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Case-based Teaching vs. Business Case-Writing1

by Deddy Herdiansjah, PhD. Bakrie University

What is business case?

The use of the case method for management instruction is based upon the belief that management is a skill

rather than a collection of techniques or concepts. The best way to learn a skill is to practice in a

simulation-type process. Just as the swimmer learns to swim by swimming, and the pianist learns piano by

playing, so too the skills of management are learned by actively participating in managing-not by readings or

lectures. The swimming novice might drown if thrown into deep water after reading a set of books on how to

swim. And few of us would want to hear' a concert pianist who had never before touched a piano but who had

attended many lectures on piano playing. Because it is impractical to have the program participants/students

manager manage a company, the case provides a vehicle for simulation2.

This note briefly describes what is involved in learning through using the case method. Simply stated,

business case calls for discussion of real-life situations that have been faced by business executives3. Cases

approximate the kinds of situations you are accustomed to encountering in your role as a manager. These

situations have been written up by case-writers, who have sought as good reporters to present you with

information available to the business executives concerned4.

1 Prepared for mini-workshop on how business case-writing is developed, organized by Bakrie Learning Center (BLC)

Jakarta, Indonesia (30/6/3010). 2 Herdiansjah, D. (2002). “Case Methods Teaching, as a Vehicle of Participative Learning”. Case-based Training

Workshop for Garuda Indonesia Management Development Program. Jakarta. 3 Bonoma, T.V., and T. Kosnik, (1989). Learning by the Case Method in Marketing, [HBS case #-9-590-008], Harvard

Business School Publishing, Boston, Mass, p. 6. 4 Bonoma, T.V. (1996). Questions and Answers About Case Learning Note [HBScase #-9-502-059], Harvard Business

School Publishing, Boston, Mass, p. 2.

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Educational Purpose of a Case

The case study is defined as follows5: A good case is the vehicle by which a chunk of reality is brought into the classroom to be worked over by the

class and the instructor. A good case keeps the class discussion grounded upon some of the stubborn facts

that must be faced in real life situations. It is the anchor on academic flights of speculation. It is the record of

complex situations that must be literally pulled apart and put together again before the situations can be

understood. It is the target for the expression of attitudes or ways of thinking brought into the classroom.

The purpose of using a case study in a teaching environment is to present the program participants/students

with a scenario as close to that which he or she may encounter in subsequent work, in order that the program

participants/students may be able to work through the problem and devise reasonable and workable

solutions. The case study puts the program participants/students in the problem solver’s shoes.

The case study does not provide answers. Rather, it raises questions and allows the program

participants/students to work through the decision-making process and find his or her preferred solution. The

case study generates an action-oriented teaching environment; the program participants/students must

actively participate in the process in order to meet the learning objectives. Through this process, much of the

responsibility for learning is naturally

Cases help managers sharpen their analytical skills, since they must produce quantitative and qualitative

evidence to support recommendations and decisions6. In case discussions, participants are challenged by

instructors and fellow participants to defend their arguments and analyses; the effect on the participants is a

sharpening of problem-solving and a heightened ability to think and reason rigorously7.

5 Lawrence, P.R.(1953). “The Preparation of Case Material”, in Kenneth R. Andrews, ed. The Case Methods of Teaching

HR and Administration; Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, MA. 6 Corey, E.R. (1998).Case Method Teaching [HBS case #-9-581-058], Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston,

Mass, pp. 6-7. 7 Gragg, C.I. (1992). Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told [HBS case #-451-005], Harvard Business School Publishing,

Boston, Mass, pp. 4-5.

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Case studies cut across a range of organizations and situations and provide, for anyone participant, an

exposure far greater than one is likely to experience in one's day-to-day routine. Cases permit building

knowledge across various management subjects by dealing selectively and intensively with problems in each

field. The participant comes to recognize that the problems he or she faces as a manager are not unique to

one organization, and to develop a more professional sense of management.

Cases, and the related case discussions in class, provide the focal point around which the participants'

expertise, experience, observations, and rules of thumb are brought to bear. What each class member brings

to identifying the central problems in a case, analyzing them, and proposing solutions is as important as the

content of the case itself 8. The lessons of experience are tested as the participant presents and defends his

or her analysis against that of participants having different experiences and attitudes gained by working in

other jobs. It is here where common problems, interdependencies, differences of attitudes and organizational

needs, and the impact of decisions in one sector of art organization upon other sectors emerge and force the

participants to face and deal with them.

