The use of simulation in an engineering management academic program

Computer simulation has been introduced into the curriculum of the Master of Engineering and Technology program at Brigham Young University through a management simulation course taught by faculty of the College of Engineering and Technology. The course uses the Aerospace Business Environment Simulator (ABES) to provide a management experience of directing a company which competes for government contacts in research and development and in production in the fields of missile systems and space exploration systems. The competitive classroom exercise consists of organizing students into a number of management teams which control the operation of their company by the submission of management decisions on a weekly basis (simulating a three-month period). In ABES, the student decisions concern resource changes, and contract bidding. By requiring quantitative decisions, the student is better exposed to real-life problems such as resource scheduling; wage setting, and productivity enhancement. Based on the management decisions of the individual companies; ABES generates a series of quarterly reports on the financial and contract status of the companies. In addition to detailed reports on the condition of their own company, each management team is provided limited information on the status of the other companies