementation (William et al., 2018). This necessitates understanding how complex the models of existing games are to select the best game for a specific course's requirements.
This study adds to the literature by providing a recent database containing 40 games used in logistics and SCM training and education. The review of SCM games allows for the identification of the main development trends of such a training and educational tool. Furthermore, the attributes of the chosen games are considered when assessing the game's complexity and closeness to reality. Games are categorised based on a developed index for each game's technical features and model realism, and finally, the games are compared and ordered based on a developed game complexity index (GCI).
The findings of this study are useful for academics and practitioners interested in the training and education of logistics and SCM professionals. It will help them select the most suitable games for specific courses to deliver appropriate courses in a professional way to future SC managers.
BACKGROUND