Business simulation games with and without supervision: An analysis based on the TAM model

Training in business administration is evolving significantly over recent years. Training in business administration is now building on the acquisition of competences in a variety of on-site and off-site subjects using diverse teaching and learning methods. One of the aspects determining the success of this type of methodology is people's opinion. This research analyzes the degree of acceptance by students of two business administration training methodologies, one building on a non-directed and autonomously managed simulator and another building on a simulator for management teaching. The empirical research predicates on the technology acceptance model (TAM) by Davis (1986) and Davis et al. (1989). The results reveal significant differences in the relationships between the constructs of the model for the two groups, explaining the technology acceptance behavior for users within the context of a business game technology. In particular, the results show that in the case of the on-site-assisted business game-training programs tested, perceived ease of use has a significant effect on attitude to use, whereas for the web-based business game-training program, perceived usefulness has a significant effect on intention to use. From these results, the study argues the implications for the theory and the practice. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.