This thesis is a study of the development and implementation of business simulations/games in United Kingdom Higher Education institutions. The research takes an holistic approach and examines the topic from the perspective of developers of business simulations, academics who choose to implement simulations in their teaching, and students who are the end users of business simulations. The research is based on an empirical instructivist research paradigm and takes an holistic approach to consideration of the key issues in design, development and use of business simulations/games from the perspective of developers, academics, and learners. The research takes a pragmatic approach to the application of research methods. It relies mainly on the use of qualitative methods to examine in detail the perceptions of learners. A typology of business simulation/games was established and a set of six educational objectives associated with use of business simulations was derived from a study of the literature. Surveys of developers and academics were conducted in order to determine the extent to which both groups shared a common perception of key features which should be exhibited by a business simulation and the pedagogical objectives which business simulations could support. A wide range of literature in the field of educational technology was analysed to determine the manner in which business simulations supported current views on pedagogic theories and also models of learning. The manner in which the pedagogical objectives of simulations were evaluated was then considered and, through a critical review of the literature, a framework for evaluation of business simulations was developed. The framework for evaluation was used in a case study evaluation of Masters students at the Robert Gordon University, the United Kingdom. The evaluation drew on illuminative and integrative evaluation approaches. Drawing on the literature and the findings of the surveys of academics and developers the evaluation explored the key question of whether or not the use of the business simulation achieved the pedagogical objectives which it was intended to achieve, examined the process by which students learn using a business simulation, and did this in the authentic context in which the business simulation was used. The results of the literature analysis and empirical surveys were used to summarize the critical success factors in developing and implementing business simulations in the Higher Education curriculum in the UK. Issues which arose as barriers to adoption of the use of business simulation were explored and recommendations on how to address the key barriers associated with adoption of business simulations are discussed.

A Contabilidade, na qualidade de Ciência voltada à administração e a economia, envolve, a um tempo, um valor específico e uma prática abrangente, na medida em que tem por função orientar, controlar e registrar eventos econômicos proporcionando informações para a tomada de decisões. Esse conceito exige, portanto, dos seus profissionais, uma visão sistêmica, holística e interdisciplinar, que lhes possibilite um desempenho de qualidade. No entanto, as estratégias de ensino utilizadas, ainda hoje, têm priorizando os aspectos operacionais da Contabilidade, em detrimento da sua capacidade informativa, que implica necessariamente juízo de valor. Visando contribuir para dotar o ensino da Contabilidade Geral em nível de 3º grau de um instrumento de aproximação entre a teoria e a prática que reflita melhor a realidade das empresas e suas necessidades das informações contábeis para a tomada de decisões, esta pesquisa objetiva a apresentação de um simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, aplicado ao ensino da Contabilidade Geral. Por meio da pesquisa-ação, desenvolve-se a modelagem de um simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, desdobrando analiticamente a tomada de decisão num processo de planejamento, execução e controle, valendo-se para isso da teoria dos jogos, levando o aprendiz a tomar decisões e fazer julgamento de valor. Ao elaborarmos um simulador de transações e aplicá-lo em sala de aula, a nossa contribuição reside não na estratégia em si, mas, antes, no processo de comunicação, motivando o aluno a participar de uma situação simulada. Importa, sobretudo, a representação, ou seja, a ficção que obriga a trabalhar não apenas tendo em vista o real, mas aquilo que tem a aparência de real, e que possibilita o interesse do jogo para o aluno. Conclui-se da pesquisa que o uso do simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, estimula e favorece o aprendizado dos conteúdos propostos pela disciplina de Contabilidade Geral, proporcionando ao aprendiz a visão abrangente desejada. / Accountancy as a Science oriented to management and economy involves at the same time an specific value and more encompassing practices based on the purpose to guide, control and record economic events providing information for decision making. This concept demands, however, a systemic, holistic and interdisciplinary view from professionals to achieve high quality performance. Nevertheless, teaching strategies used both in the past and today have prioritized the operational aspects of Accountancy to the detriment of its informative ability which involves a judgment of value. The goal of this study is to help in providing an instrument that can bring together theory and practice in the teaching of General Accounting Level 3 that better expresses business reality and the needs of accountable information for decision making. In addition to the presentation of a simulator of business transactions as a game applied to the teaching of General Accounting. This model representation of business transactions as a game will be developed by means of action-research. This game will analytically unfold the decision making during the planning, performance and control of a process using the theory of games and leading the learners to make decisions and judge values. The key factor of this representation of business transactions and its application in class will not be the strategy itself, but the communication process. It will encourage the students to participate in a simulated situation. All in all, the key aspect is the role play, or in other words, the fiction that encourages the work not only having real facts, but also with the representation of real-life situation and this will increase students interest in the game. The final conclusion of this study is that the use of a simulator of business transactions as a game encourages and favors the learning process of the subjects proposed by General Accounting, therefore providing the students with the desirable comprehensive view.

