Educational Simulations of Sustainable International Business

The international cooperation partnership project entitled Simulation of Sustainable International Business (S.O.S. IB), supported by the Erasmus+ Programme, brings together three higher education institutions from the fields of accounting, finance and management as well as the Croatian Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility to develop digital simulations on the topic of sustainable international business.

The simulations will be performed in a purposely designed digital tool as well as adapted to a mobile game. They will enable (virtual) international collaboration of lecturers in the development of innovative teaching content and international collaboration of students in learning through practical simulated examples.

S.O.S. IB project results are ready for your use!

Dear Lecturers,
Register on the SOS IB platform, connect with other professors, and prepare simulated cases of sustainable international business. Then invite your students and take the SOS IB e-learning path together!!

Dear independent Learners,
Learn the basics of sustainable international business with the SOS IB mobile game!

Dear experts and others,
Read SOS IB study about the impact of SOS IB e-learning on the internationalisation in small higher education institutions of the partner consortium.

  •  SOS IB PLATFORM AND SIMULATED CASES OF SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (more)

  •  SOS IB MOBILE GAME (more)

  •  SOS IB STUDY (more)

TRANSVERSAL SKILLS ARE CRUCIAL

The business world is international, interdisciplinary and increasingly sustainability-oriented. It often requires transversal skills in addition to specialist knowledge. These are hardly acquired by students in traditional teaching processes.

DEVELOPING DIGITAL SIMULATIONS

Therefore, our international partnership is engaged in developing digital simulations of sustainable international business that will enable international collaboration of educators from different disciplines as well as international and interdisciplinary collaboration of students. We will simulate the operation of international companies with different business challenges in the fields of sustainability, accounting, management, finance, intercultural communication, etc. Educators will set the challenges and students from different disciplines will work together to solve them. In a later phase of the project dissemination, we will work with new partners to extend the simulated challenges to other areas of international business, or to upgrade and adapt the existing simulations.

Final S.O.S. IB transnational partners meeting in Zagreb

The Simulation of Sustainable International Business project partners finally met again in person. This time all core project participants were present in Zagreb. At the two-day meeting we looked back to what was achieved so far, performed the second internal project evaluation, made plans for the upcoming dissemination activities and activities for exploitation of project results.

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Project S.O.S. International Business

To enhance the quality of teaching and learning practices as well as international and interdisciplinary networking of lecturers and students by introducing innovative teaching methods and tools.

The project aims to establish teaching practices that are based on the principles of innovative teaching and are supported by digital technology. They will facilitate peer-to-peer, international and interdisciplinary collaboration among students and educators in the filed of sustainable international business.

THE MAIN PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

  • To develop a free digital tool for simulation of sustainable international business in higher education and in business training processes;
  • To train teaching staff to use digital simulations and related methods of innovative teaching in their teaching processes and in introducing the aspects of sustainability into international business curricula;
  • To develop and test the digital simulations of sustainable international business;
  • To develop and deliver trainings about the use of the digital tool in higher education and business;
  • To develop a free mobile game on sustainable international business;
  • To conduct a case study of increasing internationalisation through digitisation of teaching practices in smaller higher education institutions—project partners.

The project runs for three years, from 15 December 2021 to 14 December 2024.

However, the project results will be used long after the official conclusion of the project.

Four main results will be developed as part of the project: a digital tool, simulations, a mobile game and a case study. All results will be freely available. We will also offer trainings in their use!

Main project results

  1.  A digital tool for development and implementation of digital simulations of sustainable international business operations, which can be used in both higher education and business environments. The content of the simulations can be developed by anyone. A user guide  is included in the tool itself, we also offer trainings.
    The tool is available here. To register a new institution, please contact us at: international@vsr.si.
    2. Examples of simulations of sustainable international business, which were tested in the teaching practices of the partner HEIs during the project lifetime and are being further disseminated among other interested HEIs and other stakeholders. Summaries of the developed simulation cases can be read here; the full cases are uploaded to the tool.
    3. A mobile game on sustainable international business for individual learning. It is based on gamification principles and enables players to learn the basics of sustainable international business.
    4. A study of the effects of introducing the digital tool (with innovative teaching methods) on internationalisation of small HEIs. A case study of partner HEIs, based on mixed methods from social sciences, was conducted throughout the project. At the end of the project, the findings were publicly presented and an open access online publication is available here.
    Summary of study findings can also be read in English, Slovenian, and Bulgarian.

