Peer Review

MIT Sloan Beer Game Online

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jan 9, 2025 by Business

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The Beer Distribution Game, one of the oldest and most widely used management simulations, is now available online as an interactive multiplayer websim. It allows participants to play the role of managers in a complex dynamic system, specifically, managers in a supply chain representing the production and distribution of beer.

The simulations accomodates groups of any size including into the hundreds. It has been used by thousands at universities and companies worldwide. Participants can be remote, in-person, or a combination of the two. The instructor's manual is short and easy to understand allowing facilitation and debriefing.

Type of Material:

Simulation

Recommended Uses:

This material is suitable for various settings, including in-class activities, team-based exercises, workshops, and training sessions. It can be used for teaching concepts related to operations management, supply chain management, systems thinking, and organizational behavior.

Technical Requirements:

Video conferencing software may be needed, although not required if done in person.
You must apply to MIT for credentials for the simulation. The process is easy.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Learn about systems thinking and mental models.
Understand the dynamics of supply chains and the effects of their decisions.
Learn how distribution works.

Target Student Population:

Upper level Marketing distribution class
Upper level Management Science class
Graduate Marketing class

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no specific prerequisite knowledge or skills required to engage with this material.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The simulation effectively conveys the principles of systems thinking, supply chain dynamics, and mental models.
It offers an engaging and interactive way to learn about complex concepts.
The material can be adapted for both educational and corporate training purposes, making it versatile.
It promotes teamwork, decision-making, and critical thinking.

Concerns:

While the simulation is flexible in terms of audience, it may require a skilled facilitator to ensure that participants grasp the intended learning objectives effectively.
It might be challenging to assess the success of the learning outcomes, and debriefing after the game is crucial.
If students do not input their decisions, the prior week's decision is used.
You want to have two students per role. Eight students is a lot per team.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The material's interactive nature facilitates experiential learning.
It encourages participants to think systemically and consider the consequences of their actions.
The game's adaptability to various group sizes and settings is a significant advantage.
Its strengths are the simulation itself and formats it can accommodate: all remote, all in-person, or a combination of the two.
The maximium number of plays is 50 weeks, but you can stop when needed.
Participations can number into the hundreds.

Concerns:

None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The online format makes it easily accessible and manageable for participants and facilitators.
Clear instructions and materials provided by the author enhance the usability of the simulation.
You create a code for the class and disseminate to students for their login.
It provides an autoassign function to make groups random.
You can run training weeks in the simulation to acclimate students to the simulation.

Concerns:

As with any online interactive tool, the usability can be influenced by participants' familiarity with technology. Facilitators may need to provide technical support as necessary.
A co-pilot or additional administrator for the game is recommended.
Why would you have a timer for orders? - "A reasonable rule of thumb is to start the timer when approximately half to two-thirds of the orders are submitted, confirmedand displayed on Monitor Teams. If a lot of people aren’t able to get their orders in on time, you can slow down; if most are able to do so, you can speed up."

Other Issues and Comments:

e simulation is excellent, but some of the supplemental material provided seems superflouous or dated. The instructor's manual for the simulation is 31 pages. It seem straigtforward. You can change the game for novices and prior users.

Within the simulation, there is a teaching materials tab. The first item is a transcript of an interview with a lumber supplier and lumber buyers discussing buying during the pandemic.

The second is a Forbes article. It detailing students' reactions to the simulation. The article is three years ago but seems contempary. A second Forbes article is gated and required you to register with Forbes. Since I had a prior Forbes' subscription, it did not allow me to access the content. The next article is a video from 1989. Although pertinent, a 36-year-old video should not be used. The simulation is done on paper. The video is divided into components.

Next is a 11-year-old journal article. Not sure faculty using the simulation are going to read a 20-page article. This is followed by a 34-year old journal article. Next is a two-year old working paper.

There is a team chat, although students should have access to something already, but it disabled except for partners during the simulation.

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