Perhaps, the most important benefit of using cases is that they help managers learn how to ask the right

questions. An able business leader once commented: "Ninety per cent of the task of a top manager is to ask

useful questions. Answers are relatively easy to find, but asking good questions, that is the more critical

skill."9 In suggesting discussion questions for each case, the faculty is not preempting the participant's task of

identifying the problems in the case. You still must ask yourself: "What really are the problems which this

manager has to resolve?" In real-life situations, too often facts and figures are manipulated without the

problems having been specifically defined.

A final benefit that the faculty seeks to achieve by using cases is that the case method of learning renews the

sense of fun and excitement that comes with being a manager. Participants should come to sense once again

that being a manager is a great challenge-intellectually, politically, and socially.

8 Corey, E.R. (1998).Case Method Teaching [HBS case #-9-581-058], Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston,

Mass, pp. 8-9. 9 Gragg, C.I. (1992). Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told [HBS case #-451-005], Harvard Business School Publishing,

Boston, Mass, p. 7.

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How to Prepare Good Business-Cases

Case studies present realistic situations, allowing students/program participants to balance

theory with practice. While there is no "one ideal way to write and develop business-case, some

generalities can be drawn. This section highlights how good cases are prepared and developed. It certainly

does not intend to include a complete explanation of how various business-cases are developed. It rather to

illustrating a general characteristics of good business-cases must include.

A good case can help the program participants/students develop the following skills: • identifying and recognizing problems • understanding and interpreting data • understanding and recognizing assumptions and inferences, as opposed to concrete facts • thinking analytically and critically • understanding and assessing interpersonal relationships • exercising and making judgments • communicating ideas and opinions • making and defending decisions.

What Common Elements to Include in “Good” Business-Cases

A case study may consist of one scenario or several, and it may take many forms, from a traditional

paper-based document to films, videos or audio recordings. The case study document may be as short as

two pages or as long as thirty.

The case study is often accompanied by a set of teaching notes, one to several pages long. The teaching

notes are in effect any communication between the author of the case and any subsequent instructor using

the case, whether it be the author himself or another individual. The notes are intended to help the instructor

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understand the reason the case study was written, the questions that might arise from it and the professional

or theoretical points that might be raised in discussion.

The following narration illustrates the most common elements usually be found in good

business-cases10:

Elements of a Case Study

Element: Description:

Introduction (sometimes it has not been specifically presented in the body of the case).

The introduction defines the problem to be examined and explains the parameters or limitations of the situation.

Overview/Analysis

The overview/analysis provides a scenario of the situation and offers more detail about the various players in the scenario, including the organization, its employees or other people involved with the issue in question. It may also mention professional, technical or theoretical issues that arise from the situation. It might also include graphic or visual aids such as budgets, organizational charts, mission statements or technical specifications, as relevant. In complex case studies, the overview and analysis may be presented separately.

Status report The status report describes the organization’s/ boead of director’s actions, on the matter. It may include statements from managers or employees about their intentions for resolving the issue.

Case problems In many business-cases, the status report may end with one or two case problems, which require the learner to analyze or solve a particular question. Case problems generally take one of three forms: 1. Give a situation and ask learners what they would do next. 2. Set a task, such as asking learners to prepare a report recommending

an action for review by a key official. 3. Illustrate a scenario and ask learners to analyse the faults and

recommend how it should have been handled.

Appendices /Exhibits The case study may include as many appendices as necessary to ensure learners understand the case scenario and have the necessary information to solve the case problems, including exhibit copies of documents, charts, technical specifications and so on.

Each program participant/student should strive to develop the ability to ask "the right questions about each

case." The instructor may provide specific questions for each case. The following questions are among those

which are generally relevant to all cases:

Who is the protagonist?

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Krishnan, R. T. (2004). Case method: A perspective, AIMA National Workshop on Case Development. Bangalore, India

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.What are his or her objectives (implicit or explicit )?

.What decisions (implicit or explicit) must I make? What problems, opportunities, and risks do I, as

the protagonist, face?

What evidence do I have to help make the decision? Is the evidence reliable and unbiased? Can I

improve it?

What alternative courses of action are available? What criteria should I use to judge the alternatives?

What action should I take?

How should I convince others in the case and in the classroom that my approach is best?

What did I learn from this case?

How does it relate to past cases and my own "live" experiences?

Teaching Notes11:

Teaching note support a completeness of a good business-case. The “Teaching Notes” typically include the following:

Elements of Teaching Notes

Element: Description:

Synopsis The synopsis presents a brief overview of the case in question.

Educational objectives The educational objectives includes a discussion of the learning points raised by the case.

Discussion outline/question set The discussion outline/question set provides the instructor with guidelines for how to teach the case. It includes key questions to raise while discussing the case study, with appropriate answers or discussion points.

Tips for resolving the case problem If a specific problem was outlined in the case, these tips might describe the objectives of the problem and tasks to be undertaken. Tips might also be included about approaches that might be taken, sources that could be consulted and points that should be addressed in arriving at a ‘solution’.

Appendices Appendices to the teaching note may include a bibliography, a glossary of relevant terms or a list of other activities or exercises that might be used to further learning of the subject. Some appendices, such as the bibliography or glossary, may be prepared in such a way that they may be easily reproduced for the students.

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Ibid. Krishnan, R. T. (2004).

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Testing the Relevance the Business-Case After a business-case has been developed and used one or more times, it is important to evaluate its

suitability. As part of testing and validating the cases, the case writers/the instructors should ask the following

questions12:

• Were the educational objectives achieved?

• Did the discussion remain relevant to the issue or did it transgress into side topics?

• Did the students have sufficient detail to consider the case? Too much detail?

• Was the case relevant to the work situations students might find themselves in? If not, did it provide a good

example of other systems, organizations or cultures?

• Did the students find the case stimulating and informative?

It is useful to prepare a brief memo or document outlining the use of the case and the discussions generated,

for reference the next time it is used. Ideally, the instructor will amend or annotate the teaching notes, adding

or changing questions or discussion points, for example. Without such an evaluation of the case study, it can

quickly become not just obsolete but, worse, irrelevant. A valuable case study remains current, interesting

and challenging. As the closing remarks we would say:

A valuable good business case is current, interesting and challenging.

12 Williams, B. (2005). “Case based learning--a review of the literature: is there scope for this educational paradigm in

education?” Emerg Med J, 22(8), 577-581.

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Additional notes:

The Schools that are considered strong in case-base teaching and business-case development are: * Harvard Business School * Babson College * Business Enterprise Trust * Darden School of Business, U Virginia * IMD * INSEAD * Ivey School of Business, UWO * Kellogg School of Management, U Penn. * Stanford Graduate School of Business * Thunderbird School of Global Management * University of Hong Kong

Style of the Case:

Narrative

Many experts recommend writing the case as a narrative13, almost like a short story, in order to engage

program participants/students interest14. However, there may be instances when a more objective

presentation is desired such as presenting clinical reports or official documents. In any case, it is

important to find an appropriate format which engages program participants/students interest, yet

presents the content appropriately. Excessive jargon should be avoided unless it is needed for the case

structure.

Length

Experts vary on how much detail is necessary, but it is important that enough material be written so that

all the important background and data are included, but short enough so that program

participants/students are not overwhelmed. A good index or detailed outline can help in assignments

where large amounts of case background need to be presented15.

13 Herreid, Clyde Freedman (1998) "Return to Mars:

How Not to Teach a Case Study" Journal of College Science Teaching, February 1998. 14 Herreid, Clyde Freedman (1999) "Cooking with Betty Crocker

A Recipe for Case Writing" Journal of College Science Teaching, December 1999/February 2000: 156-158. 15 Davis, Claire and Wilcock, Elizabeth (2004) "Teaching Materials Using Case Studies"; Harvard Business School

Publishing, Cambridge. Mass.

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Sequence of Data & Documents

In most cases, supporting data and documents are sequenced according to the narrative of the case. If

possible, short passages or tabular data can be embedded within the narrative in the appropriate

location.

For some case types however, documents can be organized out if sequence if the goal is for program

participants/students to learn it organize and analyze a random collection of documents.

End of the field.