Newsletter #09
Play4Guidance - A European Business Game to train and guide students and young unemployed
on entrepreneurial, transversal and mathematical skills
Contents
What means an Entrepreneur?
Pages1-2
What means an
Entrepreneur?
Successful Evaluation with more
than 300 T-Shirt Company
Managers
Page 2
Teachers’ self-development by
implementing the P4G Business
game in the educational process:
Teachers’ engagement in the
development of educational
scenarios
Page s 3-4
P4G Entrepreneurial Buzz Created
During DCU Pilots Session
Page 4
Contact
facebook.com/play4guidance
Play4Guidance Group
@Play4Guidance
[email protected]
www.play4guidance.eu
One of the main objectives of the
Play4Guidance project (A European Business Game to train and guide students
and young unemployed on entrepreneurial, transversal and mathematical skills)
and the simulation game developed within the project is to make young students
and unemployed people understand what
it means to be an entrepreneur. An
amazing number of definitions of the
word entrepreneur” can be found in the
literature but it seems that a common
definition has not been found. The word
itself in the past has held a tone of disapproval, and now evokes something uncertain and flexible. And it is really like
this to a large extent: an entrepreneur
starts with an idea in one direction and
regardless of the level of experience and
expertise he will gradually have to
change the thinking and strategy as a
result of research and market analysis.
Flexibility is, as it were, the most characteristic feature of the entrepreneur: they
must be flexible in their ideas, in their
strategy to turn the idea into a business,
Play4Guidance has been funded within the framework of the European Union Erasmus+ programme
flexible in the product or service offered,
flexible in their working hours, flexible in
what they create.
One useful definition is also that the entrepreneur is a person who identifies
prolific goal, understands the risks, collects the necessary resources and manages these resources and risks to
achieve the goal.
What are the main abilities of an entrepreneur:

determination to turn the idea into
a product;

motivation – the entrepreneurial
initiative is an expression of a
specific motivation;

take risks - ready to dive deep
into the future uncertainty

persistence and patience - the
entrepreneur must always be
ready for change and collisions
with obstacles;
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Newsletter #09
Page 2
What means an Entrepreneur?

faith in the team - the entrepreneur must select people 
who complement his/her skills
OECD identifies three main groups of skills required for the
developer to be successful:


