Case Writing for Business Education: Writing Objectives and Selecting a Case Topic

Marc Robinson, Ph.D.

The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

June 21, 2012

Welcome
Marc Robinson
Director of Educational Outreach/GlobaLens, WDI
3 years:
+400% in case adoptions +450 case studies written + 3 courses, 10 modules

Formerly:
Director of Distance Learning, Schoolcraft College Senior Instructional Designer & Curriculum Specialist, Capella University Consultant in National Security and Anti-terrorism USAF Officer

Sandra Draheim
Marketing Manager, Educational Outreach/GlobaLens, WDI
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Agenda
I. II. III. IV. GlobaLens Overview NextBillion Casewriting Competition Teaching & Learning Theory Case Method

I. Setting your objectives II. Choosing a topic III. Getting started

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Objectives
After participating in this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe the ways adults learn Define case-based learning / the case method Write good objectives for a business case study Choose a topic for a business case study Start an outline for a business case study

GlobaLens
Started 2007 as casewriting partner to the Univ. of Mich. Business School Casewriting, publication, submitted materials Marketing to educators globally 400% growth in usage annually Largest catalog of niche cases in select areas
Social impact Base of the Pyramid Entrepreneurship

Growing collection of courses / modules Awards

2011 University of Michigan Provosts Teaching Innovation Prize Oikos Case Writing Competition Winners NextBillion Case Writing Competition Winners
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NextBillion Casewriting
Competition to identify, publish, and reward writers of the most instructive real-world business cases of social entrepreneurship and market-based methods 1st place: $3,500 2nd place: $2,500 3rd place: $1,000 Judges:
Hui Wen Chan, impact analytics and planning officer at Citi Foundation Stuart L. Hart is the Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise and Professor of Management at Cornell Universitys Johnson School of Management Bob Kennedy is the Tom Lantos Professor of Business Administration at Michigan's Ross Business School M. S. Krishnan is the Joseph Handleman Professor of Information Systems and Innovation and Professor of Business Information Technology at the Ross School of Business 6 Marc Robinson is the director of GlobaLens

How adults learn

Adults need:
The reason for learning something
Need to Know

Experience (including error) to provide the basis for learning activities

Foundation

To be responsible for their decisions in education and involved in planning & evaluation of their instruction
Self-concept

Content and skills that that have immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives
Readiness

Problem-centered rather than content-oriented learning

Orientation

Internal versus external motivators

Motivation
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What is a Business Case?

A teaching tool that tells a story about a situation that an organization faced Designed to be solved through classroom discussion, there is no right answer Central decision point, or dilemma, is crucial A central figure (often a CEO) that has to make this decision in a given time frame Bias
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What a Business Case is Not

NOT a summary of the events at a company NOT a research paper
In a business case, just present the information without leading students to a conclusion

NOT a marketing tool for the featured organization

Case Method
Advantages Personal Real Specific Experiential Analytical Logical Teamwork opportunities Communication opportunities Disadvantages Too specific Post-hoc experience Truncated experience Casewriting skill Teaching focus

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Poll Question

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Case Development Process

1. 2. 3. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Identify your teaching objectives Determine a Featured Organization Gather information from credible sources Create an outline First Draft Second Draft Citations Publishing

Teaching objectives
Demonstrate an understanding of the roles companies play in market-based solutions to poverty alleviation, funding sources available to start-up companies that choose to operate in the BoP sphere. Justify using BoP terminology.

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Teaching objectives
Unclear: what will students know / be able to do Not assessable Jargon Demonstrate an understanding of

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Teaching objectives
Unclear: what will students know / be able to do Not assessable Jargon Demonstrate an understanding of Better: After discussing this case, students will be able to choose the best funding source available to MoVirtu, and justify the choice using BoP terminology.

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Developing good teaching objectives

Skill that must be practiced Takes some time Start with a model / discipline and a taxonomy Can be refined after casewriting has begun Process (in depth in following slides):
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Explain your case in three sentences Identify three to four key questions* that your case will address List activities students will perform to learn answers to key questions. Repeat the previous steps until youre satisfied. Explain how students will prove they know answers to key questions. Identify your role as the professor. 16 Write the objectives (and refine them)

1. Explain your case in three sentences.

Concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free Rework your description several times so that the message hits home with students of varying ability levels. Example:
Today sales professionals must expand their perspective to see their role in an enterprise-wide, cross-functional context. This case addresses the basics of selling skills as well as the core sales management building blocks, including organization, compensation, motivation, hiring, training, sales tools, process, and leadership. The goal of the case is to show how integrating the sales function within the companys strategic planning increases productivity and profits.

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2. Identify 3-4 key questions

No easy-to-define answer Students will disagree about the right answer. Use how or why questions as a starting point. Avoid questions that students can easily answer with one sentence Example:
How do people become leaders? How do you motivate people? Why do people avoid work? How do you manage people? How do persuade people? Why are teams better able to tackle complex problems? How do you lead a team?

Address the core ideas within the discipline being taught Help students make sense of core ideas
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3. List activities students will perform

Activities should reinforce the answers to key questions from Step 2. Some examples of activities include:
research discussions lectures cases, videos quizzes group study Writing

Additional study materials?

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4. Repeat the previous steps

Until youre satisfied Check the taxonomy to make sure you have good action verbs selected

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5. Help students prove they know answers to key questions

Difference between knowing and doing. Knowing Facts, ideas, and concepts. Understand the concepts behind the decisions before dealing with them. Involves an explanation. If the students can explain, from an objective and academic position, why something should be done, they likely know it. One way to help students understand is to jot down common student misunderstandings. Example, in sales management, you would not want students to think that there was only one method to motivate someone. You want them to know that there are many motivation concepts and that managers should use different techniques to motivate different people to do the same things. Doing Apply what they know into actions that demonstrate the answers to the key questions. Appropriate activities (from the previous Step 3) and assignments.

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6. Identify your role as the professor

Style -- lectures, discussion-based, action-based, simulations, the case method, or a blend Case method Extremely effective, particularly for establishing business principles and workforce-ready management training. Based on Socratic Method: challenge students to search for answers under the guidance of an expert professor. Questions are more important than answers Students learn best by doing. Professors use their expert knowledge to develop questions that force the students to Clarify (What do you mean by that?) Challenge assumptions (Is that always the case?) Provide evidence (What are your reasons for saying that?) Examine consequences (How can we find out?) Cases teach important lessons and how to reason like a leader

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7. Write the objectives

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Teaching Objectives
After discussing this case, students will be able to
Defend, justify, explain, determine

After discussing this case study, students will be able to

empathize with the frustration and pain felt by urban residents using transportation in cities around the world assess the business opportunities for SMART's Integrated Mobility Hub, which offers a more efficient and environmentally and socially sustainable transportation system make a pitch for SMART's Los Angeles Hub project to an investment firm
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Teaching Note
Start writing it now! 4 major components:
Overview Purpose Analysis Pedagogy

Overview:
The overview provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the teaching material. It can include, depending on the type of teaching material:
The context (the industry and geographic region, for example) The setting (he organization, for example) The situation which drives the action The characters
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Finally
Wow, were on slide 25 and I havent identified my organization yet Case studies are teaching tools, not just good stories Sometimes, though, this part comes first: Identify the featured organization

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Identify the featured organization

Real situation vs. fiction
Students see through the fiction quickly Analysis in fictitious cases tends to focus on divergence from reality

Single event versus composite events

Privacy Teams Decisions over time
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Identify the featured organization

Gaps in available cases Serendipity Personal / Student experiences
Consulting Acquaintances Discussions

Fits your teaching objectives Accepts that a case will be written & published
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Identify the type of case

1. 2. 3. 4. Decision-focused (what you should do) Evaluative (What someone else did) Descriptive (profile) Critical Incident (Raw descriptive data)

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Choosing a Protagonist
Classic cases:
Character driven Decision-maker Interview subject

Other teaching tools (conceptual notes and profiles):

Not character driven

Bias??
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Bias in case
Single point of view = bias From protagonist point, that is ok Balance of case needs to be unbiased

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Sources of Information
Credible
No Wikipedia! Financial information can be changed by a factor

Company Information
Interviews Financial Statements

External data
Public perspective (Business press) Conceptual perspective
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First Steps
Will you contact the company?
Are you finding everything you need online? Do you have any trustworthy contacts in the company? Remember: if you contact a company, you are relying on them to sign off on the case. Personal knowledge / introductions Source close to the release authority MOA? NDA? Legal forms

Create a rough outline and identify specific areas where you may need inside information Create a few possibilities for decision points

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Poll Question

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Thank You
Marc Robinson:
marcrob@umich.edu www.GlobaLens.com

Sandra Draheim
draheims@umich.edu

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