The Case Project Guide

A few years ago, I started requiring students in my graduate strategic management class to write a business case as a class project. Colleagues and other coauthors have helped expand and refine the project. Here’s a quick version history:

  • Version 4, – July 1, 2016, published by Ivey Publishing; Brent D. Beal, UT Tyler; Karen MacMillan, Laurier; Meredith Woodwark, Laurier; Karin Schnarr, Laurier; https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=79115
  • Version 3 – 2016, Brent D. Beal, UT Tyler; Roger Conaway, Technologico de Monterrey; Kendra Hart, Mount Royal University; Karen MacMillan, Laurier; Karin Schnarr, Laurier; Jim Tarter, UT Tyler; Meredith Woodwark, Laurier
  • Version 2 – 2014, Brent D. Beal, UT Tyler
  • Version 1 – 2012, Brent D. Beal, UT Tyler

As described on the Ivey Publishing web site:

Writing a business case as a class project is an effective way to help students integrate theory and practice, build a tolerance for ambiguity, develop critical thinking skills, and improve their writing ability. However, implementing a case writing project in the classroom can be both difficult and time-consuming. The Case Project Guide is designed to make this process easier. This field-tested guide walks students (alone or in groups) through the entire case writing process, including how to structure a case, collect data, define key problems and concepts, write a teaching note, and get a case published. Detailed specifications are included for structured assignments so instructors (even those with no case writing experience themselves) can quickly and easily integrate a case writing project into any traditional or online class (or independent study initiative).

We recently gave a presentation on student case writing at the Academy of Management meeting in Anaheim:

Beal, B. D., Schnarr, K., Woodwark, M. J., Schnarr, K., & MacMillan.  2016.  Case writing as a student assignment: The student-written, instructor-facilitated (SWIF) approach. Presented at the Academy of Management 2016 Annual Meeting, Teaching & Learning Conference (one-day mini-conference, Sunday, August 7th), Anaheim, CA, August 5-9, 2016.

We plan on promoting student case writing at other academic conferences (for example, at the NACRA conference in Las Vegas in the fall).

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