A Contabilidade, na qualidade de Ciência voltada à administração e a economia, envolve, a um tempo, um valor específico e uma prática abrangente, na medida em que tem por função orientar, controlar e registrar eventos econômicos proporcionando informações para a tomada de decisões. Esse conceito exige, portanto, dos seus profissionais, uma visão sistêmica, holística e interdisciplinar, que lhes possibilite um desempenho de qualidade. No entanto, as estratégias de ensino utilizadas, ainda hoje, têm priorizando os aspectos operacionais da Contabilidade, em detrimento da sua capacidade informativa, que implica necessariamente juízo de valor. Visando contribuir para dotar o ensino da Contabilidade Geral em nível de 3º grau de um instrumento de aproximação entre a teoria e a prática que reflita melhor a realidade das empresas e suas necessidades das informações contábeis para a tomada de decisões, esta pesquisa objetiva a apresentação de um simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, aplicado ao ensino da Contabilidade Geral. Por meio da pesquisa-ação, desenvolve-se a modelagem de um simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, desdobrando analiticamente a tomada de decisão num processo de planejamento, execução e controle, valendo-se para isso da teoria dos jogos, levando o aprendiz a tomar decisões e fazer julgamento de valor. Ao elaborarmos um simulador de transações e aplicá-lo em sala de aula, a nossa contribuição reside não na estratégia em si, mas, antes, no processo de comunicação, motivando o aluno a participar de uma situação simulada. Importa, sobretudo, a representação, ou seja, a ficção que obriga a trabalhar não apenas tendo em vista o real, mas aquilo que tem a aparência de real, e que possibilita o interesse do jogo para o aluno. Conclui-se da pesquisa que o uso do simulador de transações, em forma de jogo, estimula e favorece o aprendizado dos conteúdos propostos pela disciplina de Contabilidade Geral, proporcionando ao aprendiz a visão abrangente desejada. / Accountancy as a Science oriented to management and economy involves at the same time an specific value and more encompassing practices based on the purpose to guide, control and record economic events providing information for decision making. This concept demands, however, a systemic, holistic and interdisciplinary view from professionals to achieve high quality performance. Nevertheless, teaching strategies used both in the past and today have prioritized the operational aspects of Accountancy to the detriment of its informative ability which involves a judgment of value. The goal of this study is to help in providing an instrument that can bring together theory and practice in the teaching of General Accounting Level 3 that better expresses business reality and the needs of accountable information for decision making. In addition to the presentation of a simulator of business transactions as a game applied to the teaching of General Accounting. This model representation of business transactions as a game will be developed by means of action-research. This game will analytically unfold the decision making during the planning, performance and control of a process using the theory of games and leading the learners to make decisions and judge values. The key factor of this representation of business transactions and its application in class will not be the strategy itself, but the communication process. It will encourage the students to participate in a simulated situation. All in all, the key aspect is the role play, or in other words, the fiction that encourages the work not only having real facts, but also with the representation of real-life situation and this will increase students interest in the game. The final conclusion of this study is that the use of a simulator of business transactions as a game encourages and favors the learning process of the subjects proposed by General Accounting, therefore providing the students with the desirable comprehensive view.