The project brings together three higher education institutions and one institute, as well as a number of other associated partners from the HE and business sectors.

In addition to the VŠR College of Accounting and Finance as the lead partner, the core project partnership consists of two higher education institutions from Croatia and Bulgaria (University of Applied Sciences RRiF, and VUM Varna University of Management), and the Croatian Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility (IDOP).

More than 30 associate partners (colleges, faculties, public institutions, companies and NGOs) from all three countries have already shown interest in the project and in using its results. We invite you to join us in using and disseminating the results as well!

More about the VŠR project partners:

University of Applied Sciences RRiF
Zagreb, Croatia

Full name in the national language

Veleučilište RRiF

Acronym

RRiF

Website

www.rvs.hr

Institutional project coordinator

Goran Topić

E-mail

veleuciliste@rrif.hr

Telephone

+385 1 46 99 735

 University of Applied Sciences RRiF is a Higher Education Institution founded in 2006. Its main aim is providing the education with high standards of teaching and quality. RRiF University offers a three-year professional study Accounting and Finance and a two-year specialist professional graduate study Corporate finance. The study programmes of RRiF University are focused on educating the professionals to independently performs tasks in the fields of financial management, financial accounting  and reporting, taxation and managerial accounting as well as to efficently perform the managerial activities at the level of the middle or higher management in corporations.

VUM – Varna University of Management
Varna, Bulgaria

Full name in the national language

Висше учиище по мениджмънт

Acronym

Bум

Website

https://vum.bg/

Institutional project coordinator

Christina Armutlieva

E-mail

christina.armutlieva@vumk.eu

Telephone

+359 52 300 680

Varna University of Management (VUM) is a private HEI with approx. 600 students, over 25% of them being international and coming from more than 40 countries around the world. VUM is specialised in social and computer sciences and offers undergraduate and master programmes in International Business and Management and Business Administration, Software Engineering and Business Information Systems, and Tourism and Hospitality. All study programmes are fully delivered in English and lead to the award of double degrees offered in collaboration with various universities in the EU and beyond.

VUM faculty is engaged in various international science and research projects. VUM Research Institute issues internationally recognized science journals incl European Journal of Tourism Research (EJTR) and VUM Management Review. According to Scopus, EJTR is among the highest ranked European journals in the field of tourism research.

The Croatian Institute for CSR (IDOP)
Zagreb, Croatia

Full name in the national language

Institut za društveno odgovorno poslovanje

Acronym

IDOP

Website

https://idop.hr/en/home-en/

Institutional project coordinator

Nikolina Markota Vukić

E-mail

nikolina@idop.hr

The Croatian Institute for CSR (IDOP), established in 2015, is a think-thank research and advisory organization focused on development and digitalization of sustainability practices. In Croatia IDOP is connecting academia, businesses, government and society on the sustainability and social responsibility topics. Through educational programmes, consultancy work for business sector, IT solutions and EU projects, IDOP is focusing on sustainable solutions while applying multidisciplinary approach.

IDOP is a member of strong international organizations like Global Reporting  Initiative and of CSR International. Through these memberships and with a help of the European stakeholders, IDOP works in forming new social  responsibility strategies and policies important for both adult education and research.

Project is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme (KA2: Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education). More about the Erasmus+ Programme.

At the VŠR College the project is coordinated by Barbara Drole and Mojca Mayr (contact: international@vsr.si).

Why 
join 
the project?

Innovative, interactive and realistic digital learning environment

International collaboration in the development of educational content without the need for physical mobility

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning about sustainable international business

Mobile game—learning tool for individual learners

We provide 
training  
for you

In 2024 we can provide training about the usage of the digital tool in your (internal) educational processes. We can also cooperate with other HEIs and develop new examples of sustainable international business simulations for your and our students, thereby strengthening collaboration within the HE sector. We also invite you to use the mobile game and read the findings of the study!

Contact us for more information at: international@vsr.si.

Get in touch

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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