Proverbial wisdom – a “serious” international business game
Journal of International Education in Business
ISSN: 2046-469X
Article publication date: 29 April 2014
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a proverb game where the themes of work and money introduce participants to world perspectives on handling social transactions and establishing “fair play” between people.
Design/methodology/approach
Students are involved in a “serious game” where they work in international groups to piece together parts of a linguistic puzzle drawing on the language competencies of the group. They exchange viewpoints about “fair play”. This experiential learning opportunity introduces an ethics and cross-cultural framework into the curriculum.
Findings
The game has been used to “break the ice” at the start of international business programs and allow exchange students greater opportunity to become involved in problem solving activities.
Practical implications
In three versions, the authors have tested over three academic years, the proverb game has allowed the participants to reach the objectives: become involved with international classmates, co-produce cultural knowledge with peers (an alternative to a teacher-driven seminar on culture), develop awareness of cultural self, study world values through proverbs, and examine the importance of rule-based behavior and fair play.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, there are no “language” games suitable for the international business classroom whose purpose is actually ethical.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Annette Lang (EDHEC Business School), Lixia-Elisa Xing, (EDHEC Business School), Daniela Blank, Mohamed Hedi Charki (EDHEC Business School).
Citation
E. Witte, A. and Daly, P. (2014), "Proverbial wisdom – a “serious” international business game", Journal of International Education in Business, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 2-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-12-2012-0029
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited