Page 9 - The Case Lab Book

development, analysis and use suffered from a number of shortcomings, not the least of

which was a paucity of choice. In itself, this was a serious weakness, and one which
was further compounded by an even worse supply of business case study teaching

guides. Today, this has changed as increasingly more business schools have opened
and developed especially in countries such as India and following on, China. Also the

application of new technologies hold the promise of radical transformation.

Traditionally, on MBA courses, the paper based case study method would be used as the
vehicle to develop student learning and understanding as the case study is predisposed to

facilitate the marriage of theory and practice. They are generally written to reflect real life
situations and like life, do not supply perfect information.

Business situations have been explored through the use of case studies since the early 1920s. It is a
means of demonstrating the link between theory and practice and a way of testing the student’s ability
to apply to a real situation the knowledge and understanding acquired in class. Often a guest speaker
from the company studied would be invited to address the class, thereby increasing the value of the
case study as a learning tool. Today’s technology allows us to make the case study more effective.
The merits and drawbacks of interactive multimedia applications can now be explored. But first it
should be noted that interactivity is a vital component all too often overlooked or done badly. Here,
‘glitz’ is used to disguise the inadequacies of the application. This may convince ‘early adopters’ to
purchase but in the long run it will not sustain a mass market based on repeat purchasing.

The strength of business case studies lies both their specificity and situational generalisability.
This latter may be enhanced through the application of trigger questions by the lecturer that

steer the student to address areas, applications and analytical techniques which they might

otherwise have avoided.

These trigger questions are in themselves fundamental to both paper-based and electronic

case studies. However, it soon became apparent that both deliveries needed to be assessed.

Case studies however, are not simply about students and their interactions with the set case
study. They are also about the relationship between the student and his/her peer group, the
student and the lecturer, and the student and the wider interface that encompasses the

contextual underpinning of the business case study. I posit therefore, that for the lecturer an
appreciation of these symbiotic relationships is a prerequisite when developing online,
interactive business case studies. By their very nature business case studies are rooted in