The economic theory of natural resource exploitation predicts that scarcity crises will not arise because forward-looking resource owners will smooth their extraction over time to maximize their profits. The model providing this result can seem opaque and technical to students, but its intuition can be learned from experience. The author shares a…

An active learning approach to the study of US national security decision making decision making can be achieved through the use of an in-class role-playing simulation. This article considers the importance of solid foundations for simulation design: (1) simulation preparation should be linked to class materials and learning outcomes, but also…

The paper underscores the need for including assertiveness skills training for international business students amidst the growing demand for other interpersonal skills such as empathetic communication, strong listening capabilities, conflict handling, and tackling difficult conversations. While these skills increasingly dominate the screening…

Employee selection and group decision-making skills are critical for ensuring hiring is valid, meets organizational goals, and considers ethical and legal limitations. This exercise has participants role-play members of a search committee reviewing job finalists using shared and unique information. A novel twist to traditional hidden-profile…

This article reports upon roleplaying simulations used for teaching and learning subjects in the field of international relations. It is based upon five years of experience gained by the author while teaching in RUDN University in Moscow, Russia, and Webster University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The article aims to unravel both the value of…

Negotiation and conflict management skills have been identified as critical skills for students as part of their business education. In this paper, we have combined research on negotiation self-efficacy and pedagogical tools previously developed to support educational experiences for students in the classroom. Utilizing negotiation cases, we are…

This paper introduces a novel supply chain role-play activity designed to improve ethical awareness and pricing negotiation decisions in business capstone courses. Participants negotiate prices between five levels of an international coffee supply chain: Farmers, Processors, Importers, Roasters, and Retailers/Cafés. Using results from 141…

A practical for students to experience a process plant is presented, based on operating a solvent absorption plant for carbon dioxide capture. The student must operate the plant in assigned roles that closely identify with a chemical plant environment, to achieve specific performance targets. Students must overcome technical challenges that…

Although most employers report room for negotiation in their job offers to recent graduates, fewer than half of recent graduates report attempting to negotiate. Considering that every raise employees receive throughout their career will be a percentage of their salary at the time, failure of new employees to maximize starting salary through…

This article explains an activity that can be conducted to form teams in university business classes. It allows students to actively participate in the team selection process and learn valuable human resource management skills. Students are placed in the role of hiring managers. They have to identify the skills and characteristics needed to…

Critical thinking is a skill that potential employers expect all graduates to possess. Hence, most business management programs consider critical thinking as an important student learning goal. Unfortunately, there is ambiguity about how to best assess critical thinking, both as a skill and a learning outcome. The authors empirically demonstrate…

Research suggests that incorporating diverse active learning approaches, including creative and entertaining activities, into a class helps sustain students' attention and improve their ability to engage with the complex problems of the modern world. This study investigates how two different artistic classroom activities, one based in performing…

In an effort to help students better understand the complexity of making environmental policy and the role of policy actors in this process, we developed a mock congressional hearing simulation. In this congressional hearing, students in two environmental policy courses take on the roles of members of Congress and various interest groups to…

This article describes an activity in which students will be able to apply rhetorical theory effectively and critically from specific theorists throughout history to modern-day issues. Through a simulated trial of a current figure, this activity makes connections between rhetorical theories to current affairs, thereby inviting students to consider…

The study of persuasion is the wellspring of the communication discipline. Nevertheless, in one review, Seiter and Gass (2004) noted that ''critics of persuasion seem to emerge and reemerge with some regularity'' (p. 2). Although the study of persuasion is generally venerated by those within the field of communication, it is…