All of the student materials for SBG are available here as zip files in pdf format. You may also obtain Microsoft Word files on request. You select the student materials you want to use and provide copies for your students.
SBG lends itself to distant learning formats. This is especially attractive to working bankers as it reduces costs by over 90% compared to offsite seminars. The European Bank Training Network <www.ebtn.com> through Warsaw Bankers Association has been offering EuroBanrisk (SBG) in successful distant learning formats for several years. There is information and links at the EBTN website or you can write to bankgame@hrwinc.com
We make the following student materials available for the Stanford Bank Game in US or International versions.
1) The Executive Edition Manual. Although it is a little tedious this manual includes a rather detailed analysis of the two background printouts that are the starting position in the game and it shows students how to do a source and uses forecast. It will take most students about 15 hours to complete this manual properly. It is about 120 pages.
2) The Executive Edition Case Studies. (approximately 200 pages). This will be most effective with MBA level students. It contains some general information about banking and SBG that expands on a few topics in The Executive Edition Manual plus case studies and directions on their use. These case studies are typically completed by students with each set of results. Some analyze profitability, some generate managerial data that is needed for further analysis or forecasting. These case studies were originally developed over an extended period of time with working banker audiences. The team breaks up the case studies (suggestions for this are included). Each team member does about 1 1/2 hours of individualized analytical work on the computer reports (assuming 5 to 6 players per team). Upon completion of this they can usually make their team decision in a one hour meeting. There is also general reading material on some of the more complex features in SBG. You only need one set of case studies per team.
Too often many of the decisions made during the simulation are guess work and this does not promote learning or simulate the real world of managing a bank. If students use the case studies it is almost impossible to engage in guess work - decisions are calculated risks.
Fundamentally the computer model is the instructor as it is constantly providing very precise feedback to students on each decision they make. Without some very structured guidance groups miss more than 50% of the feedback provided by the simulation. The case studies solve this problem and most players find they can control and predict what will happen to their banks after about three or four decisions. Apart from providing students with specific methodology the case studies also organize and distribute the workload in the game. By being more efficient the groups accomplish more.
Once students feel they are in control of the bank there is a significant shift in the educational focus of the simulation experience. In fact this is when the simulation truly begins to simulate real world bank management.
3) Sample Excel Spreadsheet. This can replace or supplement the cases. It utilizes the new csv file generated by the software and has numerous student templates. (This Beta version was kindly offered by Dr. West at Univ. Wisconsin) You can modify it to suit your needs. We hope users will provide copies of any new student templates so we can make them available to everyone.
