Published In

Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2026

Subjects

Purchasing and supply management

Abstract

To better prepare higher education graduates for the early stages of their careers, universities aim to bridge the gap between classroom teaching and the skills demanded by industry, particularly in the field of procurement. Today, procurement professionals increasingly require specialised skill sets, rather than generalist education, to effectively fulfil their role-specific responsibilities. This study integrates experiential learning theory with game-based learning by presenting a synthesised model that unites both perspectives. Building on this model, a purchasing-specific game is employed to compare traditional lecture-based teaching with experiential game-based learning, focusing on purchasing skills as well as cognitive and affective learning outcomes. The effectiveness of the game-based approach is examined through a group comparison experiment, contrasting students who played the game (N = 202) with those who attended conventional lectures (N = 135). The findings indicate that the game effectively develops purchasing and supply management (PSM) skills relevant to professional practice. Moreover, students evaluated the game as a highly positive learning experience, and it outperformed traditional lecturing in most skill-related, cognitive, and affective outcomes, ultimately leading to improved examination performance. For educators, the study highlights the design and implementation of the serious game, its pedagogical implications, and directions for future research in procurement education and beyond.

Rights

Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.1016/j.pursup.2025.101077

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45320

Publisher

Elsevier BV

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