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A Modern Simulation Course for Business Students

Department of Decision Sciences, National University of Singapore, FBA 1, 15 Law Link, Singapore 117591

Simulation was often neglected in undergraduate business curricula for two reasons: (1) simulation was traditionally taught and used in engineering disciplines, and (2) business students lacked training in computer programming and quantitative skills. Powerful microcomputers and user-friendly simulation software have brought about new prospects for simulation modeling. To meet the needs of the modern business world, business schools should widely teach simulation modeling and analysis. I developed an intermediate simulation course at the National University of Singapore for upper-level-undergraduate or graduate business students. Early in the course, migrating from general-purpose spreadsheet modeling to special-purpose simulation modeling is a key step. Modeling real-world problems through team projects is the climax of the course. My rigorous and practical approach proves that students with no simulation or computer-programming background can handle even an intermediate course.

Key Words: PROFESSIONAL—OR/MS EDUCATION; SIMULATION