IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orited/v22y2022i3p195-215.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Game—Playing Goldratt’s Dice Game in Large Classes

Author

Listed:
  • Lan Luo

    (Barney School of Business, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut 06117)

  • Charles L. Munson

    (Carson College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164)

Abstract

We provide and describe an Excel-based simulation of a classic dice game. Instructors can use the simulation in large classes to allow student teams to try to select the best combination of capacity and inventory-improvement options to maximize profit. Instructors generate the results during class in real time. The game also provides excellent debriefing opportunities for further insight. In this paper, we not only present the game itself, but we perform extensive numerical analysis to develop deeper insight regarding the effect of the different options. This analysis provides instructors with tools to modify our original costs to produce different winning combinations and to potentially play the game multiple times to strengthen the managerial insights derived in this illustration of addressing the problem of dependent events and statistical fluctuations in assembly lines. Instructors of analytics or modeling courses could even ask their students to design the basic Monte Carlo simulation model themselves. Survey evidence has shown enthusiastic student endorsement of the game, and pretest/posttest analysis suggests strong learning effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Lan Luo & Charles L. Munson, 2022. "Game—Playing Goldratt’s Dice Game in Large Classes," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 195-215, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orited:v:22:y:2022:i:3:p:195-215
    DOI: 10.1287/ited.2021.0267
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/ited.2021.0267
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/ited.2021.0267?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. M. Lambrecht & S. Creemers & R. Boute & R. Leus, 2012. "Extending the production dice game," Post-Print hal-00800188, HAL.
    2. Fang Zhao, 2019. "Using Quizizz to Integrate Fun Multiplayer Activity in the Accounting Classroom," International Journal of Higher Education, Sciedu Press, vol. 8(1), pages 1-37, February.
    3. Richard Conway & William Maxwell & John O. McClain & L. Joseph Thomas, 1988. "The Role of Work-in-Process Inventory in Serial Production Lines," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 36(2), pages 229-241, April.
    4. Andrew Manikas & Mahesh Gupta & Lynn Boyd, 2015. "Experiential exercises with four production planning and control systems," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(14), pages 4206-4217, July.
    5. William P. Millhiser & Joseph G. Szmerekovsky, 2012. "Teaching Critical Chain Project Management: The Academic Debate and Illustrative Examples," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 67-77, January.
    6. Arvid C. Johnson & Anne M. Drougas, 2002. "Using Goldratt's Game to Introduce Simulation in the Introductory Operations Management Course," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 20-33, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosanna Cole & Brent Snider, 2020. "Rolling the Dice on Global Supply Chain Sustainability: A Total Cost of Ownership Simulation," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 165-176, May.
    2. Unai Apaolaza & Aitor Orue & Aitor Lizarralde & Aitor Oyarbide-Zubillaga, 2022. "Competitive Improvement through Integrated Management of Sales and Operations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Chen, Jiaqiong & Askin, Ronald G., 2006. "Throughput maximization in serial production lines with worksharing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(1-2), pages 88-101, February.
    4. Wallace J. Hopp & Eylem Tekin & Mark P. Van Oyen, 2004. "Benefits of Skill Chaining in Serial Production Lines with Cross-Trained Workers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(1), pages 83-98, January.
    5. Tang, Kwei & Gong, Linguo & Chang, Dong-Shang, 2003. "Optimal process control policies under a time-varying cost structure," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(1), pages 197-210, August.
    6. Lutz, Christian M. & Roscoe Davis, K. & Sun, Minghe, 1998. "Determining buffer location and size in production lines using tabu search," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(2-3), pages 301-316, April.
    7. Lauren Xiaoyuan Lu & Jan A. Van Mieghem & R. Canan Savaskan, 2009. "Incentives for Quality Through Endogenous Routing," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 11(2), pages 254-273, July.
    8. Bertazzi, Luca, 2011. "Determining the optimal dimension of a work-in-process storage area," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(2), pages 483-489, June.
    9. Papadopoulos, H. T. & Vidalis, M. I., 2001. "Minimizing WIP inventory in reliable production lines," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 185-197, March.
    10. Urban, Timothy L. & Chiang, Wen-Chyuan, 2016. "Designing energy-efficient serial production lines: The unpaced synchronous line-balancing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 248(3), pages 789-801.
    11. Payman Jula & Robert Leachman, 2008. "Coordinating decentralized local schedulers in complex supply chain manufacturing," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 123-147, July.
    12. Andijani, A. A. & Anwarul, M., 1997. "Manufacturing blocking discipline: A multi-criterion approach for buffer allocations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 155-163, September.
    13. Erel, Erdal, 1998. "A study on production lines with discrete batch WIP inventory transfer," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 71-85, June.
    14. Sabry Shaaban & Rodrigo Romero-Silva, 2021. "Performance of merging lines with uneven buffer capacity allocation: the effects of unreliability under different inventory-related costs," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 29(4), pages 1253-1288, December.
    15. Suliman, S. M. A., 2000. "A mathematical model for a buffered two-stage manufacturing cell with an unreliable transfer device," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 69-81, January.
    16. Askin, Ronald G. & Chen, Jiaqiong, 2006. "Dynamic task assignment for throughput maximization with worksharing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 168(3), pages 853-869, February.
    17. Hadjinicola, George C. & Soteriou, Andreas C., 2003. "Reducing the cost of defects in multistage production systems: A budget allocation perspective," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(3), pages 621-634, March.
    18. Noa Zychlinski & Avishai Mandelbaum & Petar Momčilović, 2018. "Time-varying tandem queues with blocking: modeling, analysis, and operational insights via fluid models with reflection," Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 15-47, June.
    19. Sachs, F.E. & Helber, S. & Kiesmüller, G.P., 2022. "Evaluation of Unreliable Flow Lines with Limited Buffer Capacities and Spare Part Provisioning," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 302(2), pages 544-559.
    20. Theodor Freiheit & Wei Li, 2017. "The effect of work content imbalance and its interaction with scheduling method on sequential flow line performance," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(10), pages 2791-2805, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orited:v:22:y:2022:i:3:p:195-215. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.