ABSTRACT
The increase in size and complexity of modern construction projects has encouraged the development of better management training methods for potential construction managers. One such method is the use of simulation and gaming to enable these potential managers to experience the range of typical decisions that senior managers face daily.
Merit 2 (Managing Engineering Resources Involves Team Work) is a construction management simulation which allows up to 1,000 teams referred to as companies to operate a construction company for up to 16 periods or quarters, representing four trading years. The participants are required to control and manage the direction of their company through interrelated marketing, tendering, overhead allocation, labour and staffing and general financial decisions. The companies operate in a computer-simulated market based on current UK statistics.
Merit was developed at Loughborough University for graduate civil engineers working towards chartership and it is run annually by the Institution of Civil Engineering. The leading teams are invited to play the final at Loughborough. So far, about 12,000 participants have played Merit over the last seven years.
This chapter describes the main features of Merit, the range of decisions to be made, and their implications. The performance indicators which determine the success or failure of each company are highlighted. Finally, the benefits gained from such an approach are reported from an opinion survey of past players.