personal entrepreneurial - self-control and discipline, risk
management, innovation, persistence, leadership, change
management, network building, and strategic thinking.
technical - communication, environmental monitoring, You can test the majority of these skills of yours in our game
“Manage your own business” game that you will find on the
problem solving;
following link: play4guidance.cetic.liuc.it
business management - planning and goal setting,
Text by Bulgarian Industrial Association
decision making, human resources management,
marketing, finance, accounting, customer relations,
quality control, negotiation, business launch, growth
management, compliance with regulations skills;
Successful Evaluation with more than 300 T-Shirt
Company Managers
The project Play4Guidance is approaching its final phase – in the
final evaluation, more than 300 players were involved in five
countries. The data analysis is on its way, first results for
competence development are promising.
The final evaluation of the
project is on its way – it
will show how successful
the project has improved
and developed useful
products such as the
business
game
and
supporting materials. In
this phase of the project,
three target groups were
involved: High school
students,
university
students and unemployed. The project partners from Bulgaria,
Greece, Ireland, Italy and Turkey were asked to collect data from
about 120 participants of each target group. In addition to
evaluating the game, the focus of this second pilot phase was on
the connected resources, such as the toolkit or the educational
platform. Students and unemployed that have participated in the
pilot had to play a complete match of the P4G business game
before they met in presence to play the multiplayer version. In this
meeting, the target groups played one full session (12 rounds) of
the multiplayer version.
Different evaluation methods were used: Direct observation, focus
groups combined with a survey. Important observations like
comments on the design, the toolkit and the key competences
were collected. Afterwards, one full sessions of the single player
version was played. In focus groups, questions concerning the
experience and suggestions for game improvement were asked.
Finally, all participants were asked to fill an online survey. In this
online survey, characteristics of values about the game (e.g. “The
story of the game was interesting and clear”), the assessed
competences (“Is analytical thinking addressed by the P4G
Business Game?”) and the used competences while playing(“Have
you applied business acumen during the game?”) were collected
on a 5 point Likert-scale.
While the final survey and
evaluation process is still in
progress, it can already be stated
that most of the participants like
the idea of the game and showed
great interest in managing a
virtual t-shirt company, gain
entrepreneurial competences and
compete with their mates. The
design of the portal and the
navigation through it were also
mentioned
positively.
The
participants see potential for improvement in the additional
materials which were in some cases described as too extensive.
Looking at the high school students results of the online survey it
can be stated that the goal of the game was in most cases clear,
while the level of mastery was low, which could be due to the
difficulty of the game. Another point that should be observed is
the game feedback, which has so far produced poor results. On
the competence side we can report, that the participants feel that
all expected competences – in particular decision making - are
addressed in the game and they also apply these competences
during the game.
Overall, the project seems to be on a successful pathway and will
still improve towards the finalization of the project.
Text by Prof. Dr. Jan M. Pawlowski & Thomas de Fries,
HRW
Newsletter #09
Page 3
Teachers’ self-development by implementing the
P4G Business game in the educational process:
Teachers’ engagement in the development of educational
scenarios
The implementation of a simulation
game in the learning process besides
offering a highly engaging environment
for students to acquire skills and
practice theories they have already
learned also becomes a motivating
tool for educators to exploit in a way
that best fits the learning objectives of
their course and addresses their
students‟ different needs. The simulation game acts as a source of
a wide range of teaching approaches and learning objectives that
necessitate teachers‟ individual handling and expertise to turn
them into the most effective learning experience. This is
accomplished with teachers‟ creative engagement in the
development of educational scenarios inspired by the applied
simulation.
The development of educational
scenarios based on the P4G
Business Game leads and triggers
teachers‟ engagement in deep
thinking of the business skills and
relative theory that their students
should learn and practice.
Furthermore, they need to consider creative and innovative ways
to open up the simulation game and align it to their learning
objectives and even facilitate a cross-disciplinary teaching
approach. In addition, teachers are engaged in the creative
process of shaping the most effective learning path that their
students would have to follow to accomplish the learning goals.
The application and consideration of all
these key aspects enhance teachers‟
self-development
and
creative
approach in the educational process.
Teachers become creators of their own
story line that exploits the simulation
environment in order to facilitate
students‟ application of skills and
knowledge to structure sustainable
and competitive strategies. However,
certain key elements should be considered for the effective
development of scenarios based on the P4G Business Game:
logistics, transfer, package pricing and finance decisions.
Therefore, teachers should consider which decisions to emphasize
according to their students‟ needs and in line with the planned
learning goals of the course. In case teachers wish to facilitate and
enhance a cross-disciplinary aspect of entrepreneurship skills
they should implement in their scenarios challenges that highlight
the wider business aspects (eg. social responsibility, ethics,
human resources, etc.) that are also embedded in the P4G
Business Game.
2 – Ensure full-exploit of the P4G Business Game features
Teachers‟ self-development is accomplished with their
engagement in fully exploiting the sources provided by the
simulation game they use and their effort to render it to a most
effective educational tool. Since the P4G Business Game is a
simulation of the real entrepreneurship world, a wide range of
topic areas are addressed in each round of the game. Therefore,
teachers should ensure that all business aspects are considered
by their students in their decision making process. A sequence of
brief-play-debrief activities should be implemented in the teaching
scenarios for students‟ feedback and highlighting of particular
areas that their students need to improve.
3 – Customization and gradual introduction to the P4G
Business Game Complexity
Teachers engaged in developing scenarios should manipulate the
business game in a way that students are gradually introduced to
more complicated issues or levels of difficulty. This can be
accomplished by providing scaffolding in the initial rounds which
will be gradually reduced. Developing activities that highlight the
key areas that students should consider will considerably help the
more inexperienced ones with a simulation environment or
weaker students regarding business skills.
4 – Both Partial and Holistic Exploitation of the P4G
Business Game features
The P4G Business Game as a simulation of the real business
world is structured in a way that all business key topic areas and
business competences are dealt and considered. Teachers, in
order to achieve the best learning results for their students,
should develop activities that highlight the specific interrelated
factors that address each topic area as well as the interrelated
competences. Shedding light to segmented factors that contribute
to the improvement and enhancement of a specific business
domain facilitates students‟ focus on a specific set of variables and
1 - Align the Business Game with learning their better comprehension of the different functions of the game.
objectives
Finally, the overall analysis and consideration of all segmented
The P4G Business Game has many decision- factors, in a holistic way, will enable students to realise the
making elements embedded, for example, complex and multifaceted aspect of the business world and
supply, demand, production, marketing,
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Newsletter #09
Page 4
Teachers’ engagement in the development of
educational scenarios
therefore, directly relate what is learned in the simulated
environment to the real world.
5–Include tracing and analysis of Assessment aspects
Although the P4G Business Game is structured in a way that
certain key business competences are automatically assessed,
teachers should include in their scenarios activities that facilitate
learners to track and analyse their performance on certain
business areas and competences on each round. This way, it is
ensured that students track their strategic plans and decisions on
areas that require improvement and have consistent feedback
with their performance.
Exemplary scenarios can be found on the P4G Project Platform
http://play4guidance.eu/teacherrecruiterconsultant/
Competences automatically assessed
in the P4G Business Game
Analytical Thinking
Business Acumen
Commitment to Learning
Order and Quality
Expertise
Flexibility
Information Seeking
Innovation
Text by Prof. Zacharoula Smyrnaiou & Liana Petropoulou,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Results Orientation
Decision making
P4G Entrepreneurial Buzz Created During DCU Pilots
Session
DCU carried out its second pilot with the unemployed group on
27th February. Participant knowledge of business varied from
having studied it at school to
none
at
all.
Certainly
enthusiastic,
participants
present on the day were all
eager to learn and enhance their
employability for the future.
They enjoyed discussions on the
P4G
entrepreneurial
competencies and presentations
around the Business Model
Canvas before getting immersed
in the playing of the online
business game. The element of
competition was very motivating
for all participants who were
tasked with branding their own
business company name at the start of the session e.g. “Blingo
Shirts” “Mo-T-Vate” “Attire to Admire” to name but a few
examples. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience for the
participants who all commented on the fun and motivating
„dynamic‟ that was generated before and during the game. The
focus group that followed the session provided a good source for
constructive feedback on the game.
The final pilot with university students got underway on Tuesday
28th February. In this part of the workshop the participants were
involved in a dedicated hands on session on business modelling
and P4G entrepreneurial competencies so that they would have a
solid and practical grounding in the Business Model Canvas and
what competencies are needed for entrepreneurs. This first
session was hugely successful and was attended by a large
number of enthusiastic students. Feedback from the group‟s
lecturer evidences the level of enjoyment on the day:
“Great class yesterday with @Play4Guidance terrific participation
from everyone. Many thanks to Yvonne Margaret Laura
@DCU_ICIWL & Tom” (Tweet by Colm Dunne)
Don’t forget to visit the updated P4G website, where you
can experience the P4G Business Game , communicate and
exchange experiences and best practices with P4G players
from all around the world! gain access to rich educational
material ,find detailed guidelines and step-by-step booklets on how to play the game.
www.play4guidance.eu