Comparison of Value Generation Strategies Between Planned and Emerging Strategies: A Study Based on Games of Companies

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the economic results of the planned strategies compared to the emergent strategies in decision-making. The theoretical background emphasizes some aspects, like the strategy concept evolution throughout the time, the typology of strategies proposed by Mintzberg, the comparison between competition and cooperation, and the use of a business simulator as a tool for business research purposes. As a controlled experiment, the EGS simulator (Management Exercise Simulated) allowed comparison of the economic results of the two decision-making situations. The findings show that when planned strategies were implemented without corrections, the value generated (expressed by the internal rate of return IRR = 1.51%) was greater than in the case of adjusted emerging strategies in three periods (IRR= 1.40%). Comparing the two situations, it is possible to find a value added advantage of 7.86% in favor of the planned strategies, indicating the competition might be responsible for the value decreasing in real environment. Analyzing the performance degrees reached by the competitors, the ranking results show that there is no association between planned strategy and emerging strategies. Although the business simulators can be considered weak approximations for the business environment, the experiment contributed new evidence of the competition rise in oligopoly industries and a new methodological approach for studying this phenomenon.