Improving Students’ Self-Efficacy in Strategic Management: The Relative Impact of Cases and Simulations

Abstract

Taught as the “capstone” course in most universities, strategic management is designed to teach the skills of strategic thinking and analysis rather than mere facts or concepts. So, educators should have some assurance that their students learn to “do” strategy. Self-efficacy enhances a person’s task interest, persistence, willingness to exert effort, and, ultimately, task performance. This article investigates the relative contribution of simulations and case studies for improving students’ self-efficacy in strategic management. Using pre-and posttest data from a sample of 252 students, the authors conclude that simulations result in significantly higher improvements in self-efficacy than case studies.