Download a zip file containing all Introduction to Business worksheets.

Or get them individually:

• An Overview for Teachers
• Exercise #1 - Preparing
• Exercise #2 - Management
• Exercise #3 - Marketing
• Exercise #4 - Accounting/Finance

Close to 75% of all college graduates, regardless of their specific major, will end up with careers in business organizations. It may be persuasively argued, then, that Introduction to Business is one of the most important courses a student can take.

All of us who teach or conduct research in business know the value of experiential exercises. Creativity and innovation are the hallmarks of business educators. Role plays, case studies, taped interviews are common in our classes. But traditional paint by numbers simulations are not very well suited for students in Introduction to Business classes. They are often too complex, too intimidating, and too expensive.

The Pillars virtual simulator is an ideal experiential learning tool for creating an enthusiastic buzz in the business school hallways, and boosting enrollment in business majors. It is complex but not complicated. It is largely intuitive and not at all intimidating. The only real-time simulator on the market, Pillars avoids the download-upload-download herky-jerky problems of spreadsheet simulations that are so poorly suited for teaching Introduction to Business. And very importantly, it is FUN.

Pillars is simple for the teacher to set up. You register the course on this web site, selecting the specific times (easily changed) that you want the class to be using the simulator. This allows you to set the world spinning at any time you choose (usually near the end of the course during three or four consecutive class sessions of 50 to 75 minutes).

It is just as simple for students. They log on to the web site (usually early in the course) and register for your particular competition. At registration, they can download their own SOLO simulator that they use to practice on their own time, sharpening their mechanical skills against artificial intelligence trainers in preparation for your course competition.

In this section of the web site, you will find some student introductory materials and several Introduction to Business exercises you can use as assignments during your course. These assignments assure that students are getting familiar with the simulator, reinforce the concepts you are teaching, and start students thinking about how they should use the knowledge and skills you are giving them in a competitive marketplace. The exercises are designed to fit easily into your course, regardless of the text or other materials you are using.

During the course competition (conducted near the end of the course, either in the computer lab or in a wireless environment of your choosing), you will want to wander the room(s) and observe how well individuals and groups put into practice what they have learned in your course. To get the most out of the experience, the teams need to compete for three to four one hour sessions. When the competition is over, a "winner" is declared and financial statements are compared, the teacher should conduct a "debriefing" during which students share what they learned about business in the simulated setting.

The Pillars simulator can also be used as a research tool for the enterprising teacher or graduate student.

If you have not yet read the article on the role of tools like the Pillars simulator in the formation of the future business teaching, you will find it here.