The 35th NOFOMA conference was a memorable gathering that served as a unique meeting place for researchers in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from all around the globe. Hosted jointly by Aalto University School of Business and Hanken School of Economics, this event provided an exceptional platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. RealGame Business Simulations was delighted to be a part of the 35th NOFOMA Conference. In this blog post we want to highlight the most valuable takeaways from all days of the event.
Researchers and industry professionals gathered to share their insights and expertise, shedding light on the critical role of logistics during times of turmoil. The conference served as a catalyst for discussions on best practices, emerging trends, and future directions in the field.
Transformative role of supply chain management simulation gaming in higher education
Kirsi Lainema (Phd) and Timo Lainema (Phd) gave a keynote on “Mastering SCM in Practice: transformative role of SCM simulation gaming in higher education”.
In SCM education it is utterly important to understand how the business cause-effects and processes evolve. This requires experiential learning that enables illustrating the complex interactions in business processes. Educational practices should facilitate students’ higher-level knowledge construction and application of this knowledge in practice. Real-time simulation gaming is one of such methods.
An added value in simulation gaming is its interactivity and collaborative nature that enhances generic work-life skills such as teamwork skills, communication and collaboration, argumentation, reasoning, analysing data, and iIdentifying problems and solving them.
Teaching Supply Chain Management
Research paper presentation by professors Bente Flygansvær, Eirill Bø, Kirsi Lainema and Timo Lainema focused on the pedagogical advantages of implementing digital real-time simulation gaming in supply chain management teaching. Findings of the research show that students get an integrative experience from playing the game; enhanced understanding of concepts, insights into the dynamics of supply chains and improved management skills. Comparison of pre and post survey answers show a clear improvement in proficiency of key vocabulary, concepts, and the dynamics of supply chain management.
RealGame Business Simulation was used for the case study. Student groups played RealGame as part of a supply chain management course. Their conceptual understanding was assessed through pre- and post simulation surveys. In-depth interviews were conducted with four student groups after playing the game to further characterise the high and low performing teams. RealGame business simulation proved to be a revolutionising pedagogical tool for supply chain management education and for preparing students for real world challenges.
Research on buyer-supplier relations
Professor Katri Kauppi’s presentation gave insights on “Unravelling Failure Attribution in Buyer-Supplier Relationships: The Impact of Supplier Gains and Perceived Consequences”.
In buyer-supplier relationships, the consequences of product or service failures often fall on the buyer's shoulders. Understanding the underlying causes behind these failures is crucial as they can shape the future of the relationship and subsequent actions. However, failure attributions can be complex and influenced by biases, posing challenges in effectively assessing accountability.
Professor Kauppi’s study aims to bridge this gap by examining how short and long-term gains, as perceived by the buyer, influence their attributions when facing a supplier failure. By exploring the buyer's perspective on supplier gains and consequences, we can gain a deeper understanding of the attribution process and its implications.
The study unravels the following key aspects:
Exploring the intricate dynamics of failure attributions in buyer-supplier relationships
Analyzing the influence of short-term and long-term gains perceived by the buyer
Examining the consequences of failure attributions on the future of the relationship
Identifying biases and cognitive processes that may affect attribution accuracy
The study provides valuable insights to both buyers and suppliers, empowering them to navigate failures, strengthen relationships, and foster a culture of accountability.
Key takeaways for supply chain management education
The NOFOMA 2023 conference has been a fascinating experience for the RealGame team. We were immersed in a dynamic environment where researchers, industry experts, and educators converged to share their knowledge and expertise. Throughout the conference, we gained invaluable insights into the latest innovations and trends shaping the supply chain industry.
Presentations and discussions provided us with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by supply chains during global crises and the innovative solutions being developed to overcome them. We were particularly intrigued by how seriously the NOFOMA community has taken onboard the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) related factors affecting supply chain management.
Thanks to the valuable connections and conversations with fellow participants, we formed an understanding of the probable direction that Supply Chain Management Education will be moving in the coming years, such as the importance of incorporating sustainability and resilience into educational programs, and the growing emphasis on data analytics and digitization in supply chain courses.
This text was created by the RealGame Business Simulation team.
RealGame is a Finnish business simulation provider. RealGame creates simulations based on decades of experience and latest academic research. Business simulations by RealGame are created by educators for educators with a purpose of providing hands-on experiences and an understanding of how supply chain operations evolve continuously, hour by hour. RealGame is unique in that it has a clock-driven operational mode, which allows for generating transaction-specific data for business analysis and strategic